Becoming a Bartender in India: What You Need to Know
A good bartender has to be part philosopher, part psychiatrist, part psychic. — Al the Bartender, Quantum Leap(TV Series)
Bartending involves formulating and serving alcoholic drinks (and some non-alcoholic beverages) in a licensed establishment.
The word ‘bartender’ dates back to the early 19th century, from the bar, which means the barrier or counter over which drinks are served; and tender, or seller. Bartending forms an inherent and ubiquitous facet of hotel management. There are different styles of bartending such as High Volume Bartending, Restaurant Bartending, Mixology, Neighbourhood Bartending, Specialist Bartending, Catering/Event Bartending, Flair Bartending, etc.
A bartender’s work can be fun yet rigorous. They are the ones who call the shots behind the bar. They are artists and their stage is the bar where they connect with their audience, while constantly being in control of their act. According to Jim Meehan, “The magic of being a bartender is the sleight of hand at play, to hide all the work and serve up all the pleasure.”
Skill Set Required:
- Methodical thinking to consciously process ideas, react to events and make decisions decisively, effectively, and without prior thought.
- Ability to handle a crowd with hospitality, maintaining an approachable and positive attitude
- Being a self-starter and a team player (work with hosts, bar-backs, and superiors)
- Knowledge of making concoctions, garnishing, and serving drinks as understanding the myriad types of drinks, preparation of drinks on the fly, building new flavour combinations that work together or offering food pairing choices for them needs a thorough understanding of the chemistry of flavours and aesthetics.
- Familiarity with bartender lingo (slangs, connotations, and terms) will help acclimate in the workplace, for instance, differentiating between a “Pina Colada” and “Sex on the Beach”.
- Customer Service forms the bedrock of a bar’s success. Awareness of their bar (and surroundings) and customers’ needs, build rapport, engagement and entertainment is crucial. One needs to be adaptable, patient, and fit to make an effort to translate their jargon/expertise into layperson’s terms. Even listening to a patron narrate their life experiences or grievances or philosophies, and to ensure everyone is enjoying.
- Agility, Organization, and Time Management: Serving multiple customers, restocking items as they run low, keeping close track of who orders and pays, and juggling tasks while maintaining neatness (cleaning bar equipment, handling glassware, inventory management) requires nurturing habits that save one’s time and energy.
- Calm and Composure to deal with patrons as well as being able to communicate their own needs to co-workers in a chaotic and hectic work environment with tight spaces, loud music, and drunk customers.
- Attentiveness and Sharp Memory to carry out their activities with grace and gusto, keeping in mind each customer’s order and remembering names and preferences of regular customers, goes a long way.
“I look upon untried careers like bartending as an opportunity to shine. Change your perceptions that arise out of cultural blocks and lack of insight; showcase your skills and rise above the ordinary!”— Shatbhi Basu, India’s first woman bartender.
Job Responsibilities:
Before the Shift
- Organize everything and prepare the bar.
- Ensuring that the equipment is working properly, refilling the ice bin, replenishing garnishes, and running an inventory on your liquor stock.
- Plan and present bar menu, mix ingredients to prepare alcohol or non-alcohol beverages.
During the Shift
- Taking orders, preparing drinks, keeping the bar wiped down and chatting with the patrons, and serving drinks for customers.
- Be vigilant to maintain the stock of glasses, ice, etc. to avoid any delay.
- Assess customers’ needs and preferences to make recommendations and render prompt and hassle-free service.
- Make arrangements when processing transactions to manage cash especially when the bar gets crazy packed.
- Keep surveillance on the clients’ intoxication level.
- Check customers’ identification to confirm that customers meet the legal drinking age requirements before serving them alcoholic beverages. In certain countries, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, bartenders are legally required to refuse more alcohol to drunk customers.
- Being prudent and handling unprecedented scenarios and diffusing a certain situation, eg. very long queues, illicit activities, or encouraging aggressive customers to leave.
- Supporting the other bar staff like waiters, waitresses, kitchen team, cleaning team, etc.
Ending the Shift
- Cleaning up and ensuring everything is washed and put away.
- Practice one’s craft and continuing to learn to maintain efficiency and consistency.
Places Where You Can Work:
- You can start your career in any licensed establishment i.e. casino or resort, local bar, tavern or pub, nightclub, restaurant.
- You can also work in a 5-star hotel such as Taj Hotels, Marriott International, etc.
Online Certificate Courses to Pursue to Learn Bartending:
- Bartending Mastery- Cocktail and Bartending Masterclass from Udemy.
- The Essentials Of Bartending from European Bartender School.
- Cocktail Secrets: Making your Signature Drink from Skillshare. This course will teach you the fundamentals of cocktail preparation and presentation and the instructor of the course is Ivy Mix who is co-owner of the popular Brooklyn NY cocktail bar Leyenda.
Salary You Can Earn in India:
The salary of a bartender who is just starting their career can expect to make around 2.5–3 lakhs per annum. With experience and better career opportunities, this number can go up to 7.5–8 lacs per annum.
The career of a bartender is not merely about fun, fame, riches, glamour, and tips; rather, it is serious work. They read bar books (instructive and historical), attend tastings and seminars to keep themselves informed about the various elements of their work, and keep up with the latest trends. They leave a piece of themselves with each customer they interact with and leave no stone unturned in finding ways to make their customers happy!
