As I was straining the cocktails, wondering if I was bleeding, I looked up and saw my friends face-blank look-staring intensely at me. I somehow got myself back into the rhythm and finished the shake. I hit myself so hard that I actually blacked out, didn't fall down, but definitely couldn't see for a second. About two strokes into the performance, I pulled one tin back so fast that I smacked myself in the forehead with the weighted metal end. I gracefully spun both shakers back on the palms of my hands simultaneously, banged the two tins together with a loud clang, and started shaking my cocktails with exceptional vigor. I got pretty excited, shared a shot with my friend, and went back to preparing the drinks. A friend of mine came to the bar to say hi. One crazy night, right before the summer got hot, I was in the middle of mixing up a couple of shaken cocktails. If you weren't shaking or stirring five-plus cocktails a round, you were definitely behind. It was busy most nights and slammed the rest of the time. “About two and a half years ago, at the Broken Shaker in Miami Beach, I worked as a bartender. Looking back I’ve learned that I’m only human with two arms and to slow it down.” – Kyle Gager, Bartender at Bowery Beer Garden in New York City I felt horrible! I comped them a round of beers, and I apologized profusely. I’d realized that instead of reaching for the lychee juice, I’d accidentally taken spicy horseradish pickles that another bartender had been eating earlier. When she returned she told me it was the saltiest and spiciest thing she had ever tasted. Her eyes widened with shock and she spat her mouthful over her friend before escaping to the bathroom. I placed the drink In front of her and watched her sip.
In a flash, I pour the vodka, lemon juice, triple sec, lychee juice in the shaker with ice, give it a good shake-making sure to look cool-and pour it into the glass. The first girl takes a sip and makes an ‘mmm’ sound. While we were talking, I quickly make the Cosmo and poured it into the martini glass. With a smile I said, 'No problem.' While making their drinks, I start to chat them up. A very cute girl in her mid 20's sat down at the bar with a friend and ordered a Cosmo and a lychee martini. “About four years ago I was bartending at Fat Black Pussycat on a pretty busy Thursday night in Greenwich Village. Small bars can be difficult to work in.“ – Alexander Yoka, Bartender at Bacari GDL in Los Angeles Needless to say, I continued to make the drinks for most of the evening as best I could. Not broken, but definitely bashed and not pretty. I had practiced it a small number of times, and as soon as I had the opportunity to try that night, I aggressively threw my hands up with the shakers above my shoulders, only to hit that lead bartender right in the nose with the blunt, flat bottom of a shaker-and boy did I hit him hard. The lead bartender was letting me make all the drinks for the restaurant one night, and I was still getting use to the basic ‘moves’-one of which is shaking two Boston Shakers, one in each hand. At its simplest: be aware of what, and more importantly, who is around you. What I learned from my first and most embarrassing mistake is a mix of things. I started barbacking with the lead bartender, who was nice enough to teach me a few things, as I was new to bartending and craft cocktails. The restaurant itself served small plates and cocktails from a small bar that two people could barely fit behind. “I was working at a fancy restaurant, which shall remain unnamed, in San Francisco, during the summer of 2012. Lesson learned: Always double check the shakers when trying to show off.” – Alex Mouzakitis, Bartender & Beverage Manager at Handcraft Kitchen & Cocktails in New York City This happened 15 seconds into the competition and, suffice it to say, I didn't win the competition. Once I tried to spin them in my hand, one tin flew toward the judges, followed by the contents of the shaker! Long story short: I drenched a judge with the entire contents of the shaker.
Whether it was nerves, or rushing, I'm not sure, but the two shakers didn't quite lock together.
I made it in a tin and then I was supposed to lock in an additional shaker, so that I could proceed to flip the shaker around. The first drink I had to make was a Long Island Iced Tea. I needed to make five drinks for the judges and demonstrate some flair-flipping bottles, etc. Every summer, they would have something called the Bartender Olympics which was a skills and flair competition. "About 10 years ago, I had been tending the bar for maybe six months at TGI Fridays.
0 kommentar(er)
