Bartenders work in pubs, restaurants, hotels and taverns, mixing and serving
alcoholic drinks.
They may also work in lounges, cruise ships, resort areas, casinos and
social clubs. The job requires knowledge of alcoholic drinks, the ability
to handle many tasks at once and a friendly demeanor.
Bartenders also keep the bar stocked with supplies, clean the bar and track
receipts. Today, many restaurants use high-tech cash registers that can specifically
track the day's sales. Bartenders also check the identifications of customers
to ensure they're of legal age to drink, so they must be familiar with the
laws relating to alcohol sales.
Bartenders work weekends and nights -- the most lucrative shifts are Friday
and Saturday night.
For Amanda Talmage, late nights were difficult because they put pressure
on her social life. "Late nights were the hardest thing. I lived with my boyfriend
at the time and it was hard to see each other."
Mixing drinks is the biggest part of the job. One current book lists more
than 2,000 different drink combinations. While the competent bartender doesn't
have to know them all, most keep a recipe book handy. There are about 150
drinks that bartenders should be able to make from memory. They also need
to know which of the 10 or more types of glasses each drink should be served
in.
Ernie Luke has been bartending for over 30 years. He says that a bartender's
talent lies in his knowledge of drink recipes. "Good bartenders know their
recipes by heart. They're fast, and they're efficient."
While most bartenders focus on being quick and efficient, some go a little
farther. The Tom Cruise movie Cocktail showed this so-called extreme bartending
in action. Today, many resort bars and clubs in big cities have bartenders
who toss bottles, flip glasses and even breathe fire while pouring drinks.