Thu, Mar 28, 2024

The work of the barman

The bartender as a profession is not a normal job that can happen to do but a real vocation. Having to deal with many different people by social background, culture and let's say "status" is a very complicated thing. It requires a lot of learning and a good dose of natural talent to allow the profession to develop better. If you are young and have been attracted to the acrobatic barman performances in some trendy club, don't be fooled into taking this path. It is just one of the many forms of expression of being behind a counter. The work that must be done in hotels, bar-restaurants, golf clubhouses and many other types of bars do not require and / or do not accept these expressions but a conscious, moderate and organized approach to managing a bar.

cocktail champagne

 I am an "old school" bartender. He who tries to indulge the customer in his requests by making him feel at home, pampering all those people who, by their choice, have entered the room where I work (as owner or employee makes no difference) and consequently allow me to get an economic result. Seriousness, preparation, sensitivity, discretion are some of the important characteristics that a trained professional must have.

I had read years ago that a professional barman must be a good "shoulder" for the customer. It must behave like a bank of a pool table. The customer conducts the game according to his mood and the bartender responds adequately on the same line imposed by the customer. Just like a bank of billiards that answers about how the ball was played. We never saw a bank lead the game. In the end, after the customer has consumed, chatted, even relaxed and leaves, the barman must swallow all the possible confidences received, just like the billiards hole that swallows the ball does. We must welcome customers as if we had invited them to our home, as the place where we are working  is our house. We will always keep it tidy and tidy down to the last detail, to make it welcoming and soothing, just like our home. Even our appearance must be very refined, elegant but sober, in line with the place. In these pages, in addition to some basic notions, which can still be found in more detail in the various very valid publications on the market, I will explain my point of view on the movements and behaviors to be taken, referring above all to the petty psychology to be used in our work. In this regard I can say that I have found very few publications that dealt with the more psychological part of the work. The motivation for which I am building this guide is due to the fact that in so many years of work I have never been able to find a student to whom I can transmit my love for this profession and also logically the knowledge and experience gained over many years. I have never noticed in the eyes of the various known collaborators the same "hunger" to learn and "steal" the job as it was in my time at the time.  With this I will try to convey some important details to those who are truly interested even if I have not had the good fortune to know. In addition to the writings and images there will also be videos to aid understanding.
I am not a writer and I may not be able to correctly express what I am dealing with and I ask you to forgive me for any shortcomings. With your collaboration I can also build videos on specific request or deal with topics that are particularly close to your heart. Write me without fear, I will answer you as soon as possible. I only ask you, if you like these pages, through a donation to offer me a coffee to give me the necessary inputs to understand that I am doing (with many efforts) something that interests me. Only videos that refer to historical and important cocktails require a small contribution. For the rest it's all free . Thanks in advance for your comments.

However, I highly recommend (for those who are truly interested in this profession) to follow courses conducted by professional organizations. The actual experience of taking a course is really important for learning. I recommend the courses of the AIBES with accredited teachers for teaching. An online course can be a good compendium and a help, but alone it is not enough to train a professional in the full sense of the word. However, it can give a very clear idea of ​​what the job will be as a whole and help you choose whether to continue learning or leave and dedicate yourself to something more suited to your personality. For some legal notes see the HOME page