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.