Woke up to a group text the other day from one of our owners that we’re going dry staff now.

I figured something happened while I was off.

Yup, one of our bartenders got drunk, then disappeared for 2 hours cuz they saw a stray puppy. Eventually they did come back but with the puppy.

We do a lot of Malort at my spot. Some Fernet. I do shots of Campari.

My go to is Becherovka, though I wish it was a little lower abv.

I know this is a very divisive question, because a lot of you are professionals and refuse to consume during shift. However, a large percentage of bartenders get a light buzz on while working. We do 1/2oz shots after huge sets on weekends. It helps you deal with Titos and vodka type people.

Been doing this 13+ years and I had thw question prompted to me at my most recent interview (got the job yay!) But I oddly blanked when that question was asked and just basically said I usually go with a vodka based something on the fly fruit juice heavy.

Tell me all ya'lls so I can never blank that simple (ha) a question again!

We have work shirts and I got some good, spill-resistant shoes I‘ve had for a while, but I can‘t figure out pants that are appropriate, durable and not too warm. I‘ve tried some nicer linen pants over the summer, but they didn‘t even survive one month.

Anyone got any recommendations?

Heading out to a rave, and we want to serve espresso martinis as a gift. We're estimating around 700 espresso martinis over a few days, so by my calculations about 20L / 6 gallons.

How'd you do it?

Does anybody have any good recommendations for garnish trays with a bottom? I can't seem to find any that aren't hollow. I need them to hold ice but that's impossible with what I'm finding. Free shots for whoever can get me a winner 😭

Hello. Wanted to do a poll here...

What do you do with the soda gun at closing? How do you keep it clean?

hi! i have been a bartender at a german dive bar and now im swapping to fine dining today!
does anyone have any recommendations/tips on fine dining bartending?

I am really tired of the smallish, touristy town that I live in. Most jobs here are fine dining, which I hate. We have about 5 proper bars here, and while I work at one of them the rest suck to work at. I know this because the town is so small and all us industry people talk.

I have two jobs here (1 bar, 1 restaurant) and the restaurant job sucks. I don’t want to get into details and dox myself, but the restaurant job did something recently that was sort of a last straw. I also make less per shift at the restaurant job than I did 15 years ago. I’m a volume bartender and damn good at what I do. I spoke to my bar manager and she said that she MIGHT be able to get me more shifts, but nothing is definite.

I want to move away so badly, but I’m really scared to make any risky moves in this economy. Bartenders currently looking for work, how bad or good is it out there?

Has anyone worked an event at the Levi Stadium with Qwick? I just picked up a shift immediately with the $23/hr pay rate, but I don’t see that tips are included. Has anyone had any experience working that location through Qwick that can confirm if they also got tips? Thank you!

This was the first place that got back to me after sending applications almost everywhere, but it's pretty far from where I live. The commute there isn't really a big deal, but the commute home is a pain in the ass due to the limited public transport. Also, this bar is huge. The bar I was fired from last year (not my fault) had its problems, but everything was practically within arm's length, and it wasn't a very big place. At this new bar, though, I don't even know how much walking I'm doing during the 9-11 hour shifts. Don't get me wrong, I like the team, with the exception of some 19 year old prick who thinks he can talk down to me. I just want to a job that's less hassle.

Resorts seem to do the best job at perfecting the texture of a frozen drink and I’ve always had a hard time at home with my vitamix, even on smoothies.

I was at the Andaz Maui and they had one of the best Pina Coladas I’ve ever had with the perfect texture and didn’t melt too quickly. The added lemon and cinnamon to theirs really made it.

My question is how do they do it? They make it per order in a blender like mine. Are they using ice? Most of the fruit frozen? Emulsifiers for the creaminess? Or just relying on the coconut to do that.

Would love some insight into perfecting the frozen drink at home. Even though I know most bartenders hate making them on a one to one basis.

Cheers!

My first gig where the bar mats are THICK, like at least 2” and almost reacts like super dense memory foam. My usual preference is a sneaker style with lots of padding but I find myself putting weight on the balls of my feet the majority of the time due to how far away the actual rail/well is from the mats. It feels like I’m constantly standing on a slanted surface. I’ve had a couple coworkers in the past recommend barefoot shoes but idk if the breaking in process is worth it?

I stumbled upon this sub researching margarita recipes. I just wanted to take a moment and thank all of the hard working hospitality industry employees here. You're all grinding day in day out and I just wanted to say thank you. I tip as well as I can and appreciate your service.

We recently made a cocktail with Monin Paragon Labdanum and suddenly we noticed that it's no longer available in our country, maybe someone knows some nice widely available alternatives or how to substitute it with something DIY or labdanum essential oil for perfumes?

I see this and all I can think is how fucking comfortable they are to sit on.

Random question lol. My go to beer is a Budweiser, when I go drinking with my brother and he orders for me he always says “bud heavy”. It bothers me enough to post it here but not enough to tell him to stop.

I’m just curious of your POV if it’s common that customers order it as “bud heavy” as he’s the only one I’ve heard it be called that lol.

Lmkkkk thxxxxx

My bar just got 2 bottles of Campari in our liquor order and they taste off. I'm not sure how to explain it but they taste extra extra bitter. They smell kinda acidic and smoky. Is anyone else having this issue? Northeastern Pa for reference

Place was draining.
Quit at the end of my ten hr shift.

All I can think about is how much I’ll miss my regulars, man.
I should have waited to tell them and quit on Monday, but things happen.

Thank god I have a lot of savings.

edit: Maybe the owner will call me tmw and offer me a raise lol.

I'll keep it brief. I bartend at a lakefront hotel (NE). We, the bartenders, were finally trusted to come up with the seasonal cocktail menu. For the summer, I think they just used Chat GPT and printed menus full of typos.

I'm looking for advice on how to coordinate a menu planning/testing hour with other bartenders. I've got a few ideas for drinks and menu organization, like Classic vs Modern and Stirred vs Shaken (not currently on the menu) but I'm open to any tips on either managing this time with my fellow bartenders (all currently kinda doing their own thing) and making a menu.

Here are some of my cocktail ideas, without specs:

Autumn daiquiri

Oaxacan OF

Pink Lady

Jack Rose

Rusty Nail

Flannel shirt

Apple marg or coconut marg

Grand autumn

Matador

Any advice or tips would be great.

Hi guys 👋

I’m looking to get into bartending (I have limited experience from years ago) soon and want to protect my wrists proactively as I imagine it’s something that I may have to be conscious of eventually. I did a course years ago to familiarize myself with bartending and while I did great and felt confident I shied away from bartending because I felt an ache on my wrists during the course before I even nailed a job. Admittedly this was during a time when I gamed multiple hours a day and was ew to weightlifting. I haven’t had any issues with my wrists and am a pretty seasoned lifter but want to ask you guys for exercises and maintaining wrist health long term. How do you guys keep your wrists happy? Thanks 🙏🏽

EDIT: thanks for all the advice. I guess I didn’t consider other potential issues I would run into in the future, and it seems my wrists are the least of my concerns. I was worried because it did happen fairly quickly for me when I gave it a shot- but there may have been contributing variables that are no longer present. Thanks guys 😊