Up Your Bartending Game

By Chef (Mixologist?) Andrew

One of the key components to throwing a successful party is having an excellent bar, and any serious bar requires an excellent bartender. Here are 5 tips for bringing you and your bar up to snuff.

Know The Classics

Like cooking, the ever changing world of craft cocktails is vast and can be quite daunting, especially if you try to stay current on all of the latest trends. That said, the bulk of the cocktails you’ll find in the typical bartender’s guide can be made using the same ingredients used in the most classic of cocktail recipes. So, if you know your classics and stock your bar with them in mind, you will be well on your way to having the skills and materials you need to make just about anything.

Classic Cocktails

The “Real” Classics

If nothing else, memorize these for sure:

Other Classics

Some of the cocktails below may not be true classics in the eye of the purist. However, they are very popular and have been included to help round out the overall ingredients a barkeep should have at their disposal. If you can make these you can make just about anything.

One good way to remember these drinks is to make up mnemonics.  For example: Cosmopolitans: Love (Lemon Vodka) The (Triplesec) City (Cranberry) Life (Lime).  

Pour Like a Pro

To measure or to free-pour, that is the question. I have known mixologists who are insistent that a properly crafted cocktail must be precisely measured and I have also known those who say one must free-pour to show the imbiber that they are getting a “real” drink, as well as to speed up the bar service. In my view, they are both correct. There is no doubt that maintaining the correct ratio of ingredients is essential to making consistently excellent cocktails, but this can be achieved without having to measure into a shot glass or jigger. In the world of professional bartending a good bartender can free-pour a precise (and I do mean precise) amount by measuring the pour in their mind. This is done by internally counting the length of the pour for each ingredient until the total count of the drink is reached.  With a little practice you can quickly learn this technique, here’s how:

  1. Buy stainless steel pourers (avoid cork) for your liquor bottles.
  2. Fill an empty liquor bottle with water and cap it with a pourer.
  3. Pour the water into a 2 oz. shot glass or jigger while counting the pour in your head, each count should equal ½ oz. When you reach 4 the shot glass should be completely filled to the rim without going over. Practice this many times keeping the count consistent (e.g. “one one thousand, two one thousand, etc.”).  
  4. When you think you have the count and the pour perfectly synched, empty the shot glass and use the same technique while pouring into a rocks glass.  
  5. Then pour the rocks glass into the shot glass and see if it hits the rim without going over.  If it goes over or is short of the rim keep practicing until you have perfected the count.
  6. Once you have this down, know the total count for each cocktail you are making and for each individual ingredient.  For example, a straight-up martini is an 8 count (4 oz.) drink, 7 counts gin + 1 count dry vermouth.  

Note: not all pourers are exactly alike so make sure you practice with the pourers that you will actually be using.

Go Fresh or Go Home

How much you spend on your spirits is a matter of taste and budget, but when you assemble all of the ingredients (see below) for the aforementioned Classic Cocktails I strongly suggest that for the mixers you go only with freshly squeezed fruit juices and to also make your own simple syrup and sour mix. While this requires more work it will significantly improve the quality of your concoctions, is “healthier”, and is the mark of a true craftsman. Once you start using fresh ingredients you will be amazed at the jump in the quality level of your cocktails and you will never look back.  Be warned though, this may make you feel a bit wanting when having drinks at a place where they are using store bought mixers.   

Stock Up

Here is a compilation of all the ingredients you will need to make all of the Classic Cocktails. Before any party or gathering take inventory and be sure to replace any missing items. I also like to replenish non-perishables after the party is over to keep my bar in a near-ready state for any spontaneous cocktail gatherings or cravings.

  • Spirits, Wine, & Beer
    • Brandy
      • Applejack
      • Cognac
    • Gin
    • Rum
    • Tequila
    • Whiskey
      • Bourbon
      • Irish
      • Rye
      • Scotch
    • Vodka
      • Regular
      • Lemon flavored
    • Wine
      • Dry white burgundy (for Kir)
      • Sparkling (for Kir Royale)
      • Reds, whites, and rosés of choice for those who prefer wine for their “cocktail”.  
    • Beer
      • Assorted selection for those who prefer beer for their “cocktail”.
        • Ale
        • Lager
        • Stout
        • Specialty / Craft
  • Alcoholic mixers & liqueurs
    • Absinthe
    • Campari
    • Coffee liqueur (e.g. Kahlua)
    • Crème de cacao (blanc)
    • Crème de cassis
    • Crème de menthe
    • Triplesec
    • Vermouth
      • Dry (white)
      • Sweet (red)
  • Non-alcoholic mixers
    • Bitters
      • Angostura
      • Peychaud’s
    • Coffee
    • Grenadine
    • Heavy cream
    • Simple syrup
    • Sour mix
      • ½ oz. fresh lime juice
      • ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
      • ½ oz. simple syrup
  • Fruit Juices
    • Cranberry
    • Grapefruit
    • Lemon
    • Lime
    • Orange
    • Pineapple
    • Tomato
  • Sodas
    • Club soda
    • Coca Cola
    • Ginger ale
    • Ginger beer
    • Tonic water
  • Garnish
    • Cherries
    • Lemons
    • Limes
    • Mint
    • Olives
    • Onions (cocktail size)
    • Oranges
  • Specialty / Misc
    • Cinnamon
    • Fresh mint
    • Nutmeg
    • Salt
    • Sugar cubes / Sugar
  • For Blood Marys
    • Asparagus
    • Celery
    • Horseradish
    • Pepper
    • Tabasco
    • Worcestershire

Naturally, feel free to expand this list for any personal favorites or original recipes that you may have created. 

Gear Up

Now that you have all the ingredients, you will need the glassware and tools to bring your creations to life.  Here is a list of essentials and a few nice-to-haves that will make your bartending life a bit easier.  

Glasses

  • Brandy snifter
  • Champagne flute / coupe
  • Copper mug
  • Highball
  • Julep
  • Martini
  • Old fashioned (rocks)
  • Pilsner
  • Pint
  • Shotglass
  • Tom Collins
  • Wine
    • Red
    • White

Tools and accessories

  • Bartender tool set
    • Bottle opener
    • Cocktail spoon (long)
    • Cocktail stirrer (long)
    • Strainer
    • Tongs
  • Bar napkins
  • Bar towels
  • Blender / Ice crusher (heavy duty)
  • Coasters
  • Corkscrew
  • Cutting board
  • Drip mat
  • Foil cutter
  • Garnish containers
  • Ice bucket
  • Ice cube trays and molds
  • Jiggers
  • Juicer (ideally motorized)
  • Knife – paring
  • Matches
  • Mixing glass (tall)
  • Muddler
  • Peeler
  • Pourers (for spirit bottles)
  • Shakers
    • Boston (metal and glass) –  a.k.a. “the egg”
    • Cobbler (metal with built-in strainer)
  • Straws and stirrers
  • Toothpicks
  • Wine saver

Final Thoughts

Many years ago my father gave me some great advice when he said: “control your bar, control your party”. This has become somewhat of a party mantra for me over the years. In addition to knowing all of the tools, techniques, and ingredients we have already discussed, it is also the bartender’s responsibility to control how much people have had to drink.  Here are a few tips:

  • Do not drink that much yourself; you need to be alert and in control at all times.  
  • Serve stronger drinks with water “sides” and always encourage everyone to stay hydrated. I like to have a large water cooler on or near the bar for people to help themselves.
  • If you know someone is historically a bit of a lightweight, make their drinks with less alcohol and more mixer right from the start.  
  • Stay close to your bar and monitor those (there’s always at least one) who prefer to self-serve. Also, watch out for any under age teens trying to prematurely join the adult ranks.  
  • If you suspect someone is in danger of being over-served, subtly alter the alcohol to mixer ratio to be mostly (or all) mixer; you would be surprised how often they don’t even notice. 

If, despite your best efforts, someone does have too much to drink, make sure they do not drive and that they have a safe way to get home. If necessary, enlist the help of significant others or friends. This can lead to the occasional hurt feelings but I’ll take that any day over someone having an accident.

Mix well, have fun, and always drink responsibly. Good luck!!!