Monday, September 6, 2010

drink of the day

apple sauce
1oz of cinnamon schnapps
1oz apple pucker
splash pineapple
served chilled in a shot

A Time I Almost Got Fired

Once upon a time, I was working at a bar in Michigan. I was serving a party of thirty people who were executives for a well known automotive company. They were ordering rounds of shots every half hour or so, in the jager bomb type classification. I had a rather large section and I was not paying much attention to what the party was up to. I knew that they were all pretty much intoxicated after the first hour at my table. I offered them a variety of appetizers hopping that they would calm down a little if they ate something. They were quite the rambunctious group of drunken people. I really did not have plans to cut them off like I normally would have, due to the fact that their bill was already in the upwards of two thousand dollars and I knew it would be auto-gratted.
My boss walked into my section in the middle of this tornado of drunkenness that I had created. He kept telling me that he could smell vomit in my section. I denied that it was even a possibility, I told him that all of my tables were good and that I had it under control. The next thing I knew, my boss had found the vomit and total chaos had erupted in my section.
My table of thirty had turned into a shit show that was that could be matched by none. These grown ass adult men had lost all inhibitions and some of them had lost control of their bodily functions. It was like a domino effect, my boss was yelling at me to clean up the puke off of my table. As I started to clean up the puke, two more had vomited. One of the guys from my table had walked onto the dance floor, kicked a broom out of the bouncer’s hand, and then proceeded to piss his pants in front of the entire bar. So, I was getting yelled at yet again, but this time my bosses face was a color of reddish purple that I had never seen. No shit, at the same time the bouncer comes running up to me telling me that I need to go into the ladies restroom. As I approached the door I took a deep breath, I didn’t even want to see what was going on in there. I pushed open the door to a vomit fest that looked like a scene straight off of the exorcist. There were three ladies crying and two projectile puking on the floor, totally missing the trash can. It was awful. At this point my boss was so pissed that he just stopped talking. This is about the time I started crying.
My section was not just this thirty top, at the same time I was serving two eight tops and a fifteen top. So I, with the help of our entire staff shuffled these business men and women to their designated taxis and out of the building. I then proceeded to clean up the disaster and serve the rest of my section. I had to take orders for the remaining two hours of my shift crying, with vomit on my legs. It was horrible.
At the end of the night I was sure I no longer had a job. I did have an eight hundred dollar tip in my pocket to make the news a little more bearable. I was taken to the office where my boss said to me, “Lisa, we are letting you go”. I lost it and asked him if he was serious. He then preceded to un-fire me and wrote me up for blatantly over serving a party of thirty. Needless to say I learnt my lesson on that day; realizing that as a server or bartender you can never trust anyone to cut themselves off. Even the richest of business men get shit faced and turn into drunken fools. Thank you to all of the restaurant and bar managers who have ever let me slide on even the biggest offenses, I have had a few, and I appreciate the fact that I have never been fired from a bartending job. xoxoxo

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Drink of the day

Dumptser Baby
10z strawberry vodka- or any flavor
10z strawberry pucker- or any flavor
cran and sprite
serve on the rocks

only exception is the watermelon DB- it is made with cuervo, watermelon pucker, cranberry juice, and sprite.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Lifers

There comes a time in every bartender’s life where they feel that they should call it quits. This can happen after a year of working in the madness or twenty years. Working in the bartending industry can be physically wearing on a person. There is only a select group of people who are cut out for it and only a handful of people who can do it for life. In ever bar and or restaurant that I have worked in over the years there has been at least one “lifer” who has worked there.
“Lifers” are a special breed of people and at times I too have questioned my own status in the bartending and serving industry. There have been times where I made conscious decisions to take jobs outside of this industry for less money, in hopes that I would be able to kick the lifer label. I now know some distinct differences between the “lifer” status bartender label and the “I can’t get enough” bartender status. For those bartenders wanting a break or needing an escape from the job due to the fear of the “lifer” status, there is still hope! Here are the differences I have found.

Lifer
Have worked in a place for so long that they could be the boss, but choose not to.
Never stay at a place long enough to get asked to do anything over head bartender or trainer.
If asked to manage, they usually will try their hand at it. Some will manage, some will make excuses as to why the bar or restaurant screwed them. Known for working their way up in a company.
I Can't Get Enough
If asked to manage, they say “Hell No”! I make three times as much as the managers. If they decide to manage a bar or restaurant it would be one where they had not previously bartended.
Lifer
They in the beginning of their career started bartending/serving night shifts where all of the money is. They eventually move to days so that they can have a set schedule, less work, and less customer contact.
I Can't Get Enough
Throughout their time bartending, they take the shifts where the money is. They can handle customers with ease, they don’t mind working, and they love the crazy bar schedules that come with the shifts. It’s what they are used to.
Lifer
They do the majority of the side work duties.
I Can't Get Enough
They scam on side work when they can get away with it. But they always fly under the radar.
Lifer
They bitch about their job most of the time at work.
I Can't Get Enough
They stay too busy to bitch. They only bitch when their money is affected.
Lifer
They can make every drink in the bar perfect to the oz. They make them just like the managers tell them to. They also use the appropriate glass ware.
I Can't Get Enough
They “wing it” sometimes in drink making. They over pour for a better tip. They disregard the manager’s instruction on drink making most of the time. They use any glass ware handy.
Lifer
They have a million stories about how the “Old Days” at their bar were. They have a good collection of stories, but they are usually all about the same handful of people.
I Can't Get Enough
They have the best stories. They have a million stories about different past co-workers and bar regulars. They usually have stories about different states as well as bars they have worked in.
Lifer
They have usually never held any other type of job. They have never worked more than one job at a time.
I Can't Get Enough
They have worked in other job fields, even if just a second part time job.
Lifer
They are usually not educated past the high school level. If they are, it is usually company training or restaurant management degrees.
I Can't Get Enough
They usually obtain the jobs to work their way through college and they cannot get enough of the money. Sometimes they are teachers who still bartend in the summers ect…
Lifer
Bartending is a career and they take it seriously.
I Can't Get Enough
Bartending is fun, they have been fire or quit without notice at least once.

The “Lifer” is a special breed of people who make the bar and restaurant industry world go around. If it weren’t for these people the job wouldn’t be the same. Plus the “can’t get enough” people would have no one to hide from, antagonize, or bitch about at work. I have come across many “lifers” over the years, but like every “can’t get enough” bartender, I have a favorite.

The “lifer” who grew to be my favorite over the years is a lady whom I have worked with in two different establishments. This lady has had a full life cycle in the bar and restaurant industry, and over ten years I have personally gotten to watch most of these cycles take place. I started serving tables at a rib joint/ sports bar in my twenties. This lady was a bartender who was eager to move up in the company. Before long she was an assistant manager or shift leader, this lasted a few months before taking the spot of another manager who had been fired. She was one of our favorite managers because she was pretty much an alcoholic and would let us do whatever we wanted. She moved up the chain quickly in the two years that I worked with her, but she had previously been bartending and serving her whole life. This was her first real management job, and she was really no good at it from an owners view point. This lady would call corporate and bitch about schedules, our GM, and any other cause she deemed fit every week. She would rally her server and bartender troops and try to get people fired all of the time; this is how she was so successful with her job advancement in the company. Weeks before I left this job she was fired for being drunk at work and injuring herself.

I had heard that she had gone back to serving tables and bartending at a different restaurant, but I had lost contact with her when I moved out of the state. When I relocated back to my home town years later she was still at it, serving tables at the restaurant she had went to after being fired from the sports bar. I would go in and see her occasionally listening to the same complaints I had heard from her at our previous job. Seven years into this job, she decided she could no longer take management and ask me to get her a job at the bar I was currently working at. I did, and I did not warn the managers because I hated that job. She came into that job serving tables at night, and then she moved relatively quickly through the other cycles. First she was a night server, bartender, trainer, day bartender, and then back to day server. She never quite made it to manager status at this bar.

She has worked at that establishment now for six years. She has botched her way from promotion to demotion of all positions available. She cannot be fired though; it has been tried by all managers who have worked there. One of the keys to her success is that she stays after work and drinks with the management, so she always has something on them. She is my favorite “lifer” though, because she somehow manages to get job opportunities and she takes advantage of them. She usually fucks it up and is demoted, but she has only been fired once.

The Full Cycle of Life in a Bar: host, busser, or bar-back/ day server/ cocktail server/ night server/ day or service well bartender/ night bartender/ assistant manager or shift leader/ manager/ general manager/ corporate-if they have skills/---bartender/day bartender/server/day server/retirement.
I guess ever bar needs a “lifer” to keep the memories of old times pasts, to keep the managers in check, and to motivate the “non-lifers’ into doing their side work. Every “lifer” serves a purpose in the bar, but as the older they get the purpose becomes less clear. So remember when you are at work bartenders, be kind to your “lifer”. They deserve respect, they have been at this job their whole life and for most of their life they were probably better at it than you. They are also; old, tired, and have seen it all so when they are grouchy or slow at their jobs, cut them some slack

Drink of the day

Incredible Hulk
10z of Hennesey
10z of Hypnotic
served chilled on the rocks

Saturday, July 17, 2010

T-shirts

T-shirt’s
Every day walking down the streets of San Diego I am surprised at what young girls are wearing these days. Apparently it is now in style to wear tights as pants, underwear as shorts, and T-shirts as dresses. I guess we have the retired Mickey Mouse cast to thank for all of these fashion trends.
When I lived back in the Mid-west the girls were a little behind the times when it came to fashion. Then I started running a dance club. Even the girls in this small town mid-west dance club came out dressed like fashionista's. I feel a little bad in hind sight making fun of all of those girls who wore T-shirts as dresses; because it appears that it is in style.
From a bartender’s sober perspective, here are some things that are wrong with wearing a T-shit as a dress especially when going out to dance.
First, only a handful of rail thin girls can wear this and still look good. I am a small individual myself, and I could not pull off this look. In order to wear a T-shirt as a dress one must have no cellulite, perky boobs, and long legs. I promise the girls in the magazines have all been airbrushed. So unless you are sixteen years old with the perfect body, the T-shirt dress should be left at home. If your girlfriends tell you that this is a good look for you, they are more than likely eliminating their competition for the evening. Don’t trust any friend who tells you that you look good wearing a T-shirt as a dress, especially accompanied by UGG boots.
The second reason for not wearing a T-shirt as a dress is because no one wants to see your beef curtains flapping to the “Cupid Shuffle”. While working behind the bar, my fellow bartenders and I would make a game out of how many we could spot. We even had our own sign language to alert one another if we had seen one, if the music was too loud to yell over. If you are even considering doing the “Stanky Leg” at a dance club; wearing a T-shirt as a dress, please stop and think about whom you really want seeing your vagina. If the answer is an entire dance club, then more power to you. But please keep in mind and be considerate to the poor sober bartenders getting you liquored up, and face it away from the bar.
The third reason one should not wear a T-shirt as a dress is because it attracts the ever dreaded “backpackers”. If you have chosen to go ahead wear the T-shirt to the dance club, beware. There are a multitude of guys lurking the dance clubs looking for the girls who wear these T-shirts. It is like wearing a sign on your back that says, “I have my vagina out, so please come hump dance my back”. Keep in mind that “backpackers” are a special breed of unattractive men who try and dry hump you from behind, in a locked and loaded position. So if you do not want attention from the “love dungeon” old men (we all know some) and or the “backpackers”, once again, leave the T-shirts at home.
I will give my final reason for not wearing the T-shirt as a dress through a story about a fellow bartender of mine; take from it what you will. When I moved back from Detroit I held a job at a chain restaurant for a short period of time, the transition job, if you will. I bartended with a girl who was an amazing person, she was skinny, cute, and nice. She was one of the only people who were nice to me at that job, hence the short period of employment. Years later when opening up my own bar, she was one of the first people I hired. This girl was still attractive and nice, but definitely not twenty-one years old anymore.
Shortly after the bar took off she decided that she would push the envelope with her outfits. We let the girls pretty much wear whatever they wanted as long as it was night club attire. She was one of the first to break out the T-shirt as a dress outfits in that town. Keep in mind she qualified for all three of the reasons “not to” in the previous paragraphs. And as expected other people followed her new fashion trend.
Eventually the T-shirts got shorter and she would even sometimes break out the tank tops. The shorter the T-shirt the more people would talk shit about her. I do not know how many of the rumors were true, but there were a lot to pick from. This brought out the worst in her; she started hating the customers and her fellow bartenders. She began fighting with female bar guests over their boyfriends. Then she began fighting with the bartenders, which eventually led to her stealing their money, and her termination with our company. Although there were girls that followed her fashion trend, they never dared to take it as far as she did. No one knows what rumors were true and false about this girl, but we all know the stemmed from wearing those damn T-shirts. So girls beware; the guys at the dance club might enjoy seeing you in the T-shirts, but their girlfriends never will.
So ladies if you want to start a trend and look sexy when out at the dance clubs, please take into consideration that there are other people that have to look at you. If you are confident enough with yourself to wear a T-shirt for a dress, then do it. Just take these paragraphs as a warning; I have seen no good come from the T-shit in place of a dress at a dance club. Also please keep in mind when you wake up the next day and take your “jager-bomb goggles” off, I told you so… “Backpackers” are ugly as shit!

Drink recipe of the day

Choclate -cherry martini
1oz three olives chocolate vodka
1oz three olive cherry vodka
splash grenadine
splash chocolate syrup

serve chilled in a martini glass

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Drink of the day

Vegas Bomb
1/2oz of crown royal
1/2oz of amaretto
Drop into redbull and shoot away

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Drink of the day

Roofie
1oz of Bacardi 151
10z of strawberry pucker
splash cranberry juice
shake over ice
serve straight up

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Drink of the day

The Bluberry crush
1.25oz Blueberry stoli vodka
sprite
Blueberries

serve on the rocks

Don't fruit the beer

Don’t Fruit the Beer.
The saying don’t fruit the beer has been made popular in the last few years because of the ever so popular super bowl commercials produced by a certain beer company. If asked, almost any bartender in the world will tell you that breaking a man law is not the only reason that one shouldn’t fruit their beer. Working in the bar and restaurant industry for the past 15 years I could give a dozen reasons on why a person should not order fruit in their beer at a bar. In fact I would never order fruit in any drink ordered at a bar, not even the Mohijto.
One should know that in most bars and restaurants, and in every bar and restaurant that I have had the pleasure of working in over the last decade, the day bartender is the person responsible for cutting the fruit that is served with drinks in a bar. The only exception to this rule is when the night bartenders run out of fruit they then cut more fruit to replenish the stock. The fruit cut by the night bartender is much worse for the customer than the fruit that is cut during the day. The fruit is usually cut on a cutting board behind the bar while the bartender is doing the rest of their cleaning and stocking duties for the day. The day bartenders are watched more closely than the night bartenders, they are usually required to wear gloves and have a clean fruit cutting environment. Night bartenders however cut the fruit on the “fly”, and most of the time they cut the fruit with dirty bar hands.
A dirty bartender hand is not the only reason fruit should not be ordered with a beverage at the bar, here are a few more:
1. The fruit is usually only changed out every couple of days.
2. The fruit is not always rotated leaving the fruit in the bottom of the tray for sometimes as long as a week.
3. Bartenders cut their hands all of the time when cut fruit... while this is usually cleaned up, I have experienced first hand that it is not always the case.
4. Olives, cherries, oranges, limes, and lemons are usually stored together cross contaminating one another. There is always olive juice in the cherry container.
5. When the fruit is stored at night it is stored in the fruit tray, not in separate containers or covered well.
6. Fruit flies breed in the fruit trays in any hot, humid, or outdoor bar.
7. The bartenders/servers handling the fruit use their hands to put it on the drink… no gloves or pokers.
I once worked in a bar where a bartender cut the tip of her finger off and had to leave and get stitches in the middle of a Saturday night. In all of the madness with trying to get her off to the hospital we forgot to change the fruit out.
I once worked with a server who handled the fruit after cutting incident and a few months later we found out that she had hepatitis. We all went and got vaccinated, the customers never knew.
I have seen fruit get dropped on a dirty bar mat, picked up and put in the drink. It was the last orange and the customer really wanted it. So it was covered in the entire overspill from drinks served that night.
I once worked with a girl who had a skin disease on her hands; she usually had us put the fruit in her drinks for her. When in a hurry this server would dip her fleshy hands right in the lemons and serve em' up to the customers.
I personally have cut over 5,000 (guess-ta-ment) lemons and limes while bartending, I have only worn gloves maybe 3 times.
I have worked in bars where I have served fruit all evening, at close cleaned out the tray to discover bugs and/or mold in the containers.
Some bars do not have dishwashers and sink wash all glassware and fruit trays. The fruit trays are never fully clean.
I have also worked with some very dirty bartender… need I say more.
I will say that while for the most part I would never order fruit with an alcoholic beverage at the bar. I have eaten my share of fruit from the trays. I am not a germaphobe and I take my chances all of the time. However, I do know the risks that I am taking when I eat a fruit cocktail concoction from the tray. So before ordering a drink: buyer beware, the fruit is not always as refreshing as it appears to be

Friday, July 9, 2010

Drink of the day

Scooby Snack:

.75oz of malibu rum
.75 oz midori
pineapple juice
whipped cream
shake over ice and serve straight up

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Drink of the Day

Ghost Buster
.75 oz jager
.75oz malibu rum
oj
Shake over ice and serve straight up

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words, or $500.00

It still amazes me everyday how affective a smile or a kind word is when it comes to changing someone’s day. I have learned through my years of bartending that sometimes the best way to receive a tip is to put on a smile. I ran a bar for over 18 months and everyday when I started my shift I would say to all of the bartenders, smile even if you don’t mean it. We as bartenders hide behind this smile most every day. There are some bartenders who have not or cannot achieve this simple gesture while slinging drinks for the masses. But the ones who have will tell you, that their smile could have easily been what has put them through college or paid their mortgage. The smile for me though is not only about getting good tips, although it does help significantly. I have learned over the years that my smile has helped me form connections and relationships with bar regulars that have lasted a life time.

In the monetary since my smile has truly paid my bills, put me through college, and paid for almost any great thing I have accomplished. I have been offered because of my smile cars, clothes, credit cards, and trips around the world. In fact this past weekend I was offered a trip to Tokyo. I have for the most part declined these types of gifts throughout the years because I feel that I would have been taking advantage of a kind and drunken person. I have accepted smaller gifts throughout the years like a crystal necklace from an old lady who wanted me to have it. Or I have received CD’s and other gifts that were made for me. I feel like bartenders have plenty of opportunity to take advantage of their bar regulars when it comes to filling in the tip slot on the credit card at the end of the night, no need to take more. Although sometimes I look back and think how nice it would be if I had that Jeep Wrangler or apartment in NY.

My smile has gotten me more than just money and gifts while bartending. I believe that because of my lack of willingness to take advantage of my bar regulars I have received a wonderful collection of people, whom have become my surrogate family. One of the best relationships that was spawn from my smile was with two bar regulars named Granny and Sid. I worked at a sports bar for a 2 ½ year stint while going to school. I worked at this bar an upwards of 60 hours a week at some points. We had a game unit at this bar that allowed the bar regulars to play free poker and trivia while they drank. Granny and Sid were an old lesbian couple who were lesbians before it was even heard of, and who loved to play some trivia and poker. They were a little on the bitter side and did not like just anyone. After smiling at them and serving them margaritas for a couple of months Sid said to me, “I have never met someone who has smiled so much that they have smile wrinkles at the age of 25”. It broke the ice, from that day on they smiled back, and not just at me. These ladies became family to all of the bartenders at the sports bar. Fortunately I worked with a few other bartenders who were just like me, so Granny and Sid became family to them as well. Sid eventually grew extremely sick and Granny was distraught. I and some of my fellow bartenders helped take care of their animals and apartment while Sid was in the hospital. We got a phone call from Granny hours before Sid died; she wanted us to be there with her because we were the only ones who could make her feel better. The bartenders were not only included in the funeral ceremony but also asked to carry the casket for Sid. After her death we each received a small gift from Granny of something that had belonged to Sid. I still have that gift and I will always keep it. These ladies changed my life and I took part in changing theirs.

So for the bartenders, please remember to smile even if you don’t mean it. Not just for the tips, do it because it just might change someone’s life, even your own. For the bar guests, please keep in mind that it sometimes can be the hardest task a bartender has to achieve in a bad days work, the smile. So if they are smiling, let them know how much you appreciate it. For the bar regulars I have served over the years, I knew you liked smile, Can’t get enough! :) P.S. I have enjoyed all of yours as well.

The largest tip I have ever received and was told it was because of my smile was $500.00. A business man in Detroit had had a rough day, I made him laugh and he tipped me for it… Keep that in mind!

Drink of the Day

Dirty Bull
1oz hornitos teguila
1oz of khalua

serve on the rocks

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Holiday Patrons

Holiday Patrons:
Every bartender who works in a restaurant and or bar always dreads the holidays. Why? Because, there are always just enough people who are willing to go out on a holiday and drink to make it worth the owners while to stay open. It depends on the holiday, but for the most part bartending on a holiday sucks. Sometimes it is a good excuse to get away from the family celebration early and not have to deal with the clean up. But sometimes I’m not sure what would be worse, drunk family or drunken bar regulars. Either way there are some holidays that are fun to work and holidays that are horrible. So; when deciding where to go and drink on a holiday keep your favorite bartender in mind and decide whether it is worth it or not to torture them.

Holidays we love:

The day before thanksgiving: biggest drinking night of the year- love the money hate the college kids that come home. The only downfall to this holiday is that we always show up to thanksgiving lunch tired. Remember most bartenders do not get home from work on this night until 5am.

New Years Eve: Good money. Never had one off… get to watch everyone else party and count down the New Year while we pour Champaign. The money makes this night worth it. Plus usually this is a holiday where the bartender gets to dress up night and gets a bunch of free stuff from the reps.

Halloween: Love this holiday, gives you an excuse as an adult to spend money on a costume and act like a fool. Plus most people have Halloween parties on a different night because of their kids so you can still attend.

Saint Patty’s day: Best holiday to work in a bar. You can join in on the partying without getting drunk. Everyone usually tips well. Everyone is there to get shit faced and spend their pay checks. You don’t go home with the hang-over, but you do go home with pockets full of cash. Everyone dresses up in costumes and green shit. You go home with green hands from the food coloring in the tap beer. There is usually good music. It is the bouncers’ least favorite holiday.

Holidays we hate:

Easter: The church people/ if working in a restaurant the bartender makes no money and has to pour wine drinks and virgin frozen daiquiris all day long. If working in a regular bar business is slow and everyone is bitter.

Christmas Eve: Because we would rather be out last minute shopping and no one tips because they have spent all of their money last minute shopping. Plus usually you have to miss out on at least on family dinner or event for three customers to come in and bitch about their families.

Mothers/ Fathers day: Need I say more.

Fourth of July: Unless you are working at a tourist location or a patio bar, there is no money to be made. If you work the night shift at a bar you miss out on the fireworks. Everyone is having a BBQ and you have to sling drinks to the few people who have no porch or patio to party on.

Thanksgiving: Because bar patrons come in late, if at all and you have eaten too much to give a shit about the bar regulars problems. All the football games are over with before you get to work, so there is nothing to watch on the TV. Everyone is hung-over from the night before.

Memorial and Labor Day: Sometimes you make money, sometimes you don’t. Both holidays are usually a nice hot day you don’t want to spend inside. Either way, everyone is barbequing without you.
.
The best Holiday story I have for you is a story from when I worked in Detroit. I was working in a blues bar on Easter Sunday. We decided to have our own little Easter egg hunt and small dinner before we opened to start all of the bartenders and servers off in a good mood. It was working, everyone was having a great time and in high spirits before the doors opened, (even the Jewish and Atheist servers who I made help me hide the eggs were having fun). Then the doors opened!
I was serving tables and I had an 18 top of church ladies all dressed up in their Sunday best. The table ordered 18 glasses of different types of wine, they couldn’t just settle on a couple of bottles. I was trying to cash out another table at the same time I was delivering the wine to the large party. The guy was ready to get the hell out of the restaurant apparently and saw that I had his check with his credit card in it under my armpit. So instead of waiting for me to finish passing out the wine to the large party, he grabbed the book out from under my arm. This caused the whole tray full of red and white wine to go flying. The wine landed on top of about ten of the eighteen ladies and their new church clothes. I freaked out on the guy and proceeded to call him every foal mouthed thing I could come up with. The ladies were in shock; they had wine all over them and had just heard the f-bomb at least 6 times. Needless to say, their tab was upwards of $500.00 and my tip definitely reflected my sailor mouth. I walked away from the table with a twenty dollar bill. It was one of the worst tips I have ever received on a holiday. I also had to tip out the bartender and busser on the table, so I walked away with a five dollar tip. So, take notes bartenders and servers, even church people who drink do not like to hear the word fuck with their Easter dinner.

Pecker Wrecker

This is a nice 21st birthday shot

Pecker wrecker
.5 oz jager
.5 oz patron
.5 oz Jack Daniels
layer and serve straight up

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Drink of the day

Red Headed Sluts
.75 oz peach schnapps
.75 oz Jager
cranberry juice
serve chilled and straight up

examiner.com

I now write review articles for the examiner.com... go check em out and let me know if you want me to examine your favorite bars and restaurants!!! xoxox
http://www.examiner.com/x-56454-Gaslamp-District-Cocktails-Examiner

Monday, June 28, 2010

Drink of the day

Miami Vice
1oz of dark rum
strawberry daiquiri mix
pina colada mix
blend with ice

substitute mango, coconut, or any fruit rum for a great twist

Attention fellow bartenders

I will be writing for the http://www.examiner.com/san_diego. I will let everyone know when my page is set up and running. Let me know if you want your bar or restaurant on my page. xoxoxo

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

Snow Shoes:
.75 oz Wild Turkey
.75oz Rumplemintz

shake over ice... serve straight up

Friday, June 25, 2010

Pizza Port, Ocean Beach CA

Pizza Port, Ocean Beach California
If you are looking for a tasty beer in the San Diego area it is a well known fact that the Pizza Port is the place to go for handcrafted brews made on the premises. Well, attention beer drinkers! They have a new location in Ocean Beach.
There are several things that set this beer establishment apart from all others I have visited. They have an amazing team of managers whom are on-hand at the location from the time the doors open until the doors close. At any given time of the day they are there talking with the guests and making each person feel welcomed and appreciated. All of the managers that work at the Ocean Beach location are enthusiastic about the business and have extensive beer knowledge.
The rest of the staff at the Pizza Port are awesome as well. The bartending staff can offer up a suggestion on the latest brews, and have a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to which beer is ideal for each customer. The bartending staff is also very friendly and they remember your name, giving the bar a very Cheers type of feeling. The Pizza makers are just as fun. They always have a smile on their face while flipping dough. When they call your name over the microphone to let you know your pizza is ready, they always put some kind of fun twist on it.
The beer brewed at this location is some of the best in the world. The brewers are humble at the Pizza Port though, they rotate a selection of guest beers that are some of the finest offered. Recently they featured the Maui Brewing company which was a huge success. The Maui Brewing Company specializes in Ales and Lagers, and man do they know what they are doing. Every brew offered by the Maui team was amazing.
The number one reason why the average beer lover should visit the Pizza Port in Ocean Beach is because of its beer. Yiga Miyashiro is the Brew Master behind all of the delicious concoctions served at the Ocean Beach location. Brewing beer for this man started as a hobby and developed into a passion. Who knew that the day Yiga collided with the many different mixtures of malted barley, hops, water, and yeast that they way the world would taste beer would be changed forever. I have many friends, whom I might classify in the beer snob category, and every beer that Yiga has ever brewed has not only been pleasing to their pallets, but most have even used the term mind-blowing. Yiga makes beers for every occasion and taste. Just recently Yiga brewed an amazing chocolate stout that had all of ocean beach buzzing, literally. He not only makes fantastic tasting beers, but he serves them up with some major alcohol content.
So the next time beer is on the agenda for a day of drinking; make your way to the Pizza Port in Ocean Beach, where you can enjoy great pizza and some of the best tasting beer in the world. They truly provide locals and out-of-towners alike, a one of a kind experience.
To find out more about the history of Pizza Port and its four locations: Look them up online at www.pizzaport.com or just stop in for a visit.
Port Ocean Beach: 1956 Bacon St. Ocean Beach, CA 92107 (619)-224-4700
Port Solana: 135 N. HWY 101 Solana Beach, CA 92075 (858)-481-7332
Port Carlsbad: 571 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008 (760)-720-7007
Port San Clemente: 301 N. el Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949)-940-0005

Featured Bar

I am going to start featuring a bar that I have visited and a bartender that I have met in each bar. I will feature all types of bars... sports bars, pubs, dance clubs, strip bars, beer bars, wine bars, and or bar and grills. So come one, come all and tell me about your bar and why you want it featured. I will come visit your bar and do a write up for you. xoxoxxoxo

Drink recipe of the day

Sex on the beach:
this drink can be made three differnt ways and can be served as a drink or a shot.
1. 1oz of vodka
1oz of peach schnapps
oj
grenadine

2. 1 oz malibu rum
1oz of peach schnapps
oj
pineapple
grenadine

3. 1oz of flavored rum
1oz of peach schnapps
1oz of creamer
pinapple juice
grenadine

this shot or drink is the perfect start or end to a hot summer day... enjoy

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

Amen
1.25oz of Cuervo
1oz of olive juice
1oz of sweet n sour mix

shaken over ice and poured straight up in a chilled martini glass.

Backpacks and Dance Clubs

I worked in a dance club as a bartender for around 16 months. I never really frequented a dance club before working in one because the atmosphere always seemed to be something that resembled a bunch of horny monkeys locked in a cage. Now that I am a single I do understand why the dance club is a go to bar for the average single person on a Saturday evening. The dating game is not always easy and sometimes it can be frustrating trying to figure out who is single and who is not, when just drinking at a local sports bar. When you walk into a dance club the playing field is cut and dry, everyone is there to get laid. I watched for months the single people come out to the dance club where I worked and release their mating calls. It was always extremely entertaining while I was at a safe distance from the wild breeding game behind my bar. Now that I have been released into the wild I have found that the most annoying aspect of the dance club is what I like to call the Backpack.
I used to watch this happen all of the time to my single girlfriends. They would always complain about the men who frequent dance clubs and listen to them bitch about how they could not dance without getting man handled. I never had that problem while working at the dance club, because I had a team of bouncers watching my every move. I was always safe and every man in the bar knew they were not allowed to molest me because I not only worked there, but was married to the owner. I now know and have experienced firsthand what my girlfriends were talking about all of this time, and it is truly annoying.
This is how a backpack is usually acquired at a bar; a girl is dancing with her girlfriends. She is looking around the bar for a decent looking guy to have some fun with. The girl is usually throwing out her best dance moves, having what I like to call air sex with her girlfriends. This usually works in getting a guys attention, hopefully for the girl it is the guy she had her sights set on. The air sex is the best way to ask a guy to dance, without having to actually ask. This air sex however should come with a warning label. The warning label should read: beware of air sex because it often draws the attention of all of the backpacks in the club.
The definition of a backpack is as follows; a guy who gets behind a girl while on the dance floor, slips his hands onto her sides or hips, and then proceeds to act as though he is a backpack while grinding his groin area on her ass. The backpack is especially bad when it is locked position, allowing no room for escape. Usually when the backpack is in fully locked position it is impossible for the girl to even turn and get a look at whom is dry humping her from the rear. This is the worst, because any backpack in fully locked position is usually best in the brand classification of an East-Port rather than a Swiss Army.
There are three major problems with the average backpacker. First, they are ugly. So ugly in fact that the only chance they have of scoring at the dance club, is to find the drunkest girl and get them out of the building before the ugly lights are flipped in the on position. Second, they have no style. These are the guys who get their clothing style from K-fed, Jersey Shore, and or Saved by the Bell (the original series). Third, they cannot dance. I call them a backpack instead of a fanny pack for a reason. These boys latch onto the girl’s ass and proceed to have a seizure on it. They have no rhythm and somehow manage to step on your feet while dancing behind you. They dare not dance in front of the girl because their dance moves are that bad.
So, how does one get rid of a backpack at a dance club? Well there are a few options. First be very cautious of the air sex when using it at the dance club. Check out and calculate the number of douche bags versus normal guys. If the douche bags out-number the normal guys, don’t use the air sex. Second, throw elbows. This is a little more aggressive approach, but it is usually effective at getting the point across. A third option would be to bring a guy friend to scare off any lurking backpacks.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

Balini
2oz of Champaign
1oz of peach vodka
1oz of peach puree
shake over ice
pour in a chilled martini glass or champaign flute

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Verbal Gratuity

Verbal Gratuity
Every server/bartender hates the verbal gratuity. Why? Because we know that if we get an amazing verbal gratuity that means the monetary gratuity is not coming with it. So this begs the question, why give verbal gratuity at all? Most bartenders either know they are awesome at their job, or they know they’re not. Either way their manager usually can handle telling them all about it. Bartenders make anywhere from $3.00 an hour to $8.00 an hour plus tips. They usually have to do about two hours of prep or cleanup work before or after their shift. They deal with drunken ass holes all night at work. They go to work on their death beds because in general they cannot afford health insurance, and cannot afford to take the night off and pay for the doctor’s visit both. The worst kind of verbal grat comes on slow nights when we need the money the most.
The worst Verbal gratuity I ever received came on a Wednesday night about 4 years ago. I remember because it was that bad. I was working at a sports bar in my home town in Indiana. At the time my ex-husband was finishing up his bachelor degree and was only working during the Christmas season at Best Buy. I had made the decision sometime that previous summer that I would work full time serving and bartending while only taking a part time school load on. This verbal gratuity night came in October right before Halloween. I was working 5 – 12 hour shifts a week and going to school 6 credit hours. I hated this job; it was the worst bar I had ever worked in, which made the verbal grat that much worse. I had paid most of my bills for the month knowing that I was running about two-hundred dollars short. I was also in dire need of a costume for the following week. I didn’t want to tell anyone that I couldn’t pay my bills, seeing how I had made the situation for myself. So I picked up some extra shifts knowing that it was during mid-terms.
I went to class that Wednesday morning and received my instructions for my mid-terms. They didn’t seem too impossible, but it would be a close call with the two extra shifts I had picked up. That evening I went to work, it was such a slow night that I started to get frustrated because I was not making any money. Just then I had a ten top of people walk in to the bar. To my surprise it was most of my professors from the university along with some fellow class mates. I waited on them until 2:00am, which was not that late considering I would not arrive home for another 3 hours after last call and clean up was finished. Their bill was around $600.00 that evening. They told me how awesome I was that I could take on a school load and work 60 hours a week. They praised my drink making skills and my good attitude. They were truly amazed that I was always in such high spirits in my morning classes considering I went to them on only a few hours of sleep. I knew the tip was going to be bad at this point, I just didn’t realize how bad. At this bar we were not allowed to add gratuity to tabs, so we just had to butter up the guests and hope for the best. Needless to say they did not just tell me how good I was, they told my managers, and corporate. Unfortunately, my managers did not give a shit! So the verbal gratuity didn’t even get me as much as a sticker on the way to go bartender chart in the office. The table left me a ten dollar tip on a six hundred dollar tab. I was so pissed. To make matters worse I had to go to class the following morning at 10:00am and take a mid-term in one of their classes.
I showed up to class the next morning and took the exam on four hours of sleep with a little bitterness in my heart. The professor gave me a b-. What kind of bull shit is that? I mean if I was that amazing of a bartender, you would think I would at very least have received a break on my test. Bitches! Everything worked out for the best, I have a degree and I eventually quit that shitty job. I have never forgotten that verbal gratuity though. I had to tip out $15.00 on that tab, so I actually lost $5.00 in the deal. Oh, did I mention my total sales that night were $650.00 and that this was one of those bars where I made $2.13 an hour.
So my vote is no on the verbal gratuity. I don’t need to hear from drunken people how awesome I am at my job. If someone wants to let me know how much they love my bartending skills, show me with twenty dollar tips.

Drink recipe of the day

The Pinapple up-side down cake shot
can be made two ways:
1. 1oz of vanilla vodak
pinapple juice
grenadine
or
1/2 oz of malibu rum
1/0z of amaretto
pinapple juice
shaken over ice and served straight up

Monday, June 21, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

X-Ray Chicken

1oz X-rated liquor
1oz vanilla Brandy
Splash cranberry
serve up

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Should famous people tip more?

Should famous customers tip better than regular customers?

The majority of my serving and bartending experience has come from my time spent in Indiana. I have bartended and served in Detroit and San Diego as well. I was a server/ bartender for around 6 years before I actually had the pleasure of serving a famous person. I was actually waiting tables at a Blues bar in Detroit when I got my first famous bar regular. It was a famous musician from the area who was dating a very famous blonde movie star. This rock star came into the bar once every couple of months and would request me to wait on their table. I always treated them like regular bar customers, which is why I believe I received the return business. Being a bartender from Indiana I feel gave me a one up on the situation because I am, and have always been a foal mouthed abrasive bartender/server. I believe that the crazier shit you say to your guests the better they tip. If a bar guest wanted a normal laid back person serving them alcoholic beverages, they could stay at home and do it themselves. So I believe that the entertainment factor of my job is the most important.
When my famous bar customers would come in, I would yell at them and treat them like everyone else. They always came back for more of my simple and ever so entertaining abuses. They would always have a wonderful time and tip me 20- 30%. I felt like this was a great tip and was happy to entertain. I never felt that I deserved the tip to end all tips that every bartender or server dreams of. That is until they started asking for more than just the average service. I feel that if a famous person comes in and expects and receives the same service as everyone else there is no reason for them to tip more. But when they become needier than the average bar guest, they should tip bigger.
The problem with famous people is that they require more attention and service than most bar guests. My famous customers usually required entrance through the back door and a reserved seat. No biggie right? Well the more you give people, the more willing they are to ask special favors from you. After a year of waiting on the same famous people, I found myself body guarding the table and making all kinds of special accommodations for them. I would make sure that no one asked them for autographs, go find hot single girls for them to talk to, and usually convince a manager that they needed a complimentary tab. I however was receiving the same 20-30% tip. I feel like if a server or bartender has to put in extra work to make them feel comfortable then they should be tipped accordingly.
Since my first experience serving famous people I have served many different types of famous people. I have found in my experience the best famous tippers are the sports guys, particularly football players. I have owned my own bar and had to accommodate them as a club owner as well. I find that the majority of famous people tip good, but not great. I have never received a giant tip from a famous person, no matter how hard I have worked. I have however received this kind of a tip from a regular bar patron. I do enjoy waiting on famous people however for many reasons. First, because they never look like they do on television. Second, because you can shock them more than the ordinary bar guest. Third, bragging rights. Fourth, they don’t really have any rules therefore they can also shock you, jungle juice… need I say more. Fifth, because you can give them a non-ass kissing fun experience that they will remember and probably appreciate more than the average bar guest
So if you have waited on a famous bar guest, I would like to hear about your experience. Did they tip awesome? How did they treat you? Did you like waiting on them? Also I would also like to hear from anyone who has partied in a club with a famous person. In my experience that after parties are where the real fun happens with famous people.



Funny famous person story:
- I work with a server who was on his way home one night in L.A. when he saw some drunken famous people standing on the side of the road. He stopped and offered these famous people a ride. They got into his car and he drove them home. Once the famous people were out of the car, this fellow server of mine looked into the rear view mirror and realized to his surprise there was still someone in his back seat. He asked the guy where he was going and the guy gave him directions. He began the 30 min journey of getting this guy home when he realized that the passenger was a male prostitute who had just got in the car with the famous people. Needless to say the ride home was extremely uncomfortable and my friend was super pissed. The male prostitute was dressed extremely flamboyant in all white fluffy clothing. After that night he never did another favor for a famous person. I know that he has stuck to his guns, because when asked to give a famous person a ride home from the bar that we work in, his answer was something to the affect of “hell no”! He went on a rant about how he hated famous people because they had no rules or manners. He had given some famous people a ride home and all he got in return was a male prostitute, no gas, and the worst car ride of his life. :)

Tips for waiting on famous people:
1. Treat them like normal guests
2. If they start asking for a bunch of stuff, call them out on being high maintenance
3. Take a few jabs at em, remind them why they went out drinking
4. Never say, I loved you in… or I love your music. Until after you have successfully gotten them drunk.
5. Never give a famous person a ride
6. Always go to their after party…. They always have the best drugs
7. Tell them what to tip you. Thanks for the 50.00 dollars! I swear it works.
8. Never ask them for an autograph or picture
9. Never drink Jungle Juice
10. Never let your other customers bother them…

Drink recipe of the day

Man Tini #1
1oz Kajmir vanilla brandy
1/2 oz of Three Olives choc vodka
1/2 oz of Khalua or Frangelico

shake over ice... pour in snifter
can sub crown royal for brandy if needed

Friday, June 18, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

1oz of cognac
1/2oz tripple sec- cirtonage
1/2 oz frangellico
oj

tootsie roll

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

H1N1
1oz of absinthe
1/2 oz of midori
1/2 oz of strawberry pucker
cranberry juice
redbull


It is the cure all vaccination... xoxo

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Drink recipe of the day

The Happy Ending:
1oz of absinthe
1 oz goldschlager
redbull
cranberry

Come one come all!!!!

Hello to all!!
My Name is Lisa and I have been a bartender and or server for most of my working life. I have ventured off into other fields of interest, but I always find may way back to bar tending and serving. I am starting this blog for all of the other people on the planet like me, who cannot stay away. Every good bartender has a million great stories, and I would like to hear them all. I will blog every week on a new topic or story from my past and or present work experiences.I would love it if other bartenders would post their stories as well. I would also like to use this blog to share drink recipes and advice for fellow bartenders. I now currently work in San Diego at Dick's Last Resort. The stories are always great, it is truly one of the funnest serving jobs that I have had. I plan on traveling out of the country very soon and bar tending along the way. I will blog again soon. xoxoxo Lisa

Give me your sad, funny, sexual, and bad ass bar tending/serving stories and I will give you mine:)

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Bartender Stories

This is a great idea. I'm sure once it catches on you will get hundred of great stories, and lots of traffic.