The Return of the Jedi and The Great Debate…
HELLO MY FRIENDS 
After a few months of research, travel and soul searching….I’m BAAAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK!!!!!
I love this blog and what it has to offer. SO…I have decided to infuse this blog into an outlet for essay and educational learning as well as an outlet for stories from behind the bar I am a fan of continual education With the ever evolving business we are in you can never stop learning and growing ENJOY
I would like to discuss a topic that has been coming up a lot as of lately. It is a topic that seems to be on the tips of everyone’s tongues. It’s the dreaded ….
“BARTENDER vs MIXOLOGIST” debate!
(Dramatics need to be used in discussing this subject 
O.K. go with me on this…
You walk into a local pub. It can be a sports pub, a small dive bar, or something along those lines. A place without a dress code. The bartenders are most likely dressed casually in a polo shirt, jeans, a t-shirt, etc. You grab a seat at the bar, look up at the chalk board and order a domestic beer .Your lady friend orders a Cosmo. The bartender may make that Cosmo with the liquor on the rail, or maybe they will use premium liquor. They will make your drinks for you and serve them to you in a standard cocktail glass for the Cosmo, and a traditional pint glass for the beer. The bartender chats with you, you exchange a good conversation, share a laugh; become engaged with the people around you, enjoying your drink and the company that you are in. When you depart, your check is $36 for two beers and two Cosmos. Total tab with tip is $50. The bartender thanks you and tells you to pop in again soon.
CUT TO:
You walk into a Cocktail Lounge, a more upscale bar, or something along those lines. There is a dress code for the patrons and for the bartenders whom are dressed in a button down shirt, black slacks, and maybe they have a bar chef jacket on. You grab a seat at the bar and a menu is placed in front of you which have several pages dedicated to cocktails and beer. You ask the bartender for an imported micro-brew and a Cosmo for your lady friend. They may make your Cosmo with an infused vodka and simple syrup, or muddle fresh fruit and strain it in. They serve your Cosmo in a “modified” or “newer” style of a cocktail glass and your brew is in a fancy beer stein. The bartender chats with you, you exchange good conversation, share a laugh; become engaged with the people around you, enjoying your drink and the company that you are in. When you depart, your check is $50 for two micro-brews and two Cosmos. Total tab with tip is $64. The bartender thanks you and tells you to pop in again soon.
Besides aesthetically and pricing, there is no difference in the quality of service or drink that you received from BOTH bartenders. YES, the “mixologist” was a bit more refined in making your drink and you pay a bit more for it, BUT, tell me…where is the difference?????? One has been working for fifteen years with no formal education on bartending; the other has been working the same amount of time except he went through the “book education” of bartending. BOTH make a great drink. BOTH provide friendly, attentive service. BOTH made your visit enjoyable. Anyone who is anyone in this business HAD TO START FROM THE BOTTOM. You earn your way up the ranks just like you do in any other business. With that “time” you put in comes respect, notoriety, and personal success.
EGO is the main divider of bartender to mixologist. It is most defined here in NYC. The best in the world are here, along with egos, divas, and pre-Madonna’s (BOTH MEN AND WOMEN). Your level of experience should have NOTHING to do with the MANNER in which you present YOURSELF AND your DRINK. PERIOD!!!!!! NO IF’s AND’s or BUT’s about it! I have over 14 years of experience under my belt and I have been turned off from bars and lounges because of the BAD ATTITUDE of the person serving me my drink. And by bad attitude I mean snotty or egotistical, by BOTH the “Bartender AND Mixologist”.
Maybe instead of trying to DEFINE who is this or that, why not INFUSE the talents of both. I have come across a few mixologist’s who have the attitude of “I’m the best and you should feel honored to be experiencing my company and tasting my drink”. There are so many negative points that come out of that kind of attitude. When you give someone a bad taste in their mouth, it will be a difficult task to get them to come back or even want to work with you. They just made what they do seem intimidating. They just made the venue they work in seem “clickish”. They just made the brand look un-affordable. And I know that drink does not taste nearly as good as it should have.
I have a good friend of mine who is the epitome of class, style and talent. He is a “mixologist” and a bartender. Ask him and he will not say he is neither. He will say that he is in the business of making a good drink and meeting good people. There is no difference in his attitude or in his drink presentation regardless of the venue he is working in. He will wash dishes when he is working at a bar and he will wash dishes if he is working an event. His drinks are amazing. His attitude is positive and he is approachable. This all adds up to what he truly is. He is HUMBLE. He is a teacher of bartending and of social ethics. He sets the example of bridging the gap between the bartender and the mixologist.
The job of tending bar is a tough job and I have always said it takes a special person to be able to take on the responsibilities of that job. There is so much more to it than just mixing a drink. In most cases it is a lifestyle. Never lose touch of you roots or where you came from. BARTENDER OR MIXOLOGIST …Your beginnings are the same. You stood behind a bar for the first time, timid, overwhelmed, but confident. You learned the same way we all did. By shaking your first drink!
One could spend hours debating why mixology is more refined than bartending, or how bartending keeps you in touch with the “real” side of tending bar. Get to the CORE of each and you get the SAME description. As I say all the time…this is not brain surgery. It is common sense. Never forget how you got to where you are, and always be the teacher! Job and venue aside, when you are working the bar, you need to stay on point. You never know who is watching…
Please feel free to drop a comment or start a discussion on this topic. I’m always down for good conversation
Great one! I agree totally after traveling extensively for many years and putting my time “behind bars” all I can say is Cheers! Submitted from Financial District 4/6/2011 Ahh the old Reserve days!