Bartender 101: Know the Difference Between the Drinks You Sell

Whether you work a neighborhood bar, a nightclub, a restaurant bar, or anything in between you need to know the difference between certain drinks. Bartenders need to be quick on their feet and have a sharp mind. Bartenders need to know more than just how to mix up a cocktail; they need to know its parts.

Do you know the difference between liquor and liqueur? Simply put, liquor is alcohol and is grain distilled. Liqueur is a spirit that is sweetened and flavored. A lot of liquors come flavored now, but they are not sweet like liqueur.

Distinguishing between what you serve in your bar is crucial. Fewer mistakes will be made in serving, ringing orders, and stock, which will make your job easier.

Breaking into the Bar Business: Learning Drink Differentiation

Of course you have beer: Domestic, Premium, or Imported. A domestic beer would be Budweiser, Miller Lite, Lone Star, and so forth. Premiums are beers like Michelob, Shiner Bock, and MGD (in some cases). Imported beers include the likes of Foster's, Hinano, and Molson. There are also varieties of beer: light, dark (bock), lager, ale, plus many more you will come across over your career as a bartender.

Many bars serve Wine. Unfortunately my bar was limited to Red, White, and Rose so I do not have the wine expertise that some bartenders do. A good starting point would be an article by Linda Miller, Wines for the Holidays and for Celebrations the Year Round (An Introduction for the Novice Wine Aficionado). Should you find employment in a bar that serves many different wines, do some research so you seem like you know what you are talking about when a customer asks for a suggestion.

Champagne may also be served in your bar. Champagne is sparkling wine, bubbly. We served Champagne on New Year's, and kept a small reserve of individual servings for Mimosas, but that was about it.

It is the best practice to open a bottle of Champagne as quietly as possible. A loud pop means that all of the effervescent quality is escaping. To open Champagne, you should remove the apparatus holding on the cork, cover the top with a bar towel, and gently urge the cork out.

As far as mixed drinks go there are Well Drinks, Call Drinks, Cocktails, and Shooters. Well drinks are those poured off the well. The well is the rack of stock liquors bars keep right at the bartender's station. Well liquors usually make up your basic drinks like rum and coke, bourbon and 7-up, and many called cocktails like a Long Island Ice Tea.

Call drinks are those called by the customer: Jack and coke, 7 & 7, or a Grand Gold Rita. Otherwise, the customer calls for a specific brand of liquor to be used. The call liquors are usually displayed behind the bar in some prominent spot.

Keep in mind that call drinks make more money for the bar. A good way to make better rings on your register is to up-sell. If a customer asks for a rum and coke ask if they would like Bacardi Light or Dark or specific flavored rum like Malibu or Captain Morgan's. Many customers appreciate this as the drinks are better and the result will show in your tip jar. For more tips on increasing tips see Beyond Mixing Drinks - A Guide to Bartending Success.

Mixed drinks and cocktails have melded into almost the same category. Cocktails are those drinks that are mixed and chilled over ice using single or multiple liquors and additional flavorings (juices, sodas and sours). Cocktails can be served frozen, on the rocks (with ice) or strait up (sans ice).

Shooters can be considered a single shot of some liquor like Jack Daniels or a liqueur flavored Schnapps. Shooters are also cocktails mixed over ice and strained into shot glasses like the B 52, Slippery Nipple, or a Lemon Drop.

Learning drink terminology is a big part of the bar business. Most bars keep a reference list of what's what behind the bar. Believe it or not, some customers try to get premium goods for the price of stock. Knowing the bar stock, how it is categorized, and variations is a big leap towards becoming an expert bartender.