(Part 3) Top products from r/bartenders

Greetings from Santa Cruz!

I think I may be the perfect person to help you here. My bar staff is about the same size as yours, and I've been doing exactly this and lending out books from my personal collection each month.
Everyone else has had some great answers, so I'll try and bring something new to the table:

How's Your Drink? by Eric Felten is my favorite easy introduction to cocktail culture. It's written by the cocktail columnist from the Wall Street Journal and reads in a very conversational way. Can be finished in one sitting. Quick read that I recommend you have anyone new start with.

The Cocktail Chronicles by Paul Clarke is a relatively comprehensive overview of the current state of cocktails. It is based around recipes, but I wouldn't call it a recipe book as each recipe has a lot of commentary that goes into context and history.

Meehan's Bartender Manual by Jim Meehan just came out and is incredible. His previous book, The PDT Cocktail Book, is an invaluable resource for recipes, and the Bartenders Manual is a complete guide dealing with all aspects of the job.

Distillled by Joel Harrison & Neil Ridley is a good introduction to different spirits and goes chapter by chapter from vodka to whiskey with an overview of production processes and other factors that influence the flavor of the drink.

Straight Up or On the Rocks by William Grimes is a history of cocktails in the U.S. starting with the first use of the word and going through the early '90s. The author is a food writer for the NY Times and the book is very well researched.

The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan does a good job of explaining how cocktails are related to each other by putting them into families. His taxonomy may be a little odd, and in and of itself is not the last word in cocktails, but it offers a good perspective.

The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler addresses technique. It's an opinionated book but he's usually right. Lots of great information. If I were starting off as a bartender and could only read one book, this is the one that would probably best set me up for success.

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh is based around historic recipes, but each of them has a lot of history incorporated and you also get a good introduction to some of the more obscure ingredients that have come back into fashion recently.

I've reached eight, so I'll stop there. If you would like additional recommendations in the future, please feel free to reach out. I've been collecting bar books for the last six years and have amassed a fair few and even read one or two.

You sound like you're in an enviable position. It's great to have support for making learning a big part of working with food/beverage. Pretty sure I've read a couple of your owner's books and have loved them and found them very useful. It seems like a really great company to work for, as well.

I'd also like to quickly mention Imbibe Magazine, which comes out every two months and is a great way to keep up with what's going on in the beverage world. I keep the most recent couple issues available for my staff to look through.

If there's anything else you'd like insight on related to bringing bar staff into the fold I'd be very happy to help.

Hah! Thanks, that made my day. I'm mostly self-taught though I have taken a handful of craft cocktail classes.

I've always liked the idea of spiciness with tequila but hadn't had much luck. The secret turned out to be only using a small amount. Another interesting point is that this recipe almost exactly as it is, just did not work with the Soda Stream-carbonated filtered tap water I was using. I used canned soda water and it immediately fixed the taste.

Being an OK cook helps if you're going to play around with custom syrups and infusions to have a sense of what non-traditional cocktail ingredients work together, but it mostly comes down to experimentation. When I really want to hone a recipe, I set aside an hour or more, write down a base recipe, try it, take notes, adjust proportions, then play with adding or removing more ingredients. I think it took me a couple hours to make this recipe. Part of the difficulty is you're doing a lot of tasting rapidly, so it can get hard to keep the tastes different. And the alcohol you consume in the process doesn't make it any easier either (writing things down is important). Keeping sips small helps.

If you want to play around with fancier drinks, I recommend trying out as many different cocktails from craft bars as you can, reading books like Artisinal Cocktails, Imbibe!, getting really familiar with the different varieties of each type of spirit, checking out r/cocktails, learning to cook (mostly for flavor combinations), experimenting, and always sticking with fresh ingredients because nothing that includes sour mix from a bottle is going to taste fantastic.

They teach you the "easy way", and by easy way I mean using sour mix and taking shortcuts like that. There are plenty of good resources online and amazing cocktail books you can buy that have the original recipes for classic cocktails, as well as the proper way to do things behind the bar.

Learn from reputable sources and from good bartenders. If you're interested here's a couple good reads:

• [Jerry Thomas Bartender's Guide] (http://www.amazon.ca/Jerry-Thomas-Bartenders-Guide-Reprint/dp/1438241747/ref=pd_sim_b_13?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Dave Wondrich's Imbibe!] (http://www.amazon.ca/Imbibe-Professor-Featuringthe-Selection-Contributed/dp/0399532870)
  
  
• [Great book on Bitters] (http://www.amazon.ca/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Harry Craddock's Savory Cocktail Book] (http://www.amazon.ca/Savoy-Cocktail-Book-Harry-Craddock/dp/1862057729/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Bar Book] (http://www.amazon.ca/The-Bar-Book-Elements-Technique/dp/145211384X/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Craft of the Cocktail] (http://www.amazon.ca/The-Craft-Cocktail-Everything-Bartender/dp/0609608754/ref=pd_sim_b_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails] (http://www.amazon.ca/Vintage-Spirits-Forgotten-Cocktails-Alamagoozlum/dp/1592535615/ref=pd_sim_b_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Boozehound] (http://www.amazon.ca/Boozehound-Trail-Obscure-Overrated-Spirits/dp/1580082882/ref=pd_sim_b_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  
• [Liquid Intelligence] (http://www.amazon.ca/Liquid-Intelligence-Dave-Arnold/dp/0393089037/ref=pd_sim_b_17?ie=UTF8&refRID=0A8ZRNN8WZB4R6P9GVGN)
  
  As far as knowledge goes, you can learn a lot from reading and studying. For me personally, I love this kind of stuff and I'm constantly trying to learn as much as I can so I could hardly say it feels like actual studying. As for technical skills, learn from people better than you. No matter how good you get, there is always someone out there you can learn from. A lot of how I work I've picked up from watching great bartenders, everything from small stuff like the way I carry a bottle to the way I move behind the bar has come from watching, learning and implementing it into how I bartend.

I'm sorry for my english here, lots of technical terms I'm not sure how to translate.

Bartending is a mix of skills, being a bar back you'll be able to witness them, get an idea of what's to be done and what's not.

Hospitality : The way you welcome guests in the bar, highly dependent of the environment, never ever skip that part. My recommendation is no matter how shitty the place is, always welcome people like they walked in a luxury club house.

Knowledge of your products : Leave aside the hospitality part for now. You're just like that salesman at the hardware store that helps customers in chosing the right hammer for their project. (Hammer... Cause they're getting hammered.... Humor is also an important part of being a bartender) You have to know the difference between a bourbon and a whisky, where do your juices come from ? Are they gluten free ? Organic ? Sure it's gonna be Ocean Spray 99% of the time, but you have to be able to know about production, storage, etc. People are more and more demanding on quality and on getting an idea of the whole process of production, the craze on craft beers is a proof of that, same for the rest with craft cocktails, etc. Bottom line, you should be able to pick a bottle at random on the shelf and tell people where that's from, why it's here, and why it's different from the competitors.

The craft : Knowing how to make stuff behind the bar that people enjoy. Honestly the easiest part but a lot of people think that being a bartender is just that. As my teacher told me once, any monkey can work a lever when trained properly, so pouring a beer isn't what's gonna take you time to learn. Adjusting your pour, glass tilt, etc. Yeah, that's gonna take time but can only be learned from experience. Sadly there's no magic way to just look at a coffee machine or beer tap and guess how much foam is gonna come out of that. Which brings me to the important part : You should know how things work. Are you gonna stop serving beer when the CO2 bottle goes down ? No you're going to change that. As a barback that's more or less your job, so be sure to learn how every appliance works. How they influence the process of bartending, etc.

The "Industry" side : That's more of a manager set of skills to hqve than just bartending but you should be familiar with pour costs, running costs for the bar and how what you make influence the business. Sure 1$ Margaritas will bring a lot of customers, but I think you can see why that's not a great idea.

Combining all that, being able to serve drinks, entertain customers can transform anybody into a bartender.

The rest is just keep an open eye, an open ear, an open mind. It's a job where you always can and have to learn new skills or recipes.

Oh and the most important advice : When you're a bartender, everything is your job. The "Not my job" attitude just doesn't work in the industry. I saw some people not greeting the guest because they had somebody by the door just for that. Nope be nice too. You see water spilled on the floor ? You mop. Etc.

Last but not least, invest in books. And I really mean books. Not videos, not podcasts (not saying you shouldnt listen/watch them) but get a fucking library. You WILL need to go back to any of them and there's nothing more practical than a book you can open on a counter, at leat your small Mister Boston or Harry's ABC of cocktails for when that guy orders an Aviation or a Blood and Sand and you'll wonder if yes or no there's marasquino liquor in them....

But first things first : Get a textbook and read it cover to cover like https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Beverage-Book-5th/dp/0470248459/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1487242914&sr=8-2&keywords=drinks+and+beverages+textbook everyboddy has their own recommendations but that one is as good as any other.

So all that, and just be good at what you do. I would be surprised if nobody offers you a position within a year. It's an industry with a LOT of turn over staff wise so if you start now, there's a good chance you can try getting a gig as a bartender on slow shifts in the summer.

I'm going to actively try to avoid recipe books here in my links (that said, that means you're missing out on Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, Death & Co, Potions of the Caribbean, and The Joy of Mixology so.... YMMV)

Liquid Intelligence - IMHO must have guide on the technical aspects of bartending. This book is amazing and is the first thing I share with my coworkers that want to broaden their knowledge

The Drunken Botanist - In depth examination of the plants that go into making our favorite drinks, beers, booze, and sundry

Bitters - Has history of bitters, along with instructional on how to make your own.

Shrubs Kind of recipes but also talks about how to make shrubs and good proportions for them, which isn't super common.

Wine Folly Do you want a good intro-to-wine with good, clear reference sheets about styles and pairings? Here's your book

The Wine Bible Want to know way more than you ever thought you wanted to know about wine? This is what you want to be reading.

The Beer Bible - Same as above, but for beer instead of wine.

Holy Smoke! Its Mezcal Mezcal can be hard to pin down and I've found this one to be decent. Includes a table of things that were available in the US at time of publishing and the author's opinions on quality.

Vermouth - pretty in depth history on vermouth, focusing on its place in American cocktail Culture

Imbibe! In depth history of early cocktail culture, focusing on Jerry Thomas and the Bon Vivant's Companion

...I'm sure I could think of more, given the time. I'm trying to just delve into things currently on my shelf, and not in my wishlist.

Being a straight guy in a gayish city: the drinks don't matter as much as your attitude. I can get a $10 tip out of a gay guy as easily as a straight woman.

It's all about your attitude(I accept a compliment no matter who it is from.[and dish them out as well]) If you make someone feel welcome, they will tip well.

That being said, from my experience at Gay Bars: Shots are a bit more common than 'regular' bars. So maybe studying something like [The Big Bad-Ass Book Of Shots] (http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Ass-Book-Shots-Paul-Knorr/dp/0762419016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450003581&sr=8-1&keywords=big+book+of+shots) Might help a bit.

The Comic Book Story of Beer. Super easy read, very fun and informative. I have this book permanently on my coffee table at home. Beautiful artwork too.

https://www.amazon.com/Comic-Book-Story-Beer-Revolution/dp/1607746352

Without experience, you'll have to demonstrate competence very quickly and maybe lie a little. Mostly, you'll need to have your shit together.

Above all else, I recommend this book: Bartending Inside-Out. The advice is applicable whether you're working at a dive bar, a family restaurant bar, or a snooty cocktail bar, and it's all about the important stuff that makes your colleagues not hate working with you (like putting their rail back in order for them, and getting it in order for you.)

To a lesser degree, the rest of this post:

I suggest you go back through this subreddit and skim through all the posts that look interesting.

Also, a few links:

How to look like you know what you are doing

Barback to Bartender: Words of advice

http://blog.nola.com/dining/2008/03/cocktails.html

And these words by /u/mambouli:

> What you can get, easily and for free, is knowledge. With internet and specifically Wikipedia, there is no excuse to not know everything about the products you serve.

> How is vodka made? What is the difference between Gin and Vodka. What is the difference between Bombay and Beefeater gins, in terms of production and its effect on flavor. What's the difference between a bourbon, a rye, an irish whisky and a scotch. What's the difference between a single malt and a blended. What are the different regions of scotch. What's the difference between cognac and armagnac, what grapes are used in cognac? What does VSOP stand for? What grapes are used in Pisco and where does it come from? Why can't Disaronno can't legally be labeled as amaretto anymore? What medical ingredient can you find in Tonic Water? What type of honey goes into Drambuie? What's the difference between a lager and an ale, why are some lagers darker than others? What are the grapes used to make Bordeau? How about Bourgogne? Get to know every french wine making region. What grapes are tipically used in the Loire valley? What difference in characteristics can you expect between a Loire valley wine and a Cotes du Rousillon wine. How is champagne made? How is rosé made? How is champagne rosé made? How do you make tequila, what's the difference between Patron and Sauza? What is grappa? How is port wine made? What's the difference between a Ruby, a Tawny, a Vintage or a LBV? What are the different kind of Xeres one can find? How is Pineau des Charentes made? How are Sauternes made? What is Angostura bitters? What is vermouth? What is orgeat syrup?

> Get to know all your classic cocktails. The American Bartender Association can be considered the absolut reference. And then get to know the new trends in Bartending (often pompously called Mixology)

Yeah, if there's a bar, and you're the person behind it preparing the drinks, then you're the bartender.

Start researching the category of Amaro, or Italian bitter liqueurs. Here's a great book that came out pretty recently: Amaro

Campari, Aperol, Montenegro, Averna, Abano, Meletti, Lucano, Braulio, Cynar, Nonino, Ramazzotti, Cappelletti, Nardini, etc. And of course, the Fernet sub-category. Branca is the most well known of these.

There's a world of Italian cocktails out there, and many play well with food. Aperol Spritz, Americano, Milano-Torino, Bicicletta, Negroni, Garibaldi, Cardinale, Bellini, etc.

Do you have a computer? If the answer is "yes", don't waste time making flashcards-->use microsoft Excel instead. You can customize your local cocktail recipes with the well-organized excel categorized system, screen the similar cocktails and remember them at the same time. Download the Cocktail datasheet here (don't worry, virus free)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o5xBQVnqQqCjC7t54CXcezF1Wx72N3He/view

If you wanna be stronger. Read this book on Amazon Kindle: Cocktail Recipe Mnemonics

( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZQ376SD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0 )

The list is fairly long...

My suggestions:

Jeff Morgenthaler's ( le_cigare_volant) The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique

Jim Meehan's Meehan's Bartender Manual & The PDT Cocktail Book

David Kaplan's Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails

These will get you going. The rest you'll have to learn on your feet.

For creativity, find some of the classic cocktail guides/books online for free. The Savoy Cocktail Book, The Gentleman's Companion and Harry's ABCs Of Mixing Cocktails are good places to start for historical reference. Remember, just because a recipe is in an old cocktail book doesn't automatically make it a classic. It makes it vintage. The classics are the one's that stand the test of time.

Death & Co has an entire chapter on nothing but "classic cocktails".

​

You will have to look elsewhere for information on the "cocktails" of the 70s & 80s. You won't find a Slippery Nipple or Sex On The Beach in any of the above books. A reasonable reference is Gary Regan's (of bitters fame) The Bartender's Bible: 1001 Mixed Drinks and Everything You Need to Know to Set Up Your Bar

I would defer to the first 4 books for any discrepancies.

​

Good Luck!

​

Well, there's the old saints:
https://www.amazon.com/Hawaii-Tropical-Drinks-Cuisine-Beachcomber/dp/1566474914
https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Vics-Bartenders-Guide-Revised/dp/B000LY5HJY

And the new testaments:
https://www.amazon.com/Smugglers-Cove-Exotic-Cocktails-Cult/dp/1607747324
https://www.amazon.com/Beachbum-Berrys-Potions-Caribbean-Berry/dp/1603113800

Knowing rum is good. Knowing orgeat and falernum is better.

If you are interested in learning more about the backstory, "The Old-Fashioned" is a great read.

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Fashioned-Worlds-Classic-Cocktail-Recipes/dp/1607745356/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=old+fashioned+book&qid=1557425809&s=gateway&sr=8-1

They could make more money with your help, my help, this book, or a dozen other things. Set your price, make your pitch, let them decide the fate of their bar.

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Cocktails-Essential/dp/088088360X - Pickup this to carry around at work, use it when you get hit with one you don't know.

https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Book-Elements-Cocktail-Technique/dp/145211384X - Pick up this for training at home.

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Co-Modern-Classic-Cocktails/dp/1607745259/ - This has a ton of high-end recipes as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Intelligence-Science-Perfect-Cocktail/dp/0393089037 - High end technique/execution. Might not be able to do most of this at the bar you are going to work at.

http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2012/the-most-important-bar-tool-you%E2%80%99re-probably-not-using/ - Get a notebook write down the ones you learn. I use a moleskine address book. It has alphabetical tabs so you can sort them by name of the drink. /u/le_cigare_volant AKA Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a smart no-bullshit guide, always use him as a resource.

There are a few of those already:

Behind Bars: The Straight-Up Tales of a Big-City Bartender

Twenty Years Behind Bars: The spirited adventures of a real bartender

My Life Behind Bars ; memoirs of a lifetime bartender

http://www.amazon.com/Tequila-Mockingbird-Cocktails-Literary-Twist/dp/0762448652

This is the only book I've read on the topic:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0692100946/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0692100946

While not about bartenders, I liked this book by Rob the Bouncer. Rob passed away a few years ago and wrote a successful blog called "Clublife".