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Articles: Food - Must
Have Bar Tools
By Jeremy B.
Sherk
"A man is only as good as his tools" is a
phrase I'm sure you've heard before and it applies to bartending as
much as anything else. You'll only ever be as good as your tools, so
make sure you're not without them. The quality of your tools can
make or break your experience behind the bar so it's important you
take this lesson seriously.
There are countless bartending
tools out there. Will you use them all? No. But there are certain
tools that every bartender must have. In this first lesson, we'll be
taking a look at those 'must-have' tools so pay close
attention.
Now
whether you're working in a low or high volume bar, a bottle opener
is not only crucial to your speed, but also your hands! Imagine
opening every bottle of beer ordered with your bare hands... you
wouldn't last the night without seriously doing damage to your
palms. There are many different types of bottle openers out there on
the market... everything from a simple 'key-chain opener' all the
way to a 'butterfly bottle opener', you know, like a butterfly
knife? Pretty cool. Find out what works for you. I've used the same
stainless steel 'speed opener' for years now, it does the job (with
style) everytime so I've had no reason to switch.
The
best, most versatile wine opener is known as the 'waiter's wine
opener'. It'll always do the job, even on the most difficult and the
most stubborn corks. Compare this to many others out there that
often break the cork or have you struggling in front of the customer
to get the damn thing open. A waiter's wine opener includes a
corkscrew (worm), a sharp blade to cut the seal of the wine and also
a bottle opener device if you're desperate for one. I recommend a
'two-level' lever on your opener as well, that's what I personally
use. Mine has never failed me in opening a bottle of
wine.
This is the stainless steel thingy you see bartenders pour
ingredients into for a martini or shooter and shake vigorously. This
is a must-have for all bartenders. A good rule of thumb for
cocktails is, the colder it is, the better it tastes. Why else would
bartenders concoct a drink by pouring pre-chilled ingredients into a
shaker with ice, shaking like crazy and then serving it in a chilled
glass? Because you want every part of the process to be 'chilling'
to prevent any 'warming' of the cocktail. There are two types of
shakers out there:
1) Standard Shaker - This is a
three-piece stainless steel shaker that has the strainer built into
it. I find the Standard Shaker is not as common among professional,
working bartenders. It consists of the shaker tin, lid with strainer
and cap. Perhaps it's more complicated design with smaller parts
discourages working bartenders from using this more often. But it
will do the job just as well as the...
2) Boston Shaker - From my experience, the
Boston Shaker is actually more standard among professional
bartenders. This one is simply a shaker tin with a separate mixing
glass that's slightly smaller in size. It's a two-piece device that
you simply seal together to shake the cocktail. The tendency is seal
it as tight as you can and proceed to shake, although this is not
necessary as you can often seal it too tight, and then not be able
to open it when you're done shaking and ready to pour the
concoction. If you're ever in this situation, use the edge of the
bar and clip the overlapping metal lip (which will always be on the
outside, as the glass is always smaller and fits inside) against the
edge of the bar. You can also 'twist' them apart, that will often
break the seal too. But avoid all that by fitting them together nice
and snug instead of as tight as you can.
You can purchase
shaker sets in all types of different sizes and styles, but they
pretty much fall into one of the two types listed
above.
You'll find many different types of strainers on
the market. But the only kind I've ever used and would want to use
is the Hawthorn Strainer. You know, it's that real funny looking
stainless steel thing with the handle and the spring coil. The
purpose behind the spring coil on the strainer is so you can fit it
into all types of different shaped glasses. So it's a very versatile
tool. I should mention that when using a shaker I often do not use a
strainer. I use the Boston Shaker and simply crack a tiny opening in
the seal between the two and pour out the concoction 'cracked egg'
style.
If
you're more of a visual learner like me, Tom Cruise does this when
pouring his 'Turquoise Blue' Martini for Gina Gershon in the two
floor NYC nightclub in the movie Cocktail.
Not every
bar uses coasters. But it's a good thing to have. They'll prevent a
lot of unnecessary wet spots or 'rings' on the bar from moisture off
the side of the glass. I've worked in slower, classier places where
using them is mandatory. I've also worked in higher volume
nightclubs where you don't use coasters because you're wiping the
bar down every five minutes anyway, so why bother? Which leads me
to...
A fresh, clean set of bar towels is something
every bartender needs. In high volume places, the bar is constantly
needing a wipe down from spilt drinks, drink rings, sticky shooter
glasses, etc. I like to have a minimum of four, strategically placed
wet bar towels in my working area at all times.
One thing I
teach you in Bartending Secrets Exposed is to have everything
systemized. You want things as seemingly insignificant as location
of your bar rag to be the same every night. You don't want to think
about where it is everytime you need it, you want it to be second
nature, you want to be able to grab it without even looking! The
party can often get sloppy so you must have your bar rags close at
hand.
Forcefully cutting through and scooping your ice with an
actual glass is a very stupid thing to do. Yet I see bartenders do
it all the time. I don't even recommend you 'gently and carefully'
scoop the ice with the glass. There's just too much margin for
error. If you chip the glass, and you know it, you're spending the
next ten minutes emptying and refilling your ice well. If you don't
know it, and you happen to serve a customer a drink garnished with
glass shavings you could be in some serious trouble.
Using a
metal ice scoop is mandatory as a bartender. It really doesn't take
more time to scoop ice with a separate scoop. You can also do some
fancy tricks once you get good too.
If you work in a
bar that allows free pouring, you won't be needing this handy tool.
But in most regions of North America free pouring is illegal and
you're required to use some sort of measuring device, whether it's
an automatic or manual device all depends on where you work. While
I'm not a believer in the automatic devices you see nowadays, using
a shot glass or jigger (manual device) to measure the amount of
alcohol you pour into each drink is what I've always done as a
bartender.
For those of you who work at places with
extremely tight inventory control. I offer you an amazing 'overpour
fake' technique in Bartending Secrets Exposed to keep the 'tip
friendly' relationship with your customers while keeping your
integrity with the boss. Click here to get it
now!
Skewers, plastic swords picks, arrow picks... or whatever you
want to call them... are for those exclusive garnishes like olives
and cherries. They really add to the presentation of a drink and are
a must-have for those customers you want to really impress.
Whether it's giving the customer three olives with their martini
or an orange slice and a cherry with one of my seductive martinis, I
always have a supply of garnish picks close at
hand.
Whether you free pour or not, a bar that deals
with any type of volume and has any interest in inventory control
should have these on all of the high moving liquor bottles. There
are many different styles of pour spouts out there:
-plastic
-metal
-neon
-glow in the dark
-slow pour (3 seconds
per ounce)
-fast pour
-screened
-flapped
-measured
All have some associated benefit or gimmick. But I like
things simple so I use the metal 'slow pour' spouts on all my
liqueurs and the metal 'fast pour' spouts on all my well liquor
which I'm using a shot glass for anyway. Why wait three seconds when
you're measuring with a glass already? Time truly is money in this
industry.
Now at
this point you might be thinking, "Jeremy, you're talking about the
kind of tools and supplies the bar should be supplying, you're
making it sound like I have a choice on what kind of pour spouts I
use." Realize I don't want you to go out and start buying pour
spouts and garnish picks. Those expenses should be left to the bar
you're working for. But remember that YOU'RE the one working the
bar, not the manager. If the bar where you work has crappy pour
spouts and doesn't even use garnish picks, it's up to you to suggest
it!
I believe it's your choice. After all, you're the one
using it, right? Managers will always be open to suggestions if it
will improve your speed and performance, thus, increase
sales.
This is obvious, but you should always
have straws close at hand. The bigger or more you give the customer,
the better. You control the speed at which your customers drink by
how many straws you give them. Make 'em drink fast so you increase
your sales (which equals more tips).
Ask any bartender
out there and they'll agree that besides 'a drink', you'll be asked
for 'a light' or a pen more than anything else. So what's the best
thing you can do??? Have them close at hand! Have a ton of pens to
lend, because you may not always get them back and you always want
to have enough. Also, always have a load of matchbooks to give to
customers in need.
I
also recommend you have a sleek butane lighter of your own for
customers needing a light right at your bar and also when flaming
drinks are necessary.
Last, but certainly not least is
to have your own tip jar. While I go into extreme detail in
Bartending Secrets Exposed on the true art and science of the tip
jar, what I'll tell you here is that having one is a must! You're
losing tips without one! Have your own, preferably a wine carafe.
The tapered neck of a wine carafe means once a tip is in the jar,
it's in. You won't have any hands dipping in to swipe your hard
earned tips, which can often happen in a busy nightclub.
Now
you're a little more familiar with the tools you need to be an
excellent bartender. Remember, you can always get all this
information and tons more by getting started with the internet
ultimate
bartending success system, Bartending Secrets Exposed, 'How To
Double Your Tips and Land Your Dream Job, 100% Guaranteed!'... at
http://www.MakeMoneyBartending.com
To Your Success,
Jeremy Sherk is an expert world-class bartender, who's been
serving drinks before he could legally drink himself, has helped
thousands of bartenders land their dream job and skyrocket their
tips. http://www.MakeMoneyBartending.com
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