to be a bartender

So you are a bartender? Is bartending even a career? What is it to be a bartender? Some of the questions I come across quite regularly. Many find it hard to believe, while most find it intriguing, but shy away from asking any further. Maybe the same thought would be running through my head if I hadn’t been bartending myself. In a country where more often than not, someone else has already decided on your career choice. Keeping in mind the high stakes it provides in securing your future. And bartending does not make that list by far. This makes it even more challenging for everyone at home and around you to understand.

The hindrances you initially face from family can’t be harmonised with the encounters you come across from outsiders. And partly, who would blame them for it? They have the so-called society and, most importantly, the relatives to answer to. And here is where you play your part. You need something known as “balls” to do what you want to, rather than doing something you don’t want to do to please others. And in the bargain, if you fail, you make yourself a subject of ridicule. But if you succeed, which 99% of you would. You see the same people showering you with praise for the belief they showed in you. Passion rarely fails.

It’s a common issue here, not just with bartending. There are many other profession that makes this list of jobs to avoid. Didnt think I’d be a bartender, but desinty, my friend, thought otherwise. But once I got enlightened by the nuance of cocktail churning, the transformation was inevitable. Joined BarSquare, a Bartending Academy, one of the best bartending academies in India. And from there began the rollercoaster, dazzling ride of bartending, which continues to date, and I hope it stays this way.

The bar and the bartender

When it comes to working behind the bar, it’s a very serious business. It might give you the impression of a calm and chilled place from the outside. But from the inside, it’s a different perspective. No amateurs are welcome inside the bar. Everything you see inside the bar is accounted for. Everyone in there is a professional in their dedicated field of work. That’s even the bar backs. Those who generally tend to miss the limelight but deserve much of the credit for setting the bar and making the entire operation run smoothly. Every good bartender was once a barback.

What you witness during the operation may look fun, and as a matter of fact, it is fun to an extent. But the earnestness which accompanies it goes unnoticed. And here is where you have to credit the bartender for doing an exceptional job in masking the serious nature of the business. Everyone out there is in for a great time, and that’s what we ensure they have. And for all those who think of bartending as a great weekend or part-time job. It’s here where you have to think twice. This is where we separate the men from the boys 🙂 . You don’t want to be in a busy bar with just basic pouring knowledge. If that’s what you think bartending is all about. Sorry! But you have got it all wrong.

Bartending

If you want to get a hint of what it is like to work behind the bar. You should step in 3 hours before we open the doors and stay back till we close the doors.  It might change your entire perception of what bars and bartending are about. It’s not just about making cocktails and pouring drinks. There is too much of the unseen that comes along with it. Skill is undoubtedly what one requires, and to make it sound even better, it is a must. So before stepping into the bar, make sure you tick all the required criteria, or else, just leave it to the so-called experts ..The Bartenders.

Stepping into a bar is like stepping into a different world altogether. It gives supernatural powers. Makes you feel like ” Thanos” from the Avengers series. One-click and make them all disappear. 😉 No matter what the others think of it from the outside. This is now your kingdom, and you’re the master of it for the next 12 hours or till it’s functional. The beautiful faces around you, all screaming for that one favourite drink or cocktail. And you decide who you would like to attend to and who you would want to vanish. Now this is Power 😉 .

Jokes apart, but the rush during the busy hour is a mess. And though we would not like to offend anyone out there, it’s something close to impossible to achieve. That’s where professionalism comes into play.

The bar zone

The bar is not a place for the weak-hearted or someone with no sense of humour. Humour is one thing present everywhere in the bar. If you get offended when hit by it, you know where to go 🙂 . Talking about the bar, it has undergone a significant transformation from what it used to be to what it is. Ask the bar owners, they look for only bar professionals to man the bar, not amateurs. The credit here has to be given to the bartenders who made it all possible. Bartending is now considered a full-time job. The perks of bartending are unimaginable. This, coming straight from the horse’s mouth, is something to ponder.

Bartending is not for kids anymore. it’s more of a passion-driven profession. Enter only if you are passionate about it. And the question gets thrown back to you. Do you have it in you “to be a bartender ?”

Cheers!!

Drink responsible