What makes a Good Bartender? Have a favorite?

Question

The social life of a bar can be important to people, having a good bartender can make or break a bar/shift. Anyone?

Answer 1

To be a good bartender,you need to make drinks in a fast and orderly manner.

To be a great bartender, you need to entertain while doing it.

A great bartender not only can chat it up with anybody, but he/she can make a group of strangers feel accepted and welcomed and even get them to interact with each other, and not only themselves. He/she can also read each guest as they come in to anticipate exactly what variation of service would work best for them. Are they quite and keep to themselves,or are they loud,outspoken, and rowdy? A great bartender knows this berfore they even sit down. On top of all that, they need to be able to flip and drink that comes across the bar fast and precise.

Answer 2

Being a good bartender is quite a skill, it always annoys me when people assume it's an easy stopgap to make money on their way to something more serious. A few weekend nights normaly blow any preconceptions out of the water.

A good bartender can do more than serve up the right drink in double quick time. They can also maintain freindly yet proffessional relationships with a large number of clientele who they are in a position to see in some very 'vunerable' moments. Bartenders should be discrete, welcoming, efficient, responsible, warm, fun, appropriate, aware of the law and ( only occassionally ) mildly flirtatious.

Edit - I forgot to mention neat and clean. Dirty, scruffy bartenders are shockingly common.

Answer 3

Tarsha at the Olive Tree in Glen Burnie Maryland is the BEST bartender. Hands down.

Answer 4

I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY with Deltasigjrabbit! I have been a bartender for about 20 years! It takes more that just remembering drink recipes. Have to know your people whether they are Regulars or first timers! Have to be a counselor as well as entertainer all in one! Good Job Deltasigjrabbit, couldn't have explained it better!!