From time to time, you’ll have patrons come in to your bar who don’t know what they want. Actually, this will likely happen often. From couples on first dates to friends catching up, there are a plethora of moments where you’ll asked to suggest just the right cocktail for that particular patron. So, what are the best drinks for when this situation comes to pass. We’ve got them here!
Margarita
One of the most popular drinks to order in America, you’ll want to have this on your suggestions list. It’s a simple yet refreshing classic, it’s a favorite for bar customers all over. Sure, it’s pretty common, but it’s also easily customizable so you can put your own creative twist on it: Frozen and fun? On the rocks and classy? Orange juice or a splash of grapefruit? Serve it your style.
Manhattan
Consider suggesting a Manhattan for your patrons who like whiskey (be sure to ask) and want a full-flavored drink to savor. You can then tailor it even more to the guest’s taste with the type of whiskey you use; go with a rye whiskey for a smoky, spicier flavor or a bourbon for a sweeter taste. It’s another classic that will do the trick for the right person.
Cucumber Basil Vodka
From one end of the cocktail spectrum to the other, this drink is light and refreshing, plus easy to sip on, making the cucumber basil vodka a tasty delight that will be sure to satisfy both regulars and infrequent drinkers alike. Suggesting a vodka drink is a smart move as it’s mild flavor is easy to mix. Try this tasty, but not too sweet or heavy, option next time a guest asks for a helping hand.
Mojito
The mojito makes use of a light rum, which many drinkers enjoy. With its mint leaves and citrus flavors, it’s a sweet, enjoyable treat of a drink. Another very popular cocktail that is also easy to make your own. To mix it up, consider offering an infused mojito, with flavors of mango, coconut, grape, apple. The possibilities are endless!
Grapefruit Paloma
If you want to offer tequila but skip the margarita option in favor of a more nuanced drink, consider the suggesting a Grapefruit Paloma. The kick of tequila is cut by the addition of grapefruit, and with the balance of sugar and lime juice, the end result is a pleasingly tangy, yet smooth, cocktail. While this option is a unique twist on an old favorite, its varieties have become widely enjoyed and requested in bars all over, so you’ll be making a wise choice to suggest this one.
White Russian
Many of these options have a summery feel to them. However, if you’re bartending on a colder day and feel the need to suggest a heartier option, consider the popular White Russian. It offers the dessert-like taste of Kahlua, along with vodka and cream. Not a party-all-night drink, the White Russian is an excellent option for a first drink or for quick catch-ups, as it’s meant to be enjoyed fully, and can be filling (for a drink). It’s one of the most delicious and fun options you have, so consider it for patrons looking to indulge.
These six options cover your alcohols and list some of the nation’s favorite choices in drinks, but you can always add your own twists and additions as you serve. Remember to ask your patrons what type of drink they’re looking for, they’re general likes and dislikes,then offer up your best from there!
Serving alcohol is a big responsibility, both in the eyes of the law and in terms of safety. Because of this, if you’re going to be bartending, or serving alcohol in any capacity, the proper training and certifications are not just advisable but most likely mandatory. While the specifics vary from state to state, here are some of the general rules to be aware of as a bartender or server.
The act of serving alcohol is hedged around rules to keep people safe, so many municipalities require bartenders, servers, or anyone else who physically handles/serves alcoholic drinks to have certification in responsible alcohol serving. Furthermore, most places require that training be completed andcertification be in hand within 30-60 days of starting.
The course can go by many names depending on the state. For instance, those in California call it Responsible Beverage Server Training while Texas folks call them Texas Alcohol Bureau Control Classes. Whatever the name, they are all about the same thing: making sure everyone complies with the law and that they’re safe while doing so. As for specifics, here are the topics covered:
Current state and local laws
When and how to check IDs, including how to spot the fakes
Legal consequences of serving someone who is under age
Effects of alcohol and signs of impairment
Intervention methods and techniques
Most of the time, these classes have to be in person and you will want to check with your local government to make sure the town will accept that particular class’s certificate especially if you’re moving elsewhere.
Where can you find such training programs? Sometimes the local police or state alcohol boards provide classes as well as the certificate, but you can get it just as easily from certifying bodies such as ServSafe and Server Certification Corp. These certificates can last a year or two, depending on the issuing body and municipality.
Fortunately for bartenders and others serving alcohol, the legal requirements end there. There isn’t any place that requires a bartender to take classes or be certified in drink-making, just to be trained in safety, which is always the #1 priority.
Need to get certified?
Click here to get all of the information you need, including training options, class dates and times and links to register.
The ServSafe Program leads the way in providing comprehensive educational materials to the restaurant industry through face-to-face and online instruction. Certification classes are provided monthly by the Colorado Restaurant Association. If you’re not located in Colorado, check your State’s Restaurant Association website for event information.
ServSafe Alcohol
The purpose of the ServSafe Alcohol ® is to ensure that servers, bartenders, and managers have the information they need to understand and implement the skills of responsible service. Participants should leave the program confident in their ability to make sound decisions and handle potentially intoxicated guests. A workbook is provided as a reference tool for your operation.
ServSafe Food Safety® is a program of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The Manager Certification course is a 1-day immersion course, offering basic food safety concepts. This program has a certification exam; passage of the exam is acceptable in 95% of American jurisdictions with a training requirement.
While there have been a number of pioneers and inventors who have revolutionized the spirits industry, too often the women who have made spirits history are excluded, or the importance of their contributions are diminished. In this post, we would like to highlight the brilliance and ingenuity of the many women who have led to the vibrant spirits culture that we now live in.
Mary Hebraea
The first alchemist
Without the work of Mary Hebraea in the 1st Century, the world may never have experienced the spirit at all. Hebraea, an alchemist, is often credited with having invented the first alembic still, which is a still wherein vapor is carried through a tube from a heated vessel into a cooling vessel where it recondenses into liquid. This distillation method is, in principle, the very foundation of the spirits industry. Anyone who loves a stiff drink owes much to Hebraea’s invention.
Helen Cumming
Pioneer in distaff distillation
Helen Cumming was not an inventor, but she was a fierce fighter for the love of spirits during an era when the high taxes on their production were illicitly avoided. In the 1800s Cumming worked the stills at Cardow Farm, owned by her and her husband John. Cumming was known for craftily avoiding the excise men who had come to cut the couple’s profits: she would bake bread to cover the yeasty smell of fermentation, often inviting the tax collectors in for tea and scones, and even invented a flag-based signalling system to alert fellow distilleries of the presence of government officials.
Queen Victoria
Her Majesty of Scotch Whisky
Queen Victoria, who reigned for the last 63 years of the 19th Century, was notoriously fond of Scotch whiskey. Her passion for it, as well as her popularizing the now common Scotch & soda mixed drink, led to the decline of Cognac as the most popular spirit and the rise of the whiskey-dominated market we see today. Without her support, the Scotch industry would undoubtedly be much more marginal than it is now. In addition, Queen Victoria serves as the icon of Bombay Sapphire due to her leadership at the time of its distillery’s first formulation.
Pauline Morton Sabine
The Society Queen Who Dethroned Prohibition
Though it might seem strange to include a fierce backer of Prohibition on this list, Pauline Morton Sabin switched sides when she realized how ineffective actually-existing Prohibition really was: after supporting heavy restrictions on alcohol in public, politicians would frequently toast with alcoholic beverages behind closed doors. Bootleggers and other nefarious business dealings troubled her, as well. Resigning from the Republican National Committee, she founded the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform which served a vital role in the eventual repeal of Prohibition. Without her change of heart we might still live in a dry country.
Gertrude ‘Cleo’ Lythgoe
Queen of Rum Row
Gertrude Lythgoe is one of the most famous bootleggers of the Prohibition era. Upon the announcement of Prohibition, Lythgoe moved from her New York home to the Bahamas where she dominated in a male-driven industry. She was renowned for her intellect and beauty, but also for her fierce actions: when men believed they could disrespect her, she would haul them to her office and make clear that they could desist or take a bullet. Primarily a smuggler of whiskey, she was once charged with importing over 1,000 cases into New Orleans but managed to secure her acquittal.
Rita Cowen
The mother of Japanese whisky
Rita Cowan is the woman who is single-handedly responsible for the entire Japanese whiskey trade. She met her future husband, Masataka Taketsuru, while studying at Glasgow University and he asked her for her help and knowledge in producing Scotch-style whiskey in his native Japan. The two were married in 1920 and moved to Japan shortly thereafter. Their venture was a huge success, and Cowan is now often referred to as the “mother of Japanese whiskey.”
To all these women who have made spirits history and to those who have yet to make their mark, cheers to you!
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The craft spirit industry is in the midst of a boom, but confusion remains about what exactly qualifies a spirit as ‘craft’ and, as a consumer, how to know if what you’re buying is actually considered ‘craft’.
What Is A Craft Spirit
Unlike craft beer, there is no national, over-arching legislation defining what can be called a ‘craft’ spirit. No production minimum, no control of additives or ‘fake’ ingredients (outside of existing parameters for specific spirit categories), no corporate vs. private ownership status requirement.
Adding to the confusion is that a ‘craft’ spirit can be made from a non-craft base.
In the case of craft vodkas and gins, the base spirit often originates from a neutral spirit purchased in bulk from industrial suppliers. As for whiskey, independent bottlers who purchase aged whiskey by the barrel then blend, or ‘cut’, it to create something new can also be considered ‘craft’.
As you can see, there’s a fair amount of gray when it comes to what is and is not a craft spirit. However, industry advocacy groups, including the American Craft Distillers Association (ACDA) and the American Distilling Institute (ADI), have created some guidelines to address the question, mostly based on ownership and production/sales numbers.
Production-wise, the general consensus is that to be considered ‘craft’, no more than 100,000 proof gallons can be produced per year.
As for ownership, both groups maintain that in order to qualify as a craft spirit, the distilled spirits plant (DSP) where the spirit is produced must be independently-owned.
Meaning “less than 25% is owned or controlled by alcoholic beverage industry members who are not themselves craft distillers.”
ADI goes a step further in its qualification rules by not only including a provision about ‘vision‘, but by also distinguishing between ‘craft distilled’ and ‘craft-blended’ spirits, the former requiring that the spirit is distilled by the DSP itself while the ladder originates from a non-craft base.
How To Tell The Difference
So, let’s summarize. A craft spirit is one that is produced in smaller quantities by an independently-owned distillery, of which there are essentially two types:
CRAFT DISTILLED SPIRITS: Goes from grain to bottle in-house at the craft distillery; the bottle declares “distilled and bottled in..”
CRAFT-BLENDED SPIRITS: Originates from commercially produced spirits that are then blended by the craft distillery; the bottle declares only “bottled in…”
Although a bottle may make several references to a state, like Tincup does with Colorado, this does not mean it is a craft distilled spirit unless the label specifically reads “distilled and bottled in…” In Tincup’s case, it does not; Colorado refers to the fact that the whiskey is cut with local water, so it is a craft-blended spirit.
If you’re thinking this is quite deceiving, then you’re on the money.
The craft spirit industry is full of clever marketing meant to entice buyers. Words like “small batch” or “handcrafted” may look good, but, remember, the only way to truly know what you’re buying is by looking at the writing on the label!
