Bartending School: Day 3
I’m now 3/4 of the way through the course, and tomorrow, I’ll be taking two tests to receive certification after some more course time in the morning. Today, I was the only person in the class again. The other person who was retaking it apparently got into a car accident and couldn’t make it as a result.
Today began by copying down the tall drink category and Collins recipes. Then, I opened the bar and cut some fruit for garnishes. Next, I performed the same exercise as yesterday where I ran around identifying all the call and super call spirits in each category that were present in the bar. I found that I was remarkably quicker than the day before and knew where practically all the liquor was stored and started noticing patterns for how they were arranged.
Then, we delved into the fine art of martini making. This was definitely the most detailed of all the drink categories despite the simple recipe, as “martini drinkers are the fussiest drinkers”. Thankfully, I already knew most of this, so I digested it quickly. However, I still took very detailed, long notes on it all: gin or vodka, shaken or stirred, garnishes, boxing on the rocks, how much vermouth, etc.
After making around a dozen martinis with different specifications (both gin and vodka; with olives, onions as Gibsons, or twists; dry, very dry, or bone dry; shaken or stirred), we moved onto Manhattans. I learned what knowledge translated directly to making this less fussy drink and what didn’t, and I practiced making all sorts of regular, perfect, and dry Manhattans including blended, bourbon, Rob Roys, and SoCo. This spanned across lunch with a large portion of the morning having been devoted to martinis. It’s amazing how complex a simple drink can be.
One surprising fact I discovered about Manhattans is that in Massachusetts, they tend not to use bitters! I don’t think I’ve ever ordered one in MA, so that information surprised me.
Right after that, we moved onto fake martinis—the cocktails that you see everyone drinking these days— and I made several of these using recipes that were provided by the instructor rather than the book. The key thing I learned here is that the majority of Cosmopolitans served suck due to the large amount of juice they put in. The juice should be minimal, and nearly all the liquid ought to be alcohol. Otherwise, you’re getting ripped off.
Finally, we moved onto those tall and Collins drinks that I’d copied down at the beginning of the day. I practiced making all 8 tall recipes several times each and all 7 Collins recipes a couple times. The latter became quite boring, as it was the same thing over and over: 1 oz. spirit, sour mix, shake, top with club soda. Over and over. However, the former I found exceedingly difficult to digest. There doesn’t really seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how these drinks are named and how the ingredients relate to one another. Although I made them three times each, I still can’t tell you what’s in a Laser Beam, Grateful Dead, or Red Death. I can, however, name the recipes for all the tea variations (Long Island, Electric, and Long Beach). They almost make sense due to the way the speed rack is set up.
Then, it was the end of the day. I closed up the bar and left a little early. Tonight, I’ll spend some time studying the recipes and skimming through the student manual. The emphasis appears to be on the recipe test, so I definitely want to get the difficult ones down.
Update: Don’t forget to read about the follow-ups: day 4, day 5, and day 6.
