Tag Archives: Bartender Training

Turning Your Bar Green.

By BartenderOne | Published: September 1, 2010

Fresh ingredients blow powdered mix out of the water!

While the environmental movement is at the forefront of public conscience, more and more bars are making an effort to go green with their daily business practices. I’m sure you’ve heard all the popular catch phases: renewable energy, carbon neutral footprint and the uber-popular green is the new black.

What does this have to do with operating my restaurant or bar you ask?

First of all, it’s important to identify the difference between a green cocktail and the absurdity of the healthy cocktail. Ordering up a martini made with pomegranate liqueur is not going to earn you any points in the antioxidant cup. Cocktails are supposed to be a little bit naughty anyways…
It starts with the understanding that operating a sustainable bar or restaurant is easier than you think, not to mention the opportunities to save money and increase margins. Making each business decision with the environment in mind is rewarding in many ways: socially, economically and environmentally.

Posted in Mixology, Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bartender, Bartenderone, Bartending, Cocktails, Fresh Cocktails, Go Green, Learn to Bartend, Mixologist, Mixology, Molecular Mixology, toronto bartending school, Toronto Bartending Schools, Whisky Sour | Comments closed

38-years-old and Never Kissed a Girl.

By BartenderOne | Published: August 31, 2010

The Caesar; the quintessential Canadian cocktail.

As I sit here writing this article and enjoying the last days of summer, I’m thinking of things that are distinctly Canadian. A few come to mind – long weekends at the cottage, The Tragically Hip, maple syrup, and the Caesar.

There’s no question that Canadians are lovers of the savoury Caesar cocktail. As a nation, we consume three hundred million Caesars a year, which roughly means 10 per man, woman and child. This quintessential Canadian cocktail was born nearly 40 years ago when a man named Walter Chell was saddled with inventing a signature house cocktail for an Italian restaurant being built in the Weston Hotel in Calgary.

Posted in Mixology | Also tagged Bartender, Bartender One, Bartenderone, Bartending School Toronto, Cocktails, Gavin MacMillan, Learn to Bartend, Mixologist, Mixology, Molecular Mixology, toronto bartending school, Toronto Bartending Schools | Comments closed

Raising the Bar at The Four Seasons!

By BartenderOne | Published: August 26, 2010

The Cucumber Collins was a hit among the experienced bartenders.

Have you ever been to a bar where you feel like your bartender is just simply slamming a drink on a counter for you, rather than being able to give you an entertaining experience and a hand crafted cocktail?

There are many bartenders who noticeably carry around an attitude in which they really don’t care about the quality of the experience or drink they are serving their client; this needs to change.

The Four Seasons Hotel, located at 21 Avenue Road in the heart of downtown Toronto, has made and been able to maintain a name for themselves based on their admirable customer service and notable cocktail menu.

On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, BartenderOne was asked to create an interactive bartender training program and team building workshop for the bartenders at The Four Seasons Hotel to help, provide in depth bartender training, open the minds of the staff of all the amazing possibilities within their menu, and of course to start to change the way cocktails are being formulated. Kick out the powdered barmix!

Posted in Mixology, Proper Service, Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bartender One, Bartending School Toronto, Cocktails, Four Seasons Toronto, Gavin MacMillan, Learn to Bartend, Mixology, Molecular Mixology, Toronto Bartending Schools | Comments closed

Can you afford to train… Can you afford not to?

By BartenderOne | Published: August 25, 2010

It's like sending someone to race a car who doesn't know how to drive.... Lacking bartender training is absolutely detrimental to a business !

Do you have unexplained losses in liquor or wine, in draught beer… in all three? If your restaurant is like most hospitality concepts, chances are your current bartender training is based on generations of bartenders who may not have been fully trained themselves. Most restaurants open with meticulous operational guidelines for how drinks are prepared, with detailed recipe lists that must be strictly adhered to along with opening and closing procedures, weekly checklists for cleanliness and follow up procedures. Does this sound familiar? Maybe it’s a distant memory…

What usually follows can be likened to a game of broken telephone, where each generation of bartenders passes on an adapted interpretation of your original training message. In the hospitality industry where employee turnover rates are commonly 50%-66% per year, it doesn’t take long before your original training standards are barely recognizable.

Posted in Mixology, Proper Service, Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bartender, Bartender One, Bartenderone, bartending school, Bartending School Toronto, Cocktails, Learn to Bartend, Mixologist, Mixology, toronto bartending school, Toronto Bartending Schools | Comments closed

Branding – Not just for Cattle.

By BartenderOne | Published: August 23, 2010

It's a simple tweak; but it works!

If you look up the word “brand” in the dictionary, you will discover that a brand is, “a mark or symbol to differentiate one’s cattle from another’s.” The key word in that definition, as it relates to your establishment, is differentiate. It takes courage to be different and faith in your vision to be successful in the long-term.

In today’s highly competitive world, developing and promoting your difference or brand is increasingly difficult, almost as difficult as it is to find adequate bartender training. There are a few companies that have done it well and have enjoyed the rewards of successful branding. For example, when you think of the Bellini, most people think of Milestone’s. The company has a great cocktail menu, yet the Bellini is their flagship cocktail, and the one that they are known for. Why is this drink so successful? Consistent quality and eye-catching presentation … you know that the drink is going to look great and taste great at the same time.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged After Dinner Warmers, Bartender, Bartenderone, Bartending, Bartending School Toronto, Branding, Cocktails, Gavin MacMillan, Learn to Bartend, Mixologist, Mixology, Molecular Mixology, Money Drinks, The Keg, toronto bartending school | Comments closed

Irregular Service Ethics.

By BartenderOne | Published: August 19, 2010

Yes, PLEASE.

Remember every time Norm walked into the bar on Cheers, the entire bar would call out in unison “NORM!” It didn’t matter who was behind the bar, they knew what he drank, and it was ready and waiting for him as he assumed his position at the end of the bar. Norm embodied the “regular,” the men and women who frequent your establishment regularly. They are the ones who more often than not, tip well, and don’t ask for any special kind of service. In many cases they are the types who spend thousands a year in your establishment. They are the cornerstones of your business, you certainly can’t afford to lose them, so the question clearly is how do you keep them and how do you get more of them?

Posted in Mixology, Proper Service, Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bar Chef, Bartender, Bartender One, Bartenderone, bartending school, Bartending School Toronto, Clients, Gavin MacMillan, Good Service, Mixologist, Regular Customers, Rob Montgomery | Comments closed

Cool as a Cucumber

By BartenderOne | Published: August 4, 2010

When you see cucumber, you think; cool, crisp, and refreshing... Perfect. I'll have two please!

Walk into almost any hip Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal restaurant and the cocktail menu you’re handed will likely describe mouth-watering concoctions that use fresh herbs, organic fruit and other top-notch ingredients.

Using cucumber in a cocktail may sound ridiculous at first. Until recently, only a few trained bartenders would even consider using cucumber as a garnish on a Bloody Ceasar or Mary, but all of that is about to change. Cucumbers have somehow made the transition from a low-cost garnish to a top-shelf ingredient – bar chefs have embraced cucumbers as a hot, or cool, new addition to menus, along with a host of other ingredients that are making the migration from the kitchen to the bar.

Posted in Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bartender, Bartender One, Bartending School Toronto, Cucumber, garnish, toronto bartending school | Comments closed

One Way Ticket to Margaritaville!

By BartenderOne | Published: August 3, 2010

Keep the salt on the outside of the glass; nobody can indulge in a great cocktail when it tastes like they are drinking ocean water!

As a Canadian, when I think of tequila I get flashbacks of an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico with a hangover. To most of us, it’s simply a shot that gets thrown back with a lick of salt and a squeeze of citrus fruit to kill the after taste. All of that is about to change…

Tequila is one of the more versatile spirits. It’s diverse and its great depth of flavour makes it a natural ingredient for cocktails. Despite a massive worldwide tequila shortage in 2000 and the resulting increase in price as supplies diminished, tequila remains one of the premier spirits on any bar south of the border. While vodka still reigns supreme as the number one spirit sold, the cosmopolitan falls a distant second to the margarita which is the world’s most popular cocktail, and has been for years.

Posted in Mixology, Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bartender, Bartender One, Bartenderone, Bartending, bartending school, Bartending School Toronto, Cocktails, garnish, Kaban Tequila, Learn to Bartend, Margarita, Mixology, Tequila, toronto bartending school | Comments closed

Sweet on Sours.

By BartenderOne | Published: July 29, 2010

Once you have a fresh sour, you will never go back to barmix!

With the diversity of liqueurs on the market today it is possible to make a drink taste like virtually anything. Distillers have made it easy for mixologists to shape the profile of a drink. With base flavours like vanilla, cacao and hazelnut, it’s no wonder drinks like the Crispy Crunch shooter are consistently popular. I often wonder how long it will take before we see a chocolate martini dessert, where the kitchen begins to mimic the flavours being produced on the bar instead of the other way around. Perhaps the service of fusion dishes in traditional bar glassware like wraps in oversized shooter glasses and dessert mousses in martini glasses is an indication that it’s already
happening.

Posted in Flair Bartending, Mixology, Raising the Bar | Also tagged Bartender, Bartenderone, Bartending School Toronto, Cherry Garnish Toss, Christian Delpech, Cocktails, Flair Bartending, Fresh Cocktails, garnish, How to Video, Learn to Bartend, Mixologist, Mixology, toronto bartending school, Toronto Bartending Schools | Comments closed

Asian Inspired Ingredient Adds Zen to the Green-teani

By BartenderOne | Published: July 28, 2010

Yes, you can have a cocktail and indulge in healthy antioxidants at the same time!

There’s no doubt that the Far East has heavily influenced our health conscious way of thinking in North America. There’s something exotic about thousands of years of tradition and total body health that the Asian philosophy offers. From Tai Chi and Chai Teas (say that 5 times fast) to fresh ginger root, echinacea and other holistic and alternative remedies, we’re embracing eastern culture in both Canada and the United States like never before. Dr. Andrew Romanelli of the Sports Performance Centres says 75 per cent of his patients are looking to acupuncture as an alternative and less invasive form of treatment. What does this have to do with cocktail culture you ask? How about this for alternative medicine…

Posted in Mixology, Raising the Bar, Uncategorized | Also tagged Bartender, Bartenderone, Bartending School Toronto, Cocktails, Corby's, Flare, garnish, Learn to Bartend, Mixologist, Mixology, Molecular Mixology, Scott Megit, tea cocktails | Comments closed