If you’re reading this and excited to get into bartending because of the great “money” you’ll make, you’re reading the wrong article. Sure, thats part of it! But being a bartender requires many things. One of them, is having a friendly and accommodating personality. The bartenders I have seen, and the most successful at that, have that special attitude that attracts people. This helps the patrons not only have a good time, but it helps the patrons feel safe when at the bar. It makes them feel great, and that they will be taken care of in the moments that they share at the bar.

I also can recall examples of BAD bartenders… These are the ones that do not pay mind to many of their patrons, only focus on the tips they will get from certain people that sit at their bar, and NEVER put on a smile. This is a misstep for most bartenders, because it allows for the exact OPPOSITE of a good tip night when using this approach.

Now, I have always said, there is a REASON not everybody can be a bartender. Those who say otherwise, are dead wrong. The reason why not everyone can be a bartender is not because they cant memorize all of their drinks, but because they do not “get it” — they don’t understand why we step behind the bar in the first place. To SERVE. That might sound like a very simplistic approach. One that maybe makes you groan at the obvious statement. But bare with me.

AS BARTENDERS, ARE WE SERVING DRINKS, OR SOMETHING MORE…?

When we say we “serve” the guests, its not just shaking their favorite dirty martini with extra olives (although that is a very important part of it). Serving is the whole package. From the moment they sit down, to the moment of their first sip, to the moment they stand up from the bar stool (sometimes clumsily), we serve the EXPERIENCE.

It is simply this: if we (the bartenders) are having a good time, laughing, telling stories, listening, the patrons will have a good time. If the bartender is frowning and cursing and hating their job, the patron will feel a bit uncomfortable and will not have the best experience.

Here is the harsh reality: the truth is not all of us bartenders will have a great time ALL of the time, but we can try. At the end of the day, it is important to leave any worries or problems at the door when we come in a put our aprons on, because any negative energy that we carry with us through the shift from our personal lives can greatly affect the guests’ experience.

We can almost always talk to our guests and tell them a bit about ourselves (if they ask). It is great to ask the patrons questions, get comfortable with “small talk”, because it will make the patrons feel more at ease.

BE GENUINE AND HELPFUL, NOT RUDE

One of the greatest phrases I heard from a bartender was from Steve Schneider, rockstar bartender at Employees Only NYC and Singapore and has a bar in Panama called “The Strangers Club”, and it went like this: “we bartenders are walking encyclopedias”. This couldn’t be more true.

As bartenders, we must be the guys that the patrons can rely on. If they ever have a question about tequila or rum or whiskey, we are there to answer it for them.

That being said, we answer and give GUIDANCE and RECOMMENDATION, not criticism. This has to be the #1 “no-no” of a bartender to do. Tell a patron what NOT to drink. There are many times I have seen some bartenders quaff or ridicule a patron’s drink of choice… and it is just plain rude!

Now, I am a firm believer, for example of PURE SPIRITS. These are the spirits that have not added sugar or caramel coloring. However, that doesn’t mean I am going to go off and tell my guests at the bar that they SHOULDN’T drink a certain product. That is absurd. There is already a market for it, and who am I to render somebody’s favorite drink “a bad choice” if they have been drinking it with gusto for years?

BEING HUMBLE BEHIND THE BAR IS THE KEY

Now of course, the most critical part is knowing enough classic cocktails to fend for your own behind the bar. That is undoubtedly the most important. BUT, the other part of the conversation that we mentioned is really the glue that keeps it all together: being cordial, respectful, and HUMBLE.

Now, I know what some people might be thinking at this point: but what if the bar I work at is packed and does not allow for chatting up the guests?

Well, the rule still applies: be cordial and respectful. Unless the particular guest is being rude, then take action to get them out of the bar/establishment.

This is a real question of being HUMBLE. At the end of the day, all that we discussed in this post ties up into one single topic, and it is HUMILITY. If a bartender is not humble, most other things fall in the way of becoming a great bartender. We are all unique, we are all different. But this one thing can define us behind the bar. Being able to listen and genuinely LOVE people, will get those of us that WANT to get behind the bar, very far in our careers.

After all, what good is creating the greatest drink ever, if we cannot DELIVER? If we cannot actually give the full experience to someone, due to our egos getting in the way, why even bother? This is something great to strive for, and to consider when wanting to get behind the bar.

SALUD.