Post #321501 by Bargoyle on Fri, Jul 27, 2007 9:17 AM

Now I took one of those classes yeeeaaars ago...boston bartending school or something, in Springfield, Mass....not in Boston...shoulda known something was up.

A lot of memorization, but alot of "how to prep the bar", how to free pour, hands on with the colored water, etc. Our quizzes were to step up to the bar and rapidly make anything the instructor called out....with the colored water.

Now, once I started working at bars (a few years after the course) I dont think I used any of that knowledge apart from the free pour.

I guess I got lucky in that the bar I hung out at during college was a dive that mostly locals hung at...not many college kids. I hung out there so much they hired me. The owner was pretty cool about just about everything.

For good customers we could "super-size" a drink for $1 to a $1.50 more depending on what it was. This meant mixing your gin & tonic, or Whiskey highball, in a pint glass with proportionally more booze. Rock glass? Highball glass?? F-that. PINT glass baby!!!

When I moved to Memphis, I worked at pool hall dive bar. That was a true "shot & a beer" place. ALmost NEVER mixed a drink there...just opened bottles, pulled drafts & poured shooters.....and occasionally deep fried some chicken fingers.

Now, I've got my own bar in the basement, and I've gotta say, I dont think I use anything that I learned (apart from my deep frying skills....anyone who's had our hot-wings can attest to that).

I dont free pour anything (seeing the difference 1/4 oz vs 1/2 oz of pernod can make, I finally realized you NEED to measure). My prep is non-existant (unless I'm entertaining, & I'll pre-juice a bunch of lemons & limes). And I constantly over-serve myself (& guests). I'm thinking I could NEVER get a job as a working bartender now!! heh heh

But, I gotta say, whenever Pappy is over & he runs the stick for a bit, his mixing skills are excellent!! He's welcome to be my bartender anytime he wants!

Just dont ask him to deviate from a recipe...he's stab you with that pen of his.