Bartenders are stereotypically people who prepare or mix both alcoholic drinks, cocktails and mocktails for the patrons of bars, restaurants, star hotels, lounges, clubs, dance bars, dicotheques or then any other establishment that serves both alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic drinks.
The bartenders quintessentially are expected to memorise and perfect the preparation of standard cocktails and various other exotic combinations like bloody mary’s, granitas, virgin mary’s , rum and cokes, gin and tonic, lime and vodka and many other such intoxicating drinks and remain steady and alert on their feet despite imbibing or inhaling the stuporous fumes emanating from any and every bottle in their immediate vicinity.
Bartenders have also been known to check the credentials of customers to frequent their bars in order to ensure absolute compliance with the legally permissible drinking age in vogue within their state, serve drinks to customers when required, take and fill up orders, and last but not the least get down to pat the recipe of a discerning customer who insists upon having his drink mixed just the way he wants it.
Members of this profession are also expected to collect empty glasses, wash and clean glasses, replenish their liquor supplies and ensuring the availability of every item highlighted on the bar menu as and when required, devising ways and means of acquiring supplies at rock bottom rates and most significantly keeping their regular patrons in continued good humour.
Thought to be the exclusive preserve of men down the ages, women are now beginning to break the glass ceiling, serving to raise many a conservative eyebrow with their dimunitive presence on the other side of the bar counter, mastering the skills required to excel in the profession or then simply put in a nutshell finding their pretty feet in this male dominated profession.
As with all professions this profession to is synonymous with it’s fair share of danger as the infamous Jessica lal case in which a young, bubbly, effervescent, free spirited, blithe young girl was callously shot down by a misguided youth when she stuck to her guns and refused to fill up an order as the bar had closed down for the day at the end of the day after it’s stipulated business hours.
If making a fast bucks what you’re looking at then this profession’s certainly not for you as the drawn pay is anything but commiserate with the long hours, taxing, mind numbing, bone busting, spirit crushing and sometimes ball busting experiences that many a bartender go through.
Most bartenders are self taught, or then have acquired the requisite skills from their fore-bears, a few colleges are also beginning to make a beleaguered effort towards imparting the desired skills but these are still too few and in far between.
The labour union office to which most practitioners of this art belong, web sites of colleges who have made forays into imparting skills or then Toastmaster’s International might just be the place to start.
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