A bartender is a person who serves alcohol in a bar at restaurants, independent bars, pubs, lounges and other establishments. The bartender can also be called as the barkeeper, barman, barmaid, tavern keeper, whiskey slinger or mixologist. A bartender may possess a bar of his own and choose to bartend at the same.

Bartending can be real fun and exciting and pursued full time or part time depending on whether you are willing to make a career out of it. Mixing different beverages, creating new flavours and experimenting with different kinds of alcohol can be an artistic pursuit and the bartender with a natural flair for the art can join bartending schools that offer courses and placements in reputed establishments. As a hobby, one may opt for bartending as a second occupation or bartend at local gatherings and festivals for friends and family.

A bartender needs to know certain techniques while serving drinks. Bartending is not as easy as it seems and creating drinks that meet the expectations of the patron is one of the main aspects of the job that make it so difficult. Let us consider cocktails for instance. There are certain techniques that should be followed to add the wow quotient to your cocktail. The first step is to upgrade your liquor store and do away with cheap brands that degrade the quality of your cocktails. Cocktails reflect the quality of the ingredients used and though it is not necessary to shelve a huge amount of money on the ingredients you are using, good mid-range brands will definitely improve the taste of the cocktail. Make sure the fruit juices, syrups etc used in the drink are fresh. If necessary keep an electric juicer handy nearby.

While serving drinks that are cold, chilling the glass before serving to the customer can make a world of difference. Same goes when serving drinks that are warm. This helps maintain the temperature of the drink for a longer time. Appropriate garnishes tend to enhance the flavour of the drink and thereby adorn your drinks with lemon or olives wherever necessary. Most importantly, measurement is one of the most vital factors that decide the taste of your cocktail. Gauge the ingredients to their perfect amount to create great drinks as over or under pouring an ingredient will definitely destroy the fragile balance of the drink.

So when to stir and when to shake the drink? It is preferred to shake cocktails when it involves fruit juices, cream liquors, syrups, etc while stirring is opted when the drink contains very light spirits. Last but not the least, ice plays a significant role and can make or break your drink. The ice not only keeps the drink cold, but melts to blend with the drink itself. While ice cubes work with all forms of drinks, cracked ice melts faster and increases the dilution level of the drink. Cracked ice is used in frozen drinks.

Shaved ice is used in shakers to create thick cocktails while ice balls are being used for serving 'whiskey on the rocks' in countries like Japan.

Hobbylancer and You

At Hobbylancer, connect with bartenders, learn the basics of bartending and find establishments in your area to bartend for. Search schools that offer bartending courses, organise events or look for bartenders for your own establishments. Organisations offering courses can advertise, experts can post tutorials for amateurs and write/review new preparations. Enhance your knowledge and hone those bartending techniques with us at Hobbylancer.