Although servers and bussers are generally considered entry level positions, managers and owners tend to lean towards the more experienced when hiring bartenders. On our first night as a new employee we have to be able to prep the bar, pick up a tin and shake a decent margarita, or handle an unruly patron. These seemingly “basic” skills only come with experience.

Before I put you on the fast track to bartender, let me preface this by saying that there are always exceptions to any rules. I’ve seen girls with zero experience hired on the spot just because of their TNA… or the local douche bag because he’s friends with the owner. If this is you, then please get the hell off my website. But, if you’re the average guy or girl trying to get a decent gig at a decent bar, to make a decent living… read on.

There are a few types of establishments you’ll be considering. You have to choose one that best suits your experience and attitude.

Nightclub/Venue

High energy, flirtatious bartenders who can mix accurately and fast. You need to be tough, thick skinned and be able to step on a few toes to get in this position. It’s worth it.

Advice When Interviewing: Dress to impress, be confident, smile, and don’t be afraid to let your wild side shine through. But don’t over do it. The management will want to know that they’re not hiring an uncontrollable party animal.

Bar / Hole-in-the-wall

Local bartenders who can chat it up with the regulars, mix a strong drink,  and  can match names to faces, and faces to drinks work best in this environment.

Advice When Applying: You should befriend the management, owners, or bartenders before applying here.

Restaurant & Bar

More of the focus here is on the dining customers, and less emphasis is placed on bar revenue, which in turn means less money but also slightly less pressure as a bartender.

Most corporate establishments only hire bartenders from within, but don’t let that keep from you from applying. Always apply to many so YOU can have your pick.

Advice When Applying: Dress professional, act professional, have a fun and outgoing personality, and come with a prepared resume.

Non-corporate Nightclub / Bar

High energy, flirtatious, and genuine bartenders make it best here. With family owned or sole proprietorships you’ll find less grief and more leniency,  but also less adherence to labor regulations. This can be a good thing.

Advice When Applying: Dress business-casual. Let your fun and outgoing personality shine through. Refresh yourself with 50 of the most popular drink recipes, you’ll be good to go.

Get to Work

If you have no experience as a bartender, you’re going to shoot for a bar-back position in a nightclub or bar. NOT a restaurant. The bar-back position is easy to get and requires no experience. You’re basically a bartenders bitch. but don’t worry, if you kick ass, you can make good money doing this too.

When you speak to the hiring manager, you’re going to make it clear that you’re applying for a bar-back position with the intention of becoming a bartender when a space opens. It’s important to be confident in yourself. Let them see that you are for real in how you act, not with what you say. Talk is cheap.

In this industry, bartending and bar-back positions open up frequently and constantly. Most of the people in these positions are in school, jump from job to job, move alot… so it’s not unusual for a position to open up within a few weeks.

While your busting your ass as a bar-back, you will be studying drink recipes on your off time and watching the bartenders do their thing whenever you can while working. During down time, ask a bartender to show you how to mix drinks or to let you step in with their guidance. This is exactly how I learned.

It might be intimidating to jump right into a nightclub setting, but it’s the fastest and most efficient way for you to learn how to become a well rounded bartender. Once you’ve been bartending in a club regularly, you can be sure that finding a job at any of the establishment types above will be infinitely easier.

Good luck!

99% of them are pathetic attempts at humor, but there are some jewels. I’ve included only the ones that made me laugh.

Add more if you got’em…

• The doctor asked me if I drank alcohol. I said no. We laughed.

• After intensive research I have determined that there is no type of juice that a double shot of vodka couldn’t improve.

• My liver just reached into my wallet and tore up my organ donor card.

• What’s the 2nd part of the rhyme that starts, “Vicodin before scotch…”?

• Lego people hands make them look like they’re always ready to drink up or jerk off.

• I just invented a new drink with root beer, 6 oz of Gin and Bailey’s. It’s called, “Time for the Liquor Store.”

• I know it’s the holidays when I find myself putting crushed up Xanax around the rim of my margarita glass instead of salt.

• The only thing I plan to accomplish after work today is to turn gin and tonic into piss and vomit.

• Thinks that time flies when you’re having a drunken blackout.

• Doctors waiting room needs some music. And better lighting. And more women. And a pole in the middle of the room. And a buffet.

• I don’t know how but I have our hotel room door handle in my purse… this can not be good.

• See you all at my intervention.

• A good friend would bail you out of jail, but your best friend would be sitting next to you saying, “Damn, that was awesome!”

• I always want to be friends with the people that need shopping carts at the liquor store. I bet those people are fun.

• Leaving water next to a plant then letting it die shows the other plants in the house that I’m not about to put up with their shit.

• I hope I don’t black out because this is awesome!

Although this may be an historical recipe, the best Cosmo’s are made with a smooth, neutral vodka. Not only do infused (flavored) liquors have less alcohol content, they can also offset the balance between the  lime juice and orange liqueur. Below is the recipe that I’ve created that makes the ladies shiver n’ grin…

The Perfect Cosmo

3 oz – Skyy®
1 oz – Cointreau® Triple Sec
1.5 oz – Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice
Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
Lime garnish

Preparation:

Fill shaker half full of ice, pour in alcohol, cran, then squeeze in lime juice. Drop lime half into shaker. Shake vigorously until shaker is ice cold or until the mixture has a frothy consistency. (15 – 20 sec.) Strain into Martini glass.

If you’ve done it correctly, you will have a beautiful pink cocktail with a thin layer of lime pulp floating on top.

Each step is crucial when making this cocktail. Skyy is a quadruple distilled, triple-filtered extremely smooth vodka with fewer impurities than any other vodka. This ultimately leads to fewer hangovers and headaches.

Triple sec is an orange flavored liqueur that should not be taken lightly. Other cheap, liquor store brands will leave you wondering what the hell is wrong with your Cosmo’s. Cointreau is more expensive so you’re gonna have to suck it up and spring for this premium liqueur. The only other acceptable substitute for Cointreau would be DeKuyper Triple Sec. Either one will make you a delicious Cosmopolitan.

Make sure you use Ocean Spray, not your local supermarket brand. The taste and quality is far superior. Also take care not to grab Cran-Raspberry, they look the same.

Enjoy!

At the LenEstrada.com Bar Store, we provide our customers with the latest bar supplies and products at incredibly low prices. We warehouse all of our products, which allows for fast and efficient delivery. We ship by a combination of carriers including UPS, USPS, and FedEx. If you order from our bar store before 3pm on a business day, we will ship your products on the same day.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed on all products or you can return them within 30 days for a refund. Can’t beat that.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve supported the local bar scene over the past 2 decades, on BOTH sides of the bar. This is why we’ve created this store for local bars and nightclubs in the Modesto and Central Valley areas. If you’re a local bartender or bar owner, please support your local businesses by browsing our bar store the next time you want some awesome bar supplies or products.  And if you’re not from this area, that’s okay, we’re glad you’re here!

As bartenders we have to create this experience and personalize it for each customer or group of customers. There are infinitely many ways this can be accomplished… and just as many ways to screw it up. Below are a few concepts every bartender should embrace.

1. Keep Your Damn Bar Clean

People come to sip cocktails, relax, and enjoy some down time with friends or family. This is impossible when looking at dirty glassware and dishes, or sitting at sticky bartops and tables. The cleanliness and organization of your bar is a DIRECT reflection of your skills and experience as a bartender.

2. Treat All Customers Fairly and Equally

If you’re one of those bartenders who skips over the guy waiting for 10 minutes to help the TNA that just walked up to the bar, then you’re a douche and I’m leaving your bar immediately. Even though it can seem impossible on crazy nights, you must maintain some type of “first come first serve” system.

3. Mind Your Own Damn Business

It’s easy for bartenders to overhear the private conversations of the patrons. Keep in mind that most customers see you as part of the bar decor and sometimes don’t realize that you can hear them. Keep your comments, smirks, or other expressions to yourself to avoid embarrassing your customers.

4. You Control Who Drinks, Not the Customer

Most individuals believe that it is their right to have as many drinks as they choose as long as they’re paying. All experienced bartenders know this is not the case. You have to gauge the clarity or drunkenness of an individual and make a decision whether or not they are able continue drinking.

Cutting someone off is never fun, but it’s part of our job. In doing so, you are reducing the liability of yourself and your establishment by making a responsible decision.

5. Maintain Proper Hygiene

Wash your hands regularly, pop a mint, shave, keep your neckline tight, wear a clean and ironed uniform every day, keep your nails clean and trimmed, don’t run your fingers through your hair or rub your face. If you’re ill, keep your sick ass home, don’t spread your disease.

Also, keep your hands and fingers off the areas of the glassware that touches your customers mouth. If you have to fish out an ice cube or a lime wedge from a cocktail, use a clean bar spoon, not your fingers.

6. Take Pride in Your Work

Take the time to learn the proper recipes of 50 of the most popular cocktails. Remember, that you are always a student of mixology, staying current on new cocktails. Don’t ever send out a cocktail that’s warm when it’s supposed to be cold or vice versa. If you think a cocktail looks weird or unappetizing, chances are the customer will too.

7. Handling Tips

All service staff should only count tips after a shift and out of the view of customers. You should never assume that you’re getting a tip or that the “change” is a tip. Always take care in making sure your customer never feels obligated or pressured into leaving you a tip. If you give good service, you’ll get a tip. If you make a customer feel special and at home, you’ll make a good living.

The obvious solutions to this problem would be to use better (filtered) water. But there are other factors to consider as well. I recently read an article over at Lifehacker -Make Better Ice for Better Cocktails that reveals some facts about how ice shape and it’s storage environment can affect the flavor of your cocktails.

As a bartender, you have to consider the type of cocktail you’re building. Is it shaken or built? Will ice dilution affect its flavor? Should there be a layer of ice frost on top after its shaken and poured? Is it a short or tall drink? These questions will help determine which type of ice to use… cracked, crushed, or cubes.

If you’re a bartender or a you just like to have over friends for cocktails, the article over at Lifehacker is worth the read.

Cocktails: The Right Ice
In this episode of Imbibe Sips, Jeffrey Morgenthaler discusses different styles of ice and how to pick the perfect one for your next cocktail.

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Low Calorie Cocktails – Welcome to Summer
At the very least it is a great excuse to get together with friends. I will let you know how it all tastes next week. For more GREAT tips, check out The Greatest guide to healthy drinking. Filed Under: 200 calories, Blog, diet tips, eat this not that, food choices, healthy eating, low fat food Tagged With: calories, diet, eat right, fit and healthy, low calorie, low calorie cocktails, run, summer drinks, vodka … Featured Fit Tricks …Publish Date: 05/25/2011 10:37

http://fitchicktricks.com/low-calorie-cocktails-welcome-to-summer/

Cocktails Anyone? – The Martha Stewart Blog
Cheers to you! Sip and savor happy hour with this refreshing and extensive guide to my favorite cocktails, available in the App store for your iPad! Mix, Publish Date: 05/26/2011 11:38

http://www.themarthablog.com/2011/05/cocktails-anyone.html

To avoid this altogether, just be sure the pints are dry before stacking them. Since this is not always possible, you may find yourself trying to pry apart pint glasses without breaking them and possibly injuring yourself. Here are a few steps to be sure you get this done fast and safely.

Step 1: Identify the Gap

Two pint glasses become frozen together when they are stacked in a cooler right after being washed. You should notice that the pint, that is stuck “inside” the other, leans to one side. This creates a gap between the two pints.

Step 2: Wedge a Coaster in the Gap

A cardboard coaster works best, but you can use a bar napkin too. Place the coaster as close to the center of the gap as possible.

Step 3: Push Down to Separate

Lay the pints down so the coaster is on the bottom. Gently push straight down on the pint that’s inside the other. The coaster will cushion the glasses and prevent them from breaking.

Step 4: Pour the Damn Beer!

Credit to: Alex Herrara – La Casuela Mexican Restaurant and Bar

Apparently Foursquare has been growing like wildfire. It’s even been advertised at Time Square. I suggested it to a few close friends, now my entire social network knows about it and a few are using it consistently. Head over to TechCrunch to read more about Foursquares recent success.

Twitter is not just for keeping up with your friends anymore as it was once intended a few years ago. Both small businesses and corporations are utilizing their rapid growth and popularity to harness its income potential.

Finding ways to make money with Twitter is becoming easier as the Social Network continues to work together instead of participating in cut-throat corporate competition.

Here are some money making ideas for all the Twitter enthusiasts:

Want to Make Money on Twitter? Take a Look at How Dell Does It …

Dell is a shining example of a brand that has managed to turn their Twitter presence into both a customer service and sales outlet. Dell may be.

Sponsored Tweets: Making money off sponsored Tweets | BuzzCrunch.net

It seems you can make a little spare change off Twitter, if you’re willing to advertise in your stream. SFGate writes about Twitterers who are making between.

How small newspapers can make money from Twitter | Blog | Econsultancy

Big newspapers are joining Twitter at an alarming rate, in part because it offers another avenue for story ideas and scoops. Some newspaper execs are also trying to find a way to make money from Twitter. This is a tricky area, …

PromotionWorld : Top 10 Twitters App to Monetize your Twitter Profile

Twitter is most common used social networking website in 2009. Most of the business owners and celebrities are using twitter now a day. Twitter is giving you power of communication in just using 140 characters.

Can You Really Make Money with Twitter?

Twitter is a fantastic platform to build relationships, drive traffic and make sales. But, you need to do it really in that order. Before you can expect to make any money on twitter you need to take the time to build relationships. …

CrunchBase Information on Twitter