PAPA DOBLE

Here's a tribute to Papa Hemingway.
Around 1921, bartender extraordinaire Constantino Ribailagua, who worked the El Floridita Bar in Havana, decided to add fresh grapefruit juice to the Daiquiri. He also added some maraschino liqueur. Ernest Hemingway was a regular at El Floridita. Constantino named the drink Papa Doble, meaning Papa's Double, after Ernest Hemingway.
Since Hemingway had an aversion to sugar, the original recipe used no sugar. But down the line, sugar (or simple syrup) was added to the recipe.

one-and-a-half ounces white rum
one-fourth ounce maraschino liqueur
one-half ounce fresh grapefruit juice
three-fourth ounce fresh lime juice
three-fourth ounce simple syrup (optional)

Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Begin reading "The Sun Also Rises."

Jack Rose Cocktail

There are a lot of cocktails out there that many bartenders don't know how to make.
This is a classic, which will elevate any bartender from "just a bartender" to "professional bartender". (Really hate to use the word "just").
No one really knows if there was a person named Jack or not.
The world will probably never know.
Rumor has it that the cocktail was actually named after a pink rose called the Jacquemot rose.
One of the earliest references to the Jack Rose was in "The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book," by Albert Stevens Crockett, 1935.
Several years back there were two reporters for the Washington Post who went to all the bars around Washington trying to find a bartender who knew how to make a Jack Rose.
They didn't introduce themselves as reporters, but just as two guys out looking for a Jack Rose Cocktail.
They were very unsuccessful at first, as most of the bars they went to didn't have a bartender who knew how to make it.
They finally found a bartender who knew, and they wrote up their story in the Food Section about their quest for a Jack Rose Cocktail.
(Wished they would have come to my bar!)
Here goes:

Jack Rose Cocktail

two-and-a-half ounces Applejack Brandy
three-fourth ounce fresh lemon juice
one-quarter ounce grenadine (more or less to taste)

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a lemon twist.

Knowing this cocktail will seperate you from the riff-raff bartenders down the street who don't respect the profession of bartending.

SILVER BULLET

How many bartenders get a call for a Silver Bullet?
How many bartenders even know what a Silver Bullet is?
Answer: not many, to both questions.
Us old-school dinosaur bartenders know what a Silver Bullet is.
It's a Martini with a scotch float. Definitely old-school cocktail.
I mean a real Martini. The kind with gin.
To me, a vodka Martini is not a Martini. It's just chilled vodka, served straight up.
A few weeks ago at Rock Creek, some guy in the dining room ordered a Silver Bullet. At Rock Creek, the waiters (sorry, I mean "servers"), pick up the drinks for the dining room at the service end of the bar.
One waiter came up and ordered a Silver Bullet. The waiter said that the customer asked if the bartender knew how to make one. To my astonishment, I couldn't believe that someone out there had actually ordered a Silver Bullet! I haven't had a call for that in over 25 years! First thing I start thinking is that the guy (and I do mean "guy", being that women don't order Silver Bullets), must be over 50 years old.
I made the cocktail, and personally carried it out to the dining room. I wanted to shake the hand of a real professional drinker. The guy looked about mid-sixties. Had to be to even remember what a Silver Bullet is. He also looked very distinguished and dapper.
He appreciated the fact that I knew how to make one, and that I personally carried it out to him.
He tasted it, and loved it!
The Silver Bullet is a cocktail that the old-school reporters drank.
I can just picture H. L. Mencken or Johnny Apple downing a few Silver Bullets over their extra-large cut of prime rib!

My Washington Post editorial. 6-14-09

I’ll Take an Old-Fashioned, Please. Regarding the June 5 Weekend article “A New Taste of Summer; 5 Drinks That Aim to Make Mojitos but a Memory”: It was a great article, and my hat’s off to the creative young bartenders who come up with these innovative cocktails. It seems as if this is the future of bartending, one where you might need to visit a world market to get all the ingredients. Jerry “the Professor” Thomas, who wrote the first recipe book for bartenders in 1862, and Harry Craddock, the legendary barman at London’s Savoy Hotel, may start shaking in their graves. Being an old-school bartender, I often wonder: Whatever happened to just a beer and a shot? Or a classic Manhattan? Or a classic anything?These old-school cocktails will always stand the test of time. How many bartenders know that a Manhattan requires a dash of bitters? When anyone sits at my bar and orders a beer with a shot of Grand Marnier, the first thing I ask is: “Where do you tend bar?” Nine times out of 10, I’m right. But hey, let’s go with the flow. There’s got to be something out there that I’d give up my shot of Jameson for.
Nick Wineriter
Washington
The writer is head bartender at Rock Creek Restaurant in Washington

Future of Bartending

Where is bartending going?

Is it going the way of food? Where everything is strategically placed on the plate, and you want to take a photo before you dive into it?

When I go out to dinner, I just want a piece of prime rib hanging over the plate, with some mashed potatoes and gravy. Screw the health-conscious public, and calorie counters.

If you're that concerned, stay at home! Eat your celery sticks and carrots!

When I dine, I just want a plate of food, so I don't have to go to Burger King afterwards.

Same for cocktails: what are all these foo-foo drinks?

Do we have to go to some third-world market to get the ingredients?

I have nothing against new cocktails, but let's keep things in order.

DUKE ZEIBERT'S

I was a bartender at Duke Zeibert's Restaurant, Washington, DC. Mel Krupin (who I have the utmost respect for) hired me there in 1975. I was just 5 years out of high-school.
I remember my first shift there. Duke told me: "Make good drinks, but don't give the house away".
I think I was the youngest person on the staff. Most of the waiters were at least 50 years old, (and were either Jewish or Greek) and had been there for years. I remember Victor " Man O War" Friedman. About 75 years old. Waited tables for Duke for about 40 years. (Bless his heart!) And Benny. Another oldtime waiter who had been working for Duke for about 35 years.
Unfortunately, you don't see too many old school bartenders (or waiters) around anymore. Did I say "waiters"? I guess it's politically correct now to call them "servers". Beside myself being a bartending "dinosaur", there's Jim Ross at the Prime Rib, John Boswell at the Hay Adams, Ed Seitz at the Monacle, and Jim Hewes at the Round Robin Bar in the Willard Hotel.
Two of my bartender mentors, Mac (Howard MacNamara) who had been working for Duke since day one, and Leo Veran, a Philipino bartender who had been at Duke's for about 15 years. Mac and Leo were my heroes at the times. Their combined experience was more years than I had been alive.
I remember when the Washington Redskins would win on Sunday afternnoon, and George Allen would come into Duke's for a celebratory dinner. Then the next day. on Monday, Duke's would take a celebratory cake out to Reskins Park.
I remember Sonny Jurgensen coming in, and Eric Severeid also. I once made a drink for Peter Lawford, a member of the Rat Pack. He had brandy and milk, with brown granulated sugar on top. I asked him how the drink was, and he said: "Fabulous!"
Duke used to parade Elizabeth Ray around the dining room, and had flowers waiting on the table for her.
The original Duke's closed in 1980, and I went out to Hawaii to tend bar. Tiring of Hawaii, I came back to D.C., and went back with Duke when he re-opened in 1983 in the Washington Square building, at Connecticut and L Street, NW. He had all the Redskins trophys there, along with the golf trophy and baseball trophy.
Celebrities I saw there: John Travolta, Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, Larry King, Jackie Mason, Riddick Bowe, Cybil Shepard, Jamie Lee Curtis, etc. I asked Jackie Mason for an autograph. I told him my wife was Jewish. My shirt must have been wrinkled. He asked me if my wife did my shirts (his pronunciation: "shoits") for me.
I used to do photography for Duke. When Jerry Lewis came in. Duke asked me to do a photo. Duke stood behind Jerry Lewis at the table, and Jerry, who was eating lobster, put the lobster claws in his nose for the photo.
When Gorbachev came in with Larry King, Duke asked me to do photos. I was off that night, and Duke said to come in with my camera, bring my family, and he'd pick up the dinner tab. I told my daughter Liz, about 10 years old at the time, to go stand behind Gorbachev's table. She went there, got scared, and ran off. Larry King called her back, and I got a photo of Liz shaking hands with Gorbachev. Someday Liz will understand Russian history.
We used to have an employee meal every day about 5 pm. One day I missed the meal because I was in the stock room getting supplies. So I asked one of the cooks to make me some scrambled eggs. When Duke walked in the kitchen. he asked who the eggs were for. He came behind my bar, grabbed me by the collar, and started yelling at me in front of all my customers. He asked me if next time, I was going to order a steak. After working the tables in the diningroom, he came back behind my bar, put his arm around me, and asked me how the eggs were. "Terrific", I said. Duke said" "Don't worry aout it, you're alright with me!"
He'd yell and scream, and then later he was your best friend.
I was very proud to have plied my bartending trade at Duke's.
Something to tell my grandkids about.
Currently, I'm head bartender at Rock Creek Restaurant, Friendship Heights, Washington, DC.
Another place I'd like to brag to my future grandkids about!

TRIBUTE TO MARK POLLMAN

TRIBUTE TO MARK POLLMAN


What can I say about a bartender like Mark Pollman?
Bartender extraordinaire is the least.
Mark was one of a kind.
March 12, 2009, was the one year anniversary of Mark’s death.
Unfortunately, Mark and I never met.
Mark was a bartender in St. Louis, Missouri. I am a bartender in Washington, DC.
I first heard of Mark while I was tending bar at Duke Zeibert’s Restaurant in Washington, DC.
One day a copy of Top Shelf magazine came into Duke’s. There was a cover story of Mark in it.
As I read the article and looked at the pictures, I noticed Mark was wearing a Bartender Hall of Fame ring.
Being a Hall of Fame member myself, I immediately sent him a congratulatory letter.
Mark was tending bar at the Fox and Hounds Lounge in St. Louis.
He sent back a very nice reply, and we were friends ever since.
We emailed each other constantly, and spoke on the phone on a weekly basis.
We always talked about meeting, either him coming to DC, or me going to St. Louis.
I always wanted to make a surprise visit to the Fox and Hounds, Since we had never met, my first line would have been: “Hey, bartender, what do I have to do to get a drink in this toilet?”
He probably would have thrown me out (until he realized who I was).
We always talked about having a big bar bash for all the Bartender Hall of Fame members. Mark’s question was always the same: “Who would tend bar?”
Mark would call me almost every Sunday night about 8 pm.
We would always talk about the bar business.
He always gave me good advice. He was my mentor.
But we also talked about life in general.
A funny thing: my mother would also call me every Sunday night (from Florida).
Mom’s phone call was always after Mark’s. I could rely on these phone calls religiously every Sunday night.
Unfortunately, my mother passed away on March 12, 2007.
When mom died, Mark sent me the most comforting letter I’ve ever received from anyone.
He gave me such good advice on dealing with my mother’s death.
Telling me how my mom wouldn’t want me crying, feeling sad, etc.
I had a tribute speech planned for my mom at her funeral, and I told Mark that I would have a hard time reading it.
Mark comforted me so much, that I read it with no problem.
Mark also told me that when his mother died, she told him before she passed away:
“Don’t cry for me, but party hearty”.
Then the unfortunate happened: Mark passed away on the one-year anniversary of my mother’s death.
How ironic!
Mark had a “baby” born some years back.
He published a book titled: “Bottled Wisdom”.
He always referred to his book as his “baby”.
A phenomenal book. A collection of quotes about the bar business, bartending, restaurants, saloons, etc.
Wow!
Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the wake for Mark last year.
I know it was a big bash. Definitely a bar party.
But I did order a shirt that was given away at his wake.
The back of the shirt had a photo of Mark on it.
Below the photo it said:
Mark Anthony Pollman
06-24-43 - 03-12-2008
Above the photo it said:
“Listen Asshole; You Gonna Drink or You Gonna Talk?”
That was Mark!
Mark, from all of us to you:
We love you and miss you!

MANHATTAN COCKTAIL

The Manhattan: probably one of the world's greatest and classiest cocktails ever.
Why don't most bartenders put in bitters? I guess they don't know that a Manhattan takes bitters: in other words, they don't take the time to learn their craft properly.
Or perhaps they're just too stupid and/or lazy to grab a bottle of bitters.
I guarantee, if you walk down the street and go into the first ten bars you come across and order a Manhattan, the bartender will not put bitters in.
Here's the recipe:
2 ounces whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a cherry
Result:
a golden sunset!
Enjoy one of the classiest cocktails ever!

Washington,DC Craft Bartenders Guild/Leblon Cachaca

Last Sunday night, March 29, 2009, was a cocktail event sponsored by the Washington, DC Craft Bartenders Guild and Leblon Cachaca.
It was held at Cafe Atlantico, here on 8th Street, NW, in Washington, DC.
Superb!
There was a cocktail reception before dinner, hosted by world-famous bartender Tony Abou-Ganim, from New York. Tony mixed his famous Caipirinha's for everyone. Don't think I've ever tasted a better cocktail! Tony is a master mixologist. I've never seen anyone better.
His Caipirinha's were out of this world! Even though I have 30-plus years bartending experience, I would love to study under him. (Hey, one can always learn!)
After the cocktail reception, and before dinner, after everyone was seated, there were several talks: speakers were Tony, and three people from Leblon Cachaca: Jaime Keller (director of marketing), Steve Luttman (founder and president), and Gerard Sweitzer.
Jaime presented us with a wonderful opening, and introduced everyone.
Tony gave a fabulous talk on the current state of bartending, and Steve and Gerard gave a wonderful and informative presentation on the various rum products from Leblon.
I've never been a serious rum drinker (unlike Ernest Hemingway!), but after listening to their talks, I think I'll become one.
Steve gave us great background information on everything
Jerry (Gerard,but he went by Jerry), gave us a very unique way of sampling three different rums. I felt like I was in a college lecture auditorium, his presentation was so good.
I should have taken notes: he may quiz me next time I see him!
The dinner at Cafe Atlantico was a fantastic meal.
Started with tuna ceviche and Dominican conch fritters.
Entrees were grouper and Feijao Tropeiro.
Dessert was coconut two ways and sorbet.
Cafe Atlantico is owned by world-famous chef Jose Andres.
The staff was more than gracious.
Definitely have to take my wife Joan there!

Singapore Sling

Here's the original Singapore Sling recipe, from Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
It was invented by Hainanese-Chinese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon, around the turn-of-the-century.
The hotel's museum has the safe where Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon locked away his precious recipes. Visitors may view this safe. His original recipe was jotted down on a bar-chit in 1936 by a guest at the hotel who asked the waiter for it.
The Singapore Sling was originally meant as a woman's drink, hence the delightful pink color.
Here's the original recipe from Raffles Hotel:
30 ml gin
15 ml Cherry Brandy
120 ml Pineapple juice
15 ml Lime juice
7.5 ml Cointreau
7.5 ml Dom Benedictine
10 ml Grenadine
Dash of Angostora Bitters
Garnish with a slice of pineapple and cherry.

Enjoy this classic cocktail!

Cachaca and Caipirinha Dinner

Last Sunday night, March 30, 2009, was a cocktail event sponsored by the Washington, DC Craft Bartenders Guild and the LeBlon Company.

It was held at Cafe Atlantico, here on 8th Street, NW, in Washington, DC.

Superb!

There was a cocktail reception before dinner, hosted by world-famous bartender Tony Abou-Ganim, from New York. Tony mixed his famous Caipirinha's for everyone. Don't think I've ever tasted a better cocktail! Tony is a master mixologist. I've never seen anyone better.

His Caipirinha's were out of this world! Would love to study under him.

After the cocktail reception, and before dinner, when everyone was seated, there were several talks by

MILLION DOLLAR COCKTAIL

Now here's a literate cocktail.
The Million Dollar Cocktail was created by Hainanese -Chinese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon, who tended bar at Raffles Hotel in Singapore, around the turn-of-the-century.
This cocktail was popular at Raffles Hotel's Bar and Billiard Room.
The Million Dollar Cocktail was featured in Somerset Maugham's most famous barside short story: "The Letter." Needless to say, this cocktail gained considerable sales (and notoriety) for Raffles Hotel.
Here's the recipe, as served at Raffles Hotel:

30ml Gin
7.5ml Sweet vermouth
7.5ml Dry Vermouth
120ml Pineapple Juice
a Dash of Egg White
A dash of Angostora Bitters

Enjoy sipping this cocktail beside the fireplace in your library, with your smoking jacket on while reading some Somerset Maugham.

How To Set Up a Home Bar

HOW TO SET UP A HOME BAR


Entertaining at home!
Easy and economical.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a lot about home cocktail parties. Read “Tender is the Night”. Great novel, by the way.
Here are some easy and helpful hints on setting up a home bar, and becoming a favorite neighborhood bartender!
SETTING UP
As far as location goes, a large kitchen counter will suffice. Someplace near a sink is a necessity. You’ll be dumping out ice from your shaker, and you need a faucet to rinse.
For appearance, a nice thin tablecloth over the counter will be very attractive. But nothing too fancy or expensive, as there may be spillage.
On your countertop, you’ll need an area for liquor, mixers, glassware, garnishes, bartending tools, and an ice bucket.
SPIRITS
Here’s the basics: vodka, gin, light rum, tequila, scotch, bourbon, blended whiskey, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, triple sec.
As far as the types or brands of liquor you use, that is up to you. Buy something decent, but it doesn’t have to be top-of-the-line. (For example, if someone wants a scotch and soda, don’t use a single malt scotch. That’s alcohol abuse!)
If you want to go the extra mile, other spirits you may want to stock: brandy, cognac, Gran Marnier, crème de menthe (white and green), crème de cacao (dark and white), Drambuie, Amaretto, Apple Pucker, and champagne.
WINE
A few bottles of red, and a few bottles of white are all that is needed.
For white, a chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a pinot grigio. Keep refrigerated.
For red, a cabernet, merlot, or a pinot noir.
BEER
Just a few choices will suffice.
An American mass-produced brand, an import or a small batch brew, and perhaps some type of lite beer for the calorie conscious.
The beer can be kept in the fridge or in a large ice chest on the floor.
GARNISHES
Olives, onions, Maraschino cherries, lime wedges, lemon wedges, orange slices, lemon twists.
To cut wedges: cut the ends off, then cut in half lengthwise. Slice each half two times, lengthwise, to create three wedges.
For orange slices: cut the ends off the orange. Cut the orange in half lengthwise. Place the half piece flat side down. Slice off half circles, going around the orange on the side, not from top to bottom.
For lemon twists: use a channel knife, which has a stainless steel flat piece with a hole. Through the hole, you can slice off a long spiral length lemon peel. Cut off the ends of the lemon, and start cutting/peeling from top to bottom.
To flame an orange peel: cut an oval shaped orange twist, about one-and-a-half inches long and three-fourths inch wide, with a small bit of pith on one side. Light a match, and hold it a few inches above the drink. Hold the twist by the sides, about 3-4 inches above the drink, skin side facing the drink. The match should be between the drink and the twist. Briskly snap the twist, so that the orange oil shoots through the



flame and onto the surface of the drink. The result: a bit of pyrotechnic display, and carmelized orange oil floating on top of the cocktail!
CONDIMENTS
Bitters, grenadine, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, simple syrup, sugar.
To make simple syrup, combine equal parts (for example, three cups each) of sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then let cool. Voila: simple syrup!
JUICES (use fresh fruit juices)
Orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, tomato juice, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice.
MIXERS
Cola, diet cola, club soda, tonic water, 7-Up, ginger ale.
GLASSWARE
Martini glasses, rocks glasses, highball glasses, wine glasses, brandy snifters, pilsner glasses, and champagne flutes.
BARTENDING TOOLS
Shaker set (metal and glass), long cocktail stirring spoon, wine opener, bottle/can opener, cocktail strainer, paring knife and cutting board, muddler, and jigger.
COCKTAILS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Martini, Manhattan, Margarita, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Daiquiri, Rob Roy, Old-Fashioned, White Wine Spritzer, Whiskey Sour.
COCKTAILS THAT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW
Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, Mint Julep, Mojito, Rusty Nail, Negroni, Seabreeze, Monkey Gland, Singapore Sling, Ramos Gin Fizz.
COCKTAIL RECIPE BOOKS
These three are must have’s: “The Craft of the Cocktail,” by Dale DeGroff, “The Joy of Mixology,” by Gary Regan, and “Secrets Revealed of America’s Greatest Cocktails,” by Robert Plotkin.
And to add a fourth: "The Ultimate Cocktail Book," by Ray Foley.
If you want to go back in time and see how the professional bartenders of days gone by mixed cocktails, try to get copies of “How To Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion,” by Jerry “the Professor” Thomas, 1862, or “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” by Harry Craddock, 1930. Both are out of print, but worth seeking out.
EXTRACURRICULAR READING
“Imbibe!” by David Wondrich, “Bottled Wisdom,” by Mark Pollman, and “Cocktails of the Ritz Paris,” by Colin Peter Field.
MEMOIRS
For the best memoir of a bartender ever written, read “Hemingway’s Paris,” by James Charters as told to Morrill Cody. (Original title: “This Must Be the Place.”)
Jimmy Charters was a bartender in 1920’s Paris. His book is a memoir of his bartending experiences in Paris. His customers included Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harpo Marx, James Joyce, Silvia Beach, Gertrude Stein, Sinclair Lewis, Oscar Wilde, etc. Unfortunately, this is also out of print, but again, worth seeking out.
BAR/COCKTAIL SITES
http://www.ardentspirits.com/
http://www.kingcocktail.com/
http://www.barmedia.com/
http://www.misscharming.com/
http://www.spiritjournal.com/
www.theartofthedrink.com/blog
http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/
http://www.usbg.org/
http://www.bartender.com/
http://www.sircocktail.blogspot.com/
http://www.vezeo.com/
www.better-drinking.com





FILMS
Some good films with bar/cocktail/drinking scenes:
Casablanca, Guys and Dolls, The Seven Year Itch, Where the Buffalo Roam, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Naked Lunch, Bar Fly, The Strawberry Blonde, The Thin Man, and Cocktail.
A note about "Cocktail": not a bad movie, but the book was so much better. The book "Cocktail," by Heywood Gould, was definitely written by an ex-bartender. The movie was a bit of a farce. All this flipping bottles, etc. These bartenders should go work in a circus! The best bartender is one who makes a great cocktail and gives great customer service. I think service is more important at times than the cocktail. Nothing against Tom Cruise, who is a great actor. But I think Gene Hackman looks more like a real bartender than Tom Cruise!



Lastly, remember that you are setting up a home bar to entertain friends and guests. You are not setting up some high end concept at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Enjoy being a home-bartender, and remember what Mark Twain once said:
“The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster diamond pin, and sell whiskey. I am not sure but that the saloon keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”

Black Rum Fizz

Here's a great spring/summer cocktail recipe.
I've used this recipe for the summer cocktail list at Rock Creek Restaurant here in DC where I currently tend bar, and also at my former work place, Signature's Restaurant at 9th and Pennsylvania in DC.

BLACK RUM FIZZ

one-and-a-half oz. Malibu coconut rum
one-half ounce Banana liqueur
one oz. pineapple juice
two oz. fresh lemon juice (or sweet and sour mix)
(one oz. simple syrup if used with fresh lemon juice)
one to one-and-a-half oz. Black Cherry soda
pineapple wedge
(Simple syrup: bring to boil one part water and one part sugar. Boil for about 3 minutes, then let cool).

In large glass shaker glass with ice, pour the Malibu rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, and fresh lemon juice (and simple syrup if using fresh lemon juice), or sweet and sour mix. Place tin metal shaker over glass shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into large rocks glass filled with ice. Float on top about one to one-and-a-half oz. Black Cherry soda. (To float, pour very slowly over back of spoon). Garnish with pineapple wedge. Sit back, relax, close your eyes, and imagine yourself on a beach somewhere in the South Pacific! Beware: Gilligan and the Skipper have been searching for this recipe for years!

Sidecar Cocktail

Here's a classic cocktail, one of my signature cocktails at Rock Creek Restaurant, Friendship Heights, Washington, DC.

The Sidecar Cocktail came about circa 1920's, the golden age of the cocktail.
The Sidecar was supposedly concocted by a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, who invented it for a regular customer, a military man, who was always driven to his favorite bar in a chauffeur-driven motorcycle. Naturally, this man always rode in the sidecar of the motorcycle.

Sidecar
one-and-a-half ounces cognac
one ounce Cointreau
one-half to three-fourths ounce fresh lemon juice
shake and strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass
garnish with a flamed orange peel.

To flame an orange peel:
cut an oval shaped orange twist, about one to one-and-a-half inches long, with a small bit of pith on one side.
Light a match, and hold it a few inches above the drink.
Hold the twist by the sides, about 3-4 inches above the drink, skin side facing the drink.
The match should be between the drink and the twist.
Briskly snap the twist, so that the orange oil shoots through the flame, and onto the surface of the drink.
The result: a bit of pyrotechnic display, and carmelized orange oil floating on top of the cocktail!

Professionalism in Bartending

Whatever happened to real bartenders? I mean the old-school guys who tended bar for a career?
When I first started bartending in Washington, DC at Duke Zeibert's Restaurant, circa 1975, I was the youngest guy on the staff. I was about 23 years old.
I remember Howard "Mac" McNamara and Leo Veran. They had been tending bar at Duke's for many years. Real professonal bartenders. They were both probably in their fifties at the time. I think the youngest waiter was also about fifty. The staff at Duke's was old-school. This was real professional waiters and bartenders. These guys tended bar and waited tables as a real profession. They did it all their lives, and took pride in it.
I remember Victor "Man O'War" Friedman. Waited tables at Duke's for about thirty years. Now that's a professional waiter!
You don't see that much anymore these days.
Seems like bartenders and waiters now are all young people who think tending bar is just something to do until they "make it on stage" or finish school to get a "real job."
They need to grow up and realize that restaurant work is an honorable profession, and take pride in their work.
In Europe, waiting tables is a very noble profession. Doesn't seem like its risen to that point yet here in America.
Joe bar-star thinks it's cool to work behind the bar so his friends can come in for free drinks.
Yeah, he's a real professional. Probably doesn't even know that a Manhattan has a dash of bitters in it. Probably doesn't even care to know, either. He needs to take the time to learn his craft properly.
These young superstars don't even know what a SideCar is.
You'd think they would take a little effort, get some books on classic cocktails, and learn something about their craft.
Not only learn how to properly make and present a classic cocktail, but also learn the history behind a classic cocktail.
Customers are impressed when the bartender can tell them the story of how a certain cocktail came about. Who invented it, and where. Splash a little color into the presentation when you're mixing a cocktail. When you do this behind the bar, you have your bar customers in the palm of your hand. You're one step above the bartender down the street who doesn't know how to flame an orange peel!
When bar-star mixes a Mai Tai, he needs to talk about Vic Bergeron at the Polynesian Oakland Bar in 1944. Same goes for the Ramos Gin Fizz: talk about the Old Stagg Saloon in the French Quarter in New Orleans. If someone orders a Gin Rickey, the customer would love to hear about the bartender at Shoemaker's in Washington, DC, who invented it for a lobbyist customer by the name of Colonel Jim Rickey. How about the Bronx Cocktail? Start talking about Johnnie Salon who tended bar at the Waldorf Bar in the old Waldorf Astoria in New York. On Sunday brunches, there's a lot of orders for a Bellini. Let's talk about Harry's Bar, Venice, Italy, 1944. Grandma and grandpa may want a Bloody Mary. How about a discourse on Pete Petiot at Harry's Bar in Paris, 1921.
Want to impress someone who orders a Singapore Sling? Tell him about Hainanese-Chinese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at Raffles Hotel in Singapore around the turn-of-the-century. Tell the customer that in the Raffles Hotel museum, you can see the safe where Mr. Boon locked away his coveted recipe books.
Take it a step further and talk about Ngiam Tong Boon's Million Dollar Cocktail. This cocktail was mentioned in a famous barside short story by Somerset Maugham titled "The Letter."
People may think the bartender is very literate when he talks about this story. Obviously, he's well read!
Take the literate subject to another level. Talk about "Hemingway's Paris" by Jimmie Charters.
Jimmie Charters was the most famous bartender in 1920's Paris. Best memoir by a bartender ever! Mention the introduction by Ernest Hemingway. Now the bartender is really literate!
Cocktail recipe books? Mention "How To Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivants Companion" by Jerry "The Professor" Thomas, 1862. Or try "The Savoy Cocktail Book" by Harry Craddock, 1930.
Bartenders back then made everything from scratch. Pre-mixed concoctions or flavored vodka martinis? These guys would turn over in their graves! (Incidentally, a real martini is made with gin.)
The movie "Cocktail"? Not bad. Kind of a farce, actually. But the book, "Cocktail", by Heywood Gould, (from which the movie was based), was a real gem. Definitely written by an ex-bartender. Great book! All this bottle flipping does not make a great bartender. (Go work in a circus!) What makes a great bartender? Along with great cocktails, customer service! Nothing against Tom Cruise, who I think is a great actor. But why get a pretty-boy to play the part of the bartender? Get a guy who looks like a bartender. How about Gene Hackman? Now he looks like a real bartender!
Would also be nice to see bartenders who take pride in their appearance. No shirt tail hanging out or two days worth of beard stuble on their face. The old-school bartenders had pressed and starched white shirts, and wore them with pride. Nice big handle-bar mustaches. (Now that was a mustache!) If you can't grow one properly, stock up on Gillette Fusion razors.
Really irks me to see bartenders drink or smoke behind the bar. (But nowadays, nobody can really smoke in bars most places.) Why does the bartender have to do shots with his customers? Can't he wait for that after-shift cocktail down the road instead? In my opinion, drinking during the shift behind the bar really denigrates the profession.
Bartenders need to learn how to act behind the bar as a true professional.
Sure would like to see more professionalism behind the wood.
Am I the last of a dying breed?

NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR

NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR





Hemingway’s Paris
(Originally titled: This Must Be The Place)
by James “The Barman" Charters
as told to Morrill Cody
Hardcover edition published in 1937
By Lee Furman, Inc.
Paperback edition published in 1965
By Tower Publications, Inc.






Mark Twain once said: “The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster diamond pin, and sell whiskey. I am not sure but the saloon keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”
Jimmy “the barman” Charters was the most famous bartender in 1920’s Paris. The Boulevard du Montparnasse was where all the artists, writers, and poseurs would congregate to drink and socialize. And Jimmy Charters was the one who served them all.
Among his customers were: Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Harpo Marx, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, etc. It is Ernest Hemingway who wrote the introduction to this book and said: “If his book has only one-half of his charm, one-quarter of his knowledge, and one-quarter of his experience, it should still be a fairly intoxicating volume.”
In Hemingway’s Paris, Jimmy Charters writes of his experiences as a bartender in mid-1920’s Paris. The characters were all in a class by themselves. Like any good modern day bartender, Jimmy had an inner sense of knowing about people. Whether instilled at birth or acquired on the job matters not. He could “read” people from the moment they walked into is bar. And it is from this viewpoint, customers as main characters, that makes this book a wonderful read.
Jimmy Charters was born in 1897 in the town of Rhyl in Wales. He originally planned to become a professional boxer, and fought in Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
He eventually was offered a position as assistant waiter at the Midland Hotel in Liverpool. This was a very elegant hotel with a swimming pool, grill room, theatre, French Restaurant, and a beautiful lounge. He caught on quickly, and within a month was promoted to a full-fledged
- 2

waiter.
In the French restaurant, the headwaiters were all Italians. They told Jimmy that he must learn French to succeed as a headwaiter. Arrangements sent him to Paris to work at the Hotel Meurice.
After several months at the Meurice, he then went to the Carlton. He naturally sought experience in various departments of hotel work, and worked as dishwasher, waiter, and assistant cook. After the Carlton, there was the Crillon, the Majestic, the Continental, and several others. Then there was the Hotel Massene in Nice as assistant barman. Next was Ciro’s in Monte Carlo. He enjoyed bar work more than being a waiter. When Jimmy started bartending, however, all he had to offer was his “Liverpool grin.”
He returned to Paris as assistant barman at Jack’s Bar. Next was the Bar de l’ Opera. “At one time or another, I must have worked at every big café and nightclub in Montmartre, including Pigall’s, l’Abbaye de Theleme, Le Royal, le Perroquet……..”
One day Jimmy heard about an opening at a bar called Le Dingo in Montparnasse. He was hired there as assistant barman and waiter. This was the beginning of his many years as bartender to the Quarter.
Jimmy Charters also gives some fine points on the art of bartending. He lists diplomacy as a first requisite, along with no squabbling over bills. Contrary to the bar owners, however, he says how he would like to give a free drink for every two or three the customers buys.
Jimmy could also tell when a man or woman walked into his whether he or she desired solitude or companionship. He started many romances this way, and encourages people to talk together if they showed any inclination.
Then there was the exhibitionist. He tells of an English girl who would sit at the bar and after several drinks would pull her dress wide open, exposing herself stark naked. He would have to wrap the dress around her and tie it securely. “You see it isn’t so easy being a bartender. You have to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies.”
He also talks about advantages for bartenders, such as professional services offered free by lawyers, doctors, and others from his many clients. He obtained reduced rates at cinemas and theatres, horse-racing tips, and free “entertainment.” He also received free bottles at Christmas from the French liquor people, who gave him a present of their product. Even today many bartenders partake in the receiving of free services and gifts, one of the advantages of “being in the business.”
Jimmy Charters mentions that most writers are drinkers, and how white wine has always been the favorite with writers and artists. He used to pass Shakespeare & Co. almost daily when he worked at the Trois et As bar. Shakespeare & Co. was a bookshop on the rue de l’Odeon run by Sylvia Beach. “Many of the white-winers of the Quarter have been of the Sylvia Beach school.” Sylvia Beach was the first publisher of James Joyce’s Ulysses .
Ernest Hemingway was another friend of Sylvia Beach. At the time, Hemingway was a correspondent for a Toronto paper, and wrote short stories in his spare time. “Hemingway came to my bar frequently (he was no white-winer!) and we would have long conversations about boxing or he would tell me about bullfighting, in which I was much interested though I know nothing about it.” Jimmy and Ernest often went to boxing matches together.
Jimmy Charters devotes a section of is book to drinks and drinking. He gives a formula for the French way, or safest way to drink: not more than two cocktails before dinner, a good wine served with the meal, and afterwards, one or two liqueurs with coffee. “Fortunarely for bars, Anglo-Saxons always agree with me when I tell them this, but they never follow the advice.”
Jimmy was not a big drinker. “…I myself cannot do it. One or two strong drinks, and I am on a rampage for the rest of the day… so I almost never drink.” In this and other ways, Jimmy was unlike most bartenders. He prided himself on the difference.
- 3

In his opinion, good Scotch whisky was the safest drink, straight or with plain water. Gin was good as an apertif, but not the strong French aperitifs, which were synthetically made, or the heavy French wines (which contained chicory and coffee), which could ruin your stomach.
“Mike” and “Brett,” the hero and heroine of Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, were based on actual people. (Jimmy Charters does not disclose their real names.) Their real-life romance stole the attention of the Quarterites.
Both came from upper class families. They were very much in love and frequently were in Jimmy’s bar. Things eventually turned sour, and Mike started romancing an American girl, but did not stay with her long.
In the interim, the real life Brett met and married an American, and moved to Greenwich Village. Mike never returned to his usual self. Life became difficult, and he encountered many financial difficulties, along with drug problems. He died shortly thereafter, from an overdose of pills. Whether intentional or not, will never be known.
Jimmy called the Trois et As (which means “The Trey and the Ace”) his best bar. He said he had more fun there than any other place in Montparnasse. Jimmy tells anecdotes about Oscar Wilde, Modigliani, and other various artists and restaurant and café owners. He also tells stories about Harpo Marx and Djuna Barnes.
Towards the end of the book Jimmy gives his diatribe on alcoholics. He claims to have much success in handling drunks because he himself had been drunk so many times, (which is a contradiction of his earlier statement that he seldom drinks.) He then reaffirms himself and says that he has forced himself to stop drinking entirely (except occasional bouts) because alcohol affects him too seriously. He goes on about some of his customers who were drinkers of the alcoholic type.
In one of the later sections, he gives a review of the various bars in Montparnasse. This is a good overview of the bohemian lifestyle on the Left Bank. It tells what life was like for the motley assortment of artists and poseurs who flocked to Paris during this time period.
Jimmy also talks of his romances and love life. From Jeanne, a Burgundy girl who was assistant cook at the Dingo, through a Bretonne named Germaine, a girl called Madeleine (who resembled Pola Negri of the movies,) and lastly Marylene, who became his wife.
The last chapter talks of the end of Montparnasse. The tourists started arriving in greater numbers, driving the artists and writers out. The sightseers came to experience the counterculture as they heard about it from the press back home. This was 1929, the start of the depression in America.
Although out of print, Hemingway’s Paris is a treasure to seek out in libraries, good used book stores, or on-line. Jimmy Charters was not only a barman, but a humanitarian.
Sam Putnam, a friend of Jimmy’s, writes: “I can see Jimmie yet, reaching across the bar, gentle like, to put an obstreperous customer to sleep - gently, oh so gently - then, one hand on the bar and he’s across, picking the guy up, dusting him off and sending him home in a taxi - and paying his fare! That was Jimmie. I often wondered how he made any money…Montparnasse may be the explanation of my liver, but I wouldn’t have missed it for all that. Livers be damned! I’ve got something to tell my great-grandchildren about, and Jimmie to them will be a mythical character - which is exactly what he is.”
But Jimmy Charters sums it all up himself: “…a barman is really more important, in many cases, than the bar itself.”
James Charters: bartender extraordinaire.

Happy Inauguration!

Great night in DC tonight!
Worked my bar in Friendship Heights, Washington, DC.
We had a live band, (actually, very good!).
A dance floor was put in, and was used by inauguration people.
Thought I would have a hard time parking at the metro parking lot mid-afternoon, but got a parking place very easy. Lot of people were leaving early, I guess.
Got to work very easy.
Crowd at work was very festive. Everyone decked-out.
Some people at my bar had just returned from the inauguration ceremony. They were very ecstatic about being in DC for the ceremony. Now I wish I would have been there!
A very historic day, and to have been there, something to always treasure.
Was very proud to have served cocktails to people who were there.
Going home was not the problem the media had anticipated:
overcrowded metro trains, etc.
Boarded the metro train after midnight. The train was crowded, but not overwhelming. You could tell that everyone on board was coming home from the inauguration balls. Men were in tuxes, women were decked out in extravagant gowns.
Funny thing is, half of them were asleep!
Quietest metro train I ever rode!
Normally, metro trains after midnight are very noisy and boisterous.
Especially New Year's Eve.
Will never ride a metro train again on New Year's Eve. Next time I'll drive to work.
Too many drunks!
I just want to sit there in peace and quiet and do my crossword puzzle.
Oh well...
Happy Inauguration!

Single Malt Scotch

THE SINGLE MALT




Order a scotch and water in any pub, and you will more than likely receive a blended whisky. But the true scotch connoisseur will always ask for a single malt, neat, or with a little water. For most scotch drinkers, single malts are the superiors of all scotch whiskies. There are tips and tricks to the distillation process and in the different regions of Scotland the scotch produced has its own distinctive flavor and character unique to that location.
Single malts are distilled from a mixture of water, yeast, and malted barley. Blended whiskies, on the other hand, will combine a single malt with other grain whiskies made from corn, barley, wheat, or malted barley. According to Kristina Sutter, Master of Whisky and On-Premise Rep for Diageo Brands, blended scotch can be up to fifty-percent single malt. A bottle of single malt will also always come from one single distillery. However, ninety-percent of all whisky made in Scotland is used for blends.
Water is the one single ingredient that gives each single malt it’s distinctive character. Water sources differ on the amount of peat, granite, and heather they contain. These factors come together to give each scotch its own uniqueness and flavor.
Kristina says that “some malts contain no peat, and some distilleries have no water source.” Kristina also says that “eighty-percent of the flavor comes from the barrel: color, aroma, and wood used”. She also says that the air has a minor affect. The barrel is used only once for American whiskey, while with scotch whisky, the barrel is used three to four times, or until it is exhausted. A lot of scotch barrels are used for patio furniture after their use.
There are five basic steps in the making of single malts. These are: malting, mashing, fermemtation, distillation, and maturation.
Barley is first screened to weed out any foreign particles, and then it is soaked in water tanks for about three days. Some distillers will then place it on concrete malting floors from one to two weeks until partial germination. This germination process will produce “diastase”, which makes the barley soluble for conversion into malt sugar. The barley has to be turned three times daily during the malting process in order for this to be accomplished. Due to concern for most cost efficient techniques, most distilleries these days will leave the malting process to a separate malting company.
After the barley has been properly malted, it is then heated in a kiln or oven for drying out. This also gives it the color and flavor it is known for. While peat is generally added to the kiln fires during this process to give the malt its smoky flavor, some distilleries have opted for the use of coal or oil in addition to a sprinkle of peat. After the drying process is finished, it is then ground into grist.
Then the grist is mixed with hot water in large circular bins, and mashing occurs. In the mash bin, the starches within the grist are converted into a sugary liquid called wort. This wort is then transferred into the fermentation tanks for further processing.
The sugars produced during the mashing phase are now transformed into alcohol by the addition of yeast into the fermentation stage. The yeast cells act upon the wort’s sugar molecules turning the mix into an alcoholic mixture known as wash. This process takes about two days.
- 2




The wash is now transferred into the first of the stills and the distillation process begins. It is heated until the alcohol vaporizes and travels through the long, crooked neck of the still into a water-cooled, coiled tube where it is collected into a condenser and converted back into a liquid form called low wines. The low wines then flow through cooled pipes into a copper-spirit still. This is the place where the final distillation occurs. According to law, the whisky must be distilled twice.
The now clear distilled spirit is then transferred into oak casks for proper maturation. The alcohol level, at this point in the process, is about 120 proof (60% alcohol), but through the process of oxidation the alcohol content is considerably lowered. While some casks are bourbon-cured, some of the finer single malts come from sherry-cured casks. Matured whisky reaches its fullest potential in about twelve years. However, before bottling, most single malts are diluted with water to help lower the alcohol content to a palatable level usually at an 86 proof (43%). According to Kristina Sutter, the age on the label is the age of the youngest drop in the bottle, and once bottled, the whisky stops ageing.
There are four main areas of Scotland that produce single malts: the Highlands, Lowlands Speyside, and the Islay-Campbeltown area. Each area produces its own distinctive flavors and characteristics in its scotches.
The Highland malts, such as Dalwhinnie, Glenmorangie Clynelish, and Pulteney, have a richer, flowery scent and flavor compared to the Lowland malts.
The fairer Lowland malts are considerably lighter in flavor and appearance and are generally used for blends. Some examples of these lighter scotches are: Rosebank, Glenkinchie, and Bladnoch.
The smokiest, heaviest, full-bodidied single malts hail from the Islay-Campbeltown area. Examples are: Lagavulin, Bunnahubhain, Laphroaig, and Bowmore.
Finally, there are the Speyside malts, which were once considered part of the Highland malts. This particular region of Scotland produces some of the world’s finest scotch whiskies. Some of the more popular and well-known Speyside malts are: Cragganmore, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and Macallan. The Macallan is generally aged in Oloroso sherry casks (12, 18, and 25 years). Macallan has a slight vanilla scent and the scotch itself leaves a very pleasant aftertaste.
To truly appreciate a great single malt, it should be savored in a snifter, preferably neat or with a dash of spring water. (For tasting, a four ounce tulip-shaped glass is ideal.) Before rolling the scotch around in your mouth, sniff the bouquet and take in all of its various scents.
Savoring a single malt scotch (in moderation) can be a rich and rewarding experience, especially with good food and good friends!

I think everyone should work in the restaurant business for at least six months.
Maybe next time you go out for dinner or drinks you'll have a little more respect for your bartender or waiter (excuse me, I mean "server". I guess it's politically correct now to call them "servers". But I'm old-school: to me, they are either a bartender or a waiter/waitress).
Yeah, I know, garbage collectors are now "sanitation engineers," and teachers are "educators."
I remember when the employment office was just that: employment office. Now it's "human resources."
There's dignity in every occupation. Just be the best at whatever you do.
I really respect anyone who will do almost anything to make a living. (As long as it's legal, sincere, and ethical).
But I prefer the old terms. I guess it's just me.
Oh well...................

Workers in the food/beverage industry are there to serve you. They don't get paid much by their employer. For that hour or two that you're there, they are your employee. You are buying the product (food/drink), from the establishment. But that bartender/waiter is working for you, and it's up to you to pay him a decent wage (i.e.: "tip"). That's just the way it is.
I agree: the tip reflects the service.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of "freeloaders" working in the restaurant industry.
Lousy service equals lousy tip. You know that and they know that.
But if you get great service, don't be a cheapskate and leave a cheap tip.
That bartender/waiter has been doing his best to make sure you have a great time.
Worst case for great service: the "verbal tip":
"Hey, we had a great time, the food was great, and your service was excellent!"
Then the tip line reads 12%.
Thanks, buddy, hope to see you again!

When I greet a guest, I usually ask: "Good evening, how are you?"
I expect something like: "I'm fine, thank you."
I really don't get it when they respond with: "what kind of wine do you have?"
What type of response is that to "Good evening, how are you?!"
Have some courtesy and respect.
We're human beings, too, with feelings.

If you're miserable, stay home.
Don't bring your misery to my place of work.
I want to have a good time at work, and I want you to enjoy your experience of sitting at my bar.
I really enjoy nice and polite people that I wait on.
Such a pleasure to have people like that to wait on!

HEY SPORT!
Sure Fire Ways NOT To Get Served in a Bar




“Hey, chief! How about a gin and tonic?”
Walk into a crowded bar, and the above line will get you nowhere. A scowl, perhaps, if you’re lucky.
Bartenders are there to serve you. Most of them will bend over backwards for you. They aren’t your servant, but they’ll make you think they are. But give them their respect that’s due. They are human beings, too, with feelings.
Don’t ever walk up to the bartender and say: “What do I have to do to get a drink around here?”
First of all, you need a better line than that. Second, every bartender has already heard that line. It’s way overused. Try using “excuse me, please.” That gets the bartender’s attention rather quickly.
One of the worst things to do is snap your fingers to get attention. Bartenders completely ignore that. They’ll only respond to that with a dirty look or perhaps ask you if you’re calling a dog or something. A bar isn’t Pavlov’s laboratory.
Another non-attention getter is banging on the bar with an empty beer bottle or empty glass. Now you’re really going to have to wait for a refill. After that gratuitous act, you’ll be the last to get served.
Don’t expect to get served immediately when you walk into a bar that’s packed three deep. Other people have been there waiting before you. On the other hand, customers don’t want to hear from the bartender that the bar is short-staffed. That’s not the customer’s problem. That’s management’s problem.
If you want a cocktail made a certain way, tell the bartender when you order it. Don’t take a sip and then say: “but that’s not how I like it,” or “that’s not how I make it at home.”
Most bartenders use standard recipes, but they’ll vary it any way you like. Just let them know ahead of time.
If you are ever cut off, for any reason, don’t argue about it. You won’t get anywhere. You are just wasting everyone’s time. Just leave and come back, (if you’re allowed), another time. Remember: the bartender is judge and jury.
Unless you are Spanish, and the bartender is Spanish, don’t ever use the term “senor,” when trying to get attention. A lot of bartenders will introduce themselves with their name. Try using it.
A regular customer will usually get served before you do. Right or wrong, it’s just the way it is. A person who comes in on a daily basis, perhaps with a group in tow, and spends a few grand a week, yeah, he’s going to get extra special attention. If someone’s helping to pay your mortgage, you give them prompt service.
Bartenders like to keep things sanitary behind the bar. Don’t blow your nose in a cloth napkin. If you don’t have a handkerchief, use a paper cocktail napkin, and then dispose of it properly. Don’t ever leave it on the bar for the bartender to pick up.
The bar is the bartender’s office. Don’t trash it. Respect it. You wouldn’t want someone coming into your office and leaving things all over it.
Barstools are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Don’t plop yourself down, and try to save the empty stool next to you for a friend that’s on the way. If there are other people standing near you, they are entitled to that empty stool, then and there. Tough luck for your late-coming friend.


- 2



If you are with a group at the bar, waiting for a dinner table, clear your check before going into the dining room. When checks are transferred into the dining room, the bartender will usually get cheated on most, if not all, of the tip. The waiter will generally receive the tip for the drinks and service that the bartender provided. Some restaurants will have the waiter tip out the bartender on transfer checks, (but it’s not etched in stone), but it is usually not the full tip amount that the customer left. And then the bartender usually has to “remind” the waiter about it.
Bartenders also have to be very careful about not serving underage people. If you walk in with a young looking group, don’t expect to order alcoholic drinks for everyone in your group, and then pass them back. The bartender will need a valid I.D. from everyone drinking in your group.
And if someone is underage, don’t go hide at a corner table and try to pass him or her a cocktail. You will be shown the exit quicker than before you came in.
If you come in with your son or daughter who is underage, don’t tell the bartender that it’s O.K. because they are with one or both parents. The law says “21,” with or without a parent. Don’t ask the bartender to break the law.
And last call means exactly that: last call! The purpose of last call is to give everyone an opportunity to not only order a last cocktail, but ample time to finish that last cocktail. Last call is usually given about one-half hour before closing.
For late night bars, drinks have to be off the bar by a certain time. It’s the law. If not, the establishment could lose their liquor license.
So don’t try or expect to get served after last call. Chances are you won’t have time to finish, and you’ll be upset when your half-finished cocktail is whisked off the bar.!
One of the worst things to ask a bartender: “Do you make a good Manhattan?” (Or a good “whatever”). How do you want him to respond? “No, I make a terrible Manhattan. Go somewhere else!”
When you walk up to the bar, and the bartender greets you with: “Good evening, how are you?” Don’t start rattling off your order without first replying: “I’m fine, thank you.”
Unfortunately, there are bartenders who don’t care about service. These self-proclaimed “bar stars” are just there till they get “discovered” and can make it on stage or film. They denigrate the profession.
But a real professional bartender treats his chosen career as a true profession. He is an artist behind the bar. (Watch a bartender layer a Pousee-Café. It’s like watching Renoir paint “Luncheon of the Boating Party!)
A true professional bartender will give you the great service and respect that you deserve. He wants you to come back. But he also wants you to think of him as a person, rather than a servant.
Try using “please” and “thank you.” They go a long way!