A night in the life of a bartender

I googled my name and found this article.. omg, that was such a long time ago. This article was probably done in 2005. Cause starting 2006, I started working in a PR Agency.. 

For your own good, please don't ask me to mix drinks unless its a straight vodka / whiskey / rum / gin with a mixer. i've forgotten my cocktail recipes! :)

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A night in the life of a bartender

Sat, 05/17/2008 - 12:38 — Anonymous What’s a party at the local club without a drink to heighten the experience? And how would you get that vodka martini to slake your thirst, if not for the person behind the bar? Take a walk on the wild side, as we bring you a closer look at the work of three lady bartenders.
By Joshua Rayan

Fingers work their magic as they flip, spin and shake in a single, smooth movement. It is art in motion as you create concoction after concoction. Eyes watch as you work, entertain with style, skill and grace. And when it’s time for a grand finale, you throw a bottle in the air, catch it and set a glass on fire before serving it to a mesmerised crowd. Conjurer, entertainer or performer? You’re all three. You’re a bartender!

Bartenders don’t just serve alcohol; he – or increasingly, she – is host, entertainer, shrink, and more. Now if you’re thinking bartending alá Coyote Ugly or Tom Cruise in Cocktail, well there’s more to the job than Hollywood has made it out to be.

Meet the ladies
The good stuff is there but the job is also a high pressure, always on-the-go profession. In fact, bartending is like being a manager, a PR person, a waiter, and occasionally, a dancer…all at once! Just ask bar manager, Linda Bahrain, who rules the roost at Bar Flams – one of Malaysia’s most happening dance clubs. Raising their glasses in agreement are Theresa Chiang and Aw Li-Ann. The trio are the first female bartenders at Bar Flams and are one of the few “gals” who have ventured into the world of bartending. They can mix their drinks with the very best and can gamely claim to have “seen it all and served them all”.

“When you arrive for your shift, say 5 p.m., you’d already be busy setting up – polishing, arranging, preparing. You have to see what liquors you’re running low on and check on ice, clean glasses and utensils for the night,” says Li-Ann. “When the after-work crowd starts appearing, there’s time for chitchat and lending an ear to office grumbles, family frictions and the occasional juicy story of affairs, who’s single and so on,” she chuckles. So far no one cried any sob stories to her…yet!

Once rush hour starts however, everything changes. The club will be heaving with people and the pace will get hectic beyond belief. You’d be flying up and down the bar; a constant wave of arms will thrust fists full of dollars at you; faceless party-goers will be hollering their orders over the pulsing music; waiters will scramble up constantly, requesting for this and that order. It’s busy, busy, busy all the way. The people want their drinks. Now.

A bartender has to be on top of the game at all times. There are multiple orders to remember, and tons of people to attend to every minute. And, on top of all that chaos, you must make sure that the cocktails get mixed correctly. People will be shouting different orders all night long, and yet, the bartender must somehow remember to serve each customer in the right order. “You’ve got to know your B52’s from your Bloody Marys, learn new drinks and mix accurately and efficiently,” says Li-Ann.

Mixing drinks is only half the story
Bartenders plan, stock and prepare drink garnishes and other immediate supplies. “There are daily management reports, because bartenders handle bar inventory. When there’s an inventory loss, the bartender’s responsible for it,” warns Linda.

The odd hours can be tough. On weekends, Li-Ann starts work at 5 pm, gets home at around 5 am, and is up again at 3 or 4 pm – just in time for lunch and more work! The environment (smoke and loud music) can also be stressful. And we haven’t even started on the clientele yet!

Every bar has regulars, and bartenders deal with all types. Good observation and communication skills keep regulars returning, and there are extra (legitimate) services – getting cigarettes, ordering food, or knowing ‘their’ drink – for which customers may tip extra. “You learn to predict what people are going to drink, from the way they walk and the energy they give out,” smiles Theresa knowingly.

Li-Ann says, “Our clients are generally decent. They’d invite you to join them, but they never push it.” It helps that Linda screens patrons and keeps the club ‘clean’ of unsavoury individuals. Theresa adds that customers are sometimes just being nice by offering to buy her a drink. “Sometimes I accept, but say I’ll have it later, after my shift. They’ll understand; they just want to buy me a drink, not insist I drink with them.”

When it comes to dealing with unruly customers though, the women are unanimous – be calm and professional, and don’t be a hero. “If you don’t know how to handle it, get your manager or in-house security,” says Linda. Even though bouncers are common at bars, Linda tries to keep out potential troublemakers by establishing a dress code and a minimum age for entry. Theresa adds: “My colleagues are good at reading people and they’d warn me, ‘Watch out, three o’clock.’ If I ever felt like I was in trouble, I’d grab a colleague, and he’d understand.”

Then there are those who have a burden to share, and treat their bartenders as part-time shrinks. “I’ll tell you my dark secret, but promise not to tell my boss/ colleague/ spouse, ok?” Linda says with a laugh. As the man or woman behind the drinks counter, the you’d normally oblige and lend a sympathetic ear. But never get personally involved. Be a confidante by all means, but don’t become the unwitting guest star of an Oprah Winfrey show instead!

Job perks?
Sorry, most of the stereotypes (cheap drinks, leisurely lifestyle, etc.) only exist in Hollywood films. Generally, no drinking is allowed while you’re on-the-job, unless the customer is paying for it. Bartenders get no discounts on alcoholic beverages, but soft drinks on tap are for free.

However, you do get to choose an environment that matches your personality. Do you like the elegance of ships, hotels and clubs? Enjoy the cosiness of a neighbourhood pub? Long for the pumping excitement of nightclubs? A good bartender can work anywhere, turning skills and personality into a unique, lucrative asset. After bartending in Scotland for a year, Theresa returned home with enough spare change for a car! Then there is flair-tending – fancy flourishes for fame and moolah. Start practising now and you even might make the 2006 World Cocktail Competition and Flair-tending Competition in Greece.

In terms of career advancement, you can, like Linda, rise up the ranks into management. While the average turnover for part-timers is four to five months, experienced bartenders last for several years. Due to its demanding nature, there are very few “career” bartenders around, except maybe for those who open their own bar.

Ultimately, bartending is a lot of fun but it’s also a lot of work. Still, it can be fulfilling to have the crowd eating (and drinking) out of your hands, and know you’re quenching parched throats (and parched souls) with a touch that’s uniquely yours.

Vodka Martini, anyone? Shaken, not stirred, of course.