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Seconds After I Walk Into A Bar, I Know If I’ll Get A Good Drink
The things bartenders look for when they go to bars
When my wife and I walk into a bar, I use body language and a mumble or two to let her know whether or not she should order a cocktail. It takes less than a minute for me to confidently produce these physical and verbal cues.
The things I learned during the time I spent working in some of the best bars — and with some of the best bartenders — in Los Angeles always come in handy. It helps that I learned from the best and obsessively implemented (or, tried to implement!) the things they taught me when I ran a top craft cocktail bar prior to the pandemic.
Too many food and drink establishments, especially cocktail bars, look incredible on social media. They might even appear impressive when you walk through the door. But the look often doesn’t reflect the quality of the product. It’s little more than window dressing.
To deliver, bars must have a solid program in place. Then, they need skilled bartenders — people serious about their craft, who don’t take themselves too seriously — to execute night in and night out, drink after drink after drink.
In the United States, the going rate for a craft cocktail — based on my experience and observations — seems…
