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How To Be a Good Bartender

Hangover Cures

Best Hangover Advice

One of the the most important things for a good bartender to know is how to cure a hangover.  Here at American Bartenders School this is an important part of our customer service training.

Everyone has their favorite cure for the hangover and most of them have little or no validity. A hangover is the body’s reaction to being poisoned with too much alcohol. Drinking rocks the central nervous system. It leads to headache, dizziness, and nausea  and dehydrates you.  The results  include headache, fatigue, cotton mouth, queasy stomach

Your body composition is directly related to how much you can drink.  The more body weight you have the more you can drink without getting a hangover.  For you light weights, just a couple of drinks can trigger a headache and other hangover symptoms.  It’s a good idea to drink water between drinks to keep hydrated and to lessen the amount of alcohol you consume.   Some research suggests that drinking fruit juices or other sugar-containing liquids can decrease hangover intensity.  This may or may not be true depending on what you’re adding to it.

It doesn’t matter what type of alcoholic beverage you drink or the order you drink it in.  Drink enough and you’re sure to feel the effects the morning after.  The reason being is that your liver can only process so much alcohol during a given period of time.

One thing that can help is the type of food you eat before you start partying.  Any food can slow the body’s absorption of alcohol, fat does it best. Pizza, chicken wings, or any other type of fatty bar food will help you avoid a hangover.

Don’t take aspirins or any type of acetaminophen before you go night night.  Take the pills when you first wake up.  Alcohol disrupts how the liver processes acetaminophen, possibly leading to liver inflammation and permanent damage.

Avoid the hair of the dog the morning after a heavy bout of partying. More alcohol in the morning does nothing but postpone a hangover. The worst symptoms hit when blood-alcohol levels drop to zero. If you have a Bloody Mary at breakfast, it will only delay you feeling like crap later in the day.

Stay away from that hot cup of coffee when you wake up. It will hurt you more than help. Drink water of sports drinks to replace lost electrolytes. This is especially important if you puked the night before.  Don’t waste your money on herbal cures or other over the counter remedies.  The only thing that is going to take away the terrible hangover feeling is time.

Understand that alcohol can potentially be a killer.  Alcohol poisoning is a potentially deadly medical emergency. Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include:

• Confusion, stupor
• Vomiting
• Seizures
• Slow, irregular breathing
• Low body temperature, bluish skin

If you or someone that you’re with shows these symptoms, play it safe and head for  the nearest emergency room.

 

 

Best Christmas Shots

It’s the holiday season and we bartenders have to work extra hard to keep Santa happy.   The instructor at American Bartenders School have come with these special shooter cocktail drink shot recipes.  These are some great shots that are easy and fun to make and guaranteed to put a smile on Santa’s face.

Get out your bartending tools and make one of these cool drinks for Santa to enjoy.  I’m sure he’ll thank you.

CANDY CANE SHOOTER

• 1/2 oz Crème de Menthe
• 1/2 oz Grenadine
• 1/2 oz Peppermint Schnapps

Mixing instructions:
Layer the grenadine syrup, crème de menthe and then peppermint schnapps. A nicely layered shooter that will test the bartender’s skills.

Christmas Shot

• 1 oz. Melon liqueur
• 1 oz. Chambord

This is a layered shot, for best effect use a tall thin liquer glass. Pour half shot Chambord first, then slowly pour half shot Midori over the back of a spoon into glass. If done correctly, you should have a layered red and green shot perfect for celebration, if not-a muddy

 Christmas Cheer

• 1 oz.  Eggnog
• 1 oz.  Peppermint Schnapps

Shake and strain

• ½  oz. Creme de Menthe
• ½ oz. Grenadine
• ½ 3 oz. Irish Cream

Christmas Kiss

• 1 oz. Kahlua
• 1 oz. Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

Layer. Fill a shot glass halfway with Kahlua and top off with Chambord.

Santa’s Coming

• 1 oz. Coconut Rum
• 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. Cranberry Juice

Shake and strain

Top 10 Christmas Cocktails

Santa is coming and all you bartenders want to have a nice cocktail ready for him when he comes to visit you. These are some fun and easy to prepare cocktails for you to show off your bartending skills.

Mexican Santa

• 1 oz. Tequila
• ½ oz. Kahlua
• 4 oz. hot chocolate
• Serve in mug

 Down South Christmas

• 1 oz. Southern Comfort
• ½ oz. Creme de cacao
• 4 oz. eggnog

8th Day of Christmas

• ½ oz. Kahlua
• ½ oz. Peppermint Schnapps
• ½ oz. Baileys Irish Cream
• Layer

 Candy Cane

• ½ oz. Crème de Menthe
• ½ oz. Grenadine
• ½ oz. Peppermint Schnapps
• Layer

 The Poinsettia

• 1 oz. triple sec
• 2 oz. chilled champagne
• 2 oz. cranberry juice
• Shake and strain

White Christmas

• ½ oz. White Creme de Cacao
• ½ oz. Vodka
• ½ oz. Peppermint Schnapps
• 2 oz. cream
• Shake and strain

The Silent Night

• ½ oz. Tequila
• ½ oz. Blue Curacao
• ½ oz. Triple Sec
• 1 oz. Pineapple juice
• 1 oz. Sour Mix
• Shake and strain

The Candy Cane Martini

• 1 ½ oz. vanilla vodka
• ½ oz. Peppermint schnapps
• 1 oz. of club soda

 Holiday Hopper

• 1/2 oz. Midori
• 1/2 oz. green creme de menthe
• 1/2 oz. White Creme de Cacao
• 2 oz. cream
• Shake and strain
• mint leaves for garnish

 Blue Snow Flake

• 1 oz. Hipnotiq
• ½ oz. Vodka
• 2 oz. Pineapple Juice
• Shake and strain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Holiday Punch Recipes

Great Holiday Cocktail Punch Recipes

We have searched our bartending recipe books and surfed the internet to come up with some great punch recipes to share with you. Put your bartender skills to work and treat your guest to some terrific taste treats. All of the

cocktail punch recipes are easy to make.

The holidays are coming and that means getting together with family and friends and enjoying a little holiday cheer. What better way to greet your guests than with a cup of punch. A great advantage of having a punch bowl for you next party or dinner is that you can prepare it in advance.

 Picante Punch

This warm party punch from Manhattan bartender Jane Danger packs some added heat with a spicy jalapeño and rum honey. But chile-phobes shouldn’t fear: the heat of the spiced honey is not at all overwhelming; “in fact it’s very light and warming,” Danger notes.

• 6 oz.  rum
• 12 oz. apple cider
• 2 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3 oz. jalapeno-rum honey
• Garnish: freshly grated cinnamon and a lemon wedge

On a stove top, heat all ingredients together until steaming. Ladle into mugs and garnish.

To make the jalapeno-rum honey: Combine 1 1/2 cups of honey with one sliced and smashed jalapeño (seeds intact) and two ounces of rum. Stir and let sit overnight at room temperature. Remove the jalapeño chunks before using. Store in a dark, cool place for up to one month. Makes approximately 6 servings.

Wassail Punch

Wassail is a staple throughout the cold-weather season in many parts of the upper Midwest. Every winter as the holidays approach, many people take part in the age-old “wassailing of apple trees,” a ritual dating back to the fifteenth century that involves sprinkling wassail on apple trees to ensure a strong, healthy harvest and to keep the trees safe from evil spirits. Wassail always blends apples and winter holiday spices, but the sweeteners and spirits often change from recipe to recipe.

Wassail

• 12 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 12 whole white peppercorns
• 1 gallon fresh apple cider
• 6 oz. cranberry juice
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 oz. bourbon per drink
•  Garnish: ground nutmeg and 1 cinnamon stick per drink

To make the wassail: Wrap the cloves, allspice, ginger, cinnamon sticks, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string. In a large pot, heat the cider, cranberry juice, brown sugar, and spice bag. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

To make the drink: Add 1 oz. of bourbon or brandy to a mug and fill with hot Wassail. Garnish with a dusting of the nutmeg and the cinnamon stick.

Serves 10 to 12.

Spicy Mulled Cider

When the weather turns cold, mulled cider is a tasty warm beverage that’s guaranteed to warm you. It’s a great drink to share with friends on a cold winter nights.

• 3 cups fresh apple cider
• 4 whole star anise pods
• 1/2 tsp. whole allspice berries
• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1 5-inch Ceylon cinnamon stick
• 4 white cardamom pods, cracked
• 2 orange wheels, quartered
• 2 lemon wheels, quartered
• Tools: saucepan, wooden spoon, ladle
• Glass: mug

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Lower the heat and continue to simmer gently for 30 minutes. Ladle into 4 mugs and serve steaming hot.

Christmas Punch

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 cups orange juice
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 (4 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, with juice
• 1 fluid ounce triple sec liqueur
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle light rum
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks
• 1 liter carbonated water
• ice

1. In a punch bowl, combine sugar, orange juice, and lemon juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add cherries, triple sec, light rum, orange slices, lemon slices, and pineapple chunks. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

2. Pour in carbonated water, and add ice just before serving.

Non Alcoholic Punch

African Punch

Fruit punch is traditionally made in Africa with lemon, orange, pineapple, and guava juice. While you may wish to find a can of each juice, I find the frozen guava/raspberry concentrated juice to be the best choice for any occasion in America. Decorate and keep the punch cold by floating frozen orange slices, stemmed cherries, frozen pineapple slices and a frozen molded cranberry juice ring in the middle of the punch. Make half the punch at a time if the punch bowl you are using is small. This is the best cold punch for a summer wedding.

• 4 (12-ounce) cans frozen guava/raspberry juice concentrate
• 6 cups ice cold water
• 2 (33.8-fluid ounce) bottles Schweppes® ginger ale
• 2 Martinelli’s Gold Medal® Sparkling Apple-Grape juice
• 1 (48-ounce) bottle Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail
• frozen in a ring mold
• 4 orange slices, cut in half and frozen
• 4 stemmed cherries
• 4 pineapple slices, frozen
• 1 (48-ounce) bottle Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice, as needed

• Pour the frozen juice concentrate into a large punch bowl.
• Stir in the water. Add the ginger ale and sparkling juice.
•  Carefully lower the frozen cranberry ring into the punch.
•  Float the orange slices, cherries and pineapple in the punch.
•  Add the extra cranberry juice as the punch gets depleted.

Fills 1 large punch bowl to serve 12-20

 

 

Is Bartending School Worth It?

I recently received this letter from a former student and wanted to share it.

I wanted to become a bartender because I needed some extra money.  My brother works as a bartender and he was always telling me how much money he was making.  He took a bartending class at American Bartending School in New York

and I decided to check out.

I went down to the school on 29^th street and was greeted by the receptionist who asked me to fill out a form.  5 minutes later I was greeted by Anthony the admissions director who gave me a tour of the school and explained what the students were learning that day.  I liked the look of the school; it was like a real bar.  The music was playing and the students were shaking drinks and seemed to be having a blast.  Howard the instructor was busy calling out drink orders and correcting student mistakes.  He reminded me of a drill instructor.

When I went into Anthony’s office he explained in detail what I would learn during the bartender training.  He then explained that American Bartenders School would help me find a job with the school’s job placement service.  “We’re nation’s oldest school and we have been training bartenders for over 44 years.  We have thousands of contacts in the bar industry that have hired are graduates”, he told me.  He then showed me several pages of current job leads.

It all sounded good but I still wasn’t sure this was the answer to my financial problem.  He told me to think it over and call him when I was ready.  On my way out I spoke to a couple of students and asked them about the class.  They had positive things to say and especially liked Howard the drill sergeant instructor.

A few days later I decided to give bartending a school a shot and went and enrolled.  I started class and was ready to start mixing.  The class started with an introduction to the bar and all the bartending equipment.  We were each assigned a bar station and were shown how to set it up for the class.  We then had a demonstration and lecture on a series of drinks.  Howard who still works as a bartender part time gave us tips and told us interesting stories of his bartending experience.  After the he finished the lesson, we went behind the bar and started practicing making the drinks from the lesson.

I was surprised that after making the drinks several times the recipes became easier to remember.  Every day Howard would give us another mixology lesson and we would go behind the bar and practice.  In addition to learning and practicing making drinks, the school instructed us in customer service, alcohol awareness, liquors, wines, resumes and bartending job interview tips.  We learned a lot in the 40 hour class.

Now that I was ready to start my bartending career I had to find a job.  The school has a website for graduates that  list open job leads.  There 60 of them in all different types of places.  Half of them were in Manhattan and the other half were in other parts of the city.  I found 5 places that looked good and started my search.  I visited all 5 of them over 2 days.  Several of the places had hired graduates from the school before and had good success.  2 of the places weren’t my type of place and I struck them from the list.  1 of the places invited me back for a second interview with the boss.

The next several days I checked the job listings on the website every day and found new places that looked good.  This routine went on all week and I eventually interviewed at 20 establishments before hitting pay dirt and getting hired.  The first day I started work I was slow.  Hey I was working with real customers and pour real booze.  After the first day it was smooth sailing.  I quickly picked up my speed and by the end of the week I felt like I had been doing it for years.

Finding a bartending job is like finding every other type of job.  You have to be willing to hit the bricks and show your face to prospective employers.   Some people say bartending school is a waste of time, but I can’t imagine getting a bartender job without knowing the basics I learned during the class. There’s a lot more to being a good bartender then opening a bottle of beer.

Maybe some people don’t need bartending school to get a bartending job.  However, my experience is that without taking a bartending class and getting some hands on experience; you’re going to have a tough time finding anyone to hire you.

Top 10 Halloween Cocktail Drink Recipes

Halloween is coming soon and we wanted to pass on some great tasting and fun cocktail drink recipes to make for your monster friends.

Hauntini

• Tall glass
• 1 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. pineapple Juice
• 1 oz. sweet and sour mix
• Fill with  Lemon-Lime soda
• Splash Grenadine
• Splash of Blue Curacao

Brain Hemorrhage

• Shot glass
• 1 oz. Peach Schnapps
• Splash. Bailey’s Irish Cream
• 2 drops Grenadine
• Pour the Peach Schnapps into a large shot glass.
• Slowly add the Bailey’s and top with the grenadine.

Vampire Juice Recipe

• Tall glass fill with crushed ice
• ½ oz. coconut flavor Rum
• ½ oz. Blue Curacao
• ½ oz. light rum
• Fill with Orange Juice

Devil’s Kiss

• Shot glass
• ½ oz. dark rum
• ½ oz. Kahlua
• Dash of Grand Marnier

 Ghost Buster

• Cocktail glass
• 1 oz. Vodka
• ½ oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
• ½ oz. Kahlua
• Shake and strain

Spooky Juice

• Tall glass ice
• 1 oz. vodka
• 2 dashes Blue Curacao
• 1 dash Grenadine
• fill with orange Juice
• Stir together with ice.

Little Red Devil

• Cocktail glass
• 1 oz. Campari
• 1 oz. Triple Sec
• 1 oz. Orange Juice
• Shake and strain

Black Witch

• Cocktail glass
• 1 oz. Amber Rum
• ½ oz. dark Rum
• 1 oz. Pineapple Juice
• ½ oz. Apricot Brandy
• Shake and strain

Zombie

• Tall glass crushed ice
• ½ oz. dark rum
• ½ oz. light rum
• ½ oz. triple sec
• 1 oz. orange juice
• 1 oz. sweet and sour
• dash grenadine
• 1 dash Pernod
• Short Shake
• Float dash of 151-proof rum

Satan’s Whiskers

• Cocktail glass
• 1/2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1/2 oz. blood orange juice
• 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Stir with ice, then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.

A complete list of cocktail drink recipes is available at the American Bartenders Schools cocktail drink index page. Many of these recipes have how to videos and are informative and entertaining.

Join the fun and become a bartender. In only 1 or 2 weeks full or part time you can be fully trained and ready to start bartending. Learn how to make this drink and many more behind a real in our bartender class. Our job placement service will help you find a bartending job. Call us now at 800-532-9222.

 

 

 

 

How To Choose a Bartending School

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a bartender, there are many different ways to enter this potentially high paying and interesting field. The least expensive and hardest is find someone to train you for free because most places don’t have the time or a knowledgeable trainer.

Your second choice is buy a drink recipe book and start memorizing hundreds of recipes. Not a good idea because you may be memorizing hundreds of recipes that aren’t popular. The easiest way and most expensive is to go to a bartender school. Although there are articles on the internet from so called “experts” trashing bartending schools and calling them scams. None of them claim to have attended a bartending school or even visited one. It appears their misinformation comes from a few bartenders or bar owners and not graduates. Some bar owners won’t hire a graduate and that’s their choice. Usually, it’s because the establishment has extremely high volume and the graduate doesn’t have enough speed to handle the bar customers and servers. For every establishment like this, there are many others where a graduates skills are more than adequate to do the job.

You’ll seldom hear a negative comment about a bartending school from a bartender who has graduated from a state licensed accredited bartending school. The negative comments come from insecure non-graduates who are threatened because the graduates are more knowledgeable and better trained. Where else can you get trained for a good paying job in only 1 or 2 weeks. Especially when you and earn back your investment in a few days of bartending Not all bartending schools are equal. There are many that call themselves bartending schools but who are scams.

These are things one should consider choosing a school. Is the school state licensed? State licensed bartending schools have to meet curriculum requirements, be financially secure, have proper training facilities, and approved instructors. Can you watch a class in progress? This will allow you to talk to current students to find out they like the bartending school Does the school have a real bar and full working bar equipment and tools? How long is the training program? Beware of schools with short 1 or 2 day classes. There is no way you can learn to be a professional mixologist in less than 32 hours of hands on training. Does the school have a real job placement department and can they show you a list of current job lead? How long has the school in business? If it’s only been open a short time they could be here today and gone tomorrow.

Don’t make a decision on price alone. A cheap short bartending course may save you a few dollars but won’t give you enough practice time behind the bar to build your speed and confidence.   Be a smart consumer. Don’t make a decision on a phone call or a website. If you’re serious about working as a bartender, put in the time and effort to make sure you’re going to get what you pay for. Make sure that the school can show you a license from the state department of education?

There are many good schools that can start you on the right path..  Of course, we think that American Bartending School is one of the best.  We have been training bartenders for over 42 years.  We have thousands of contacts in the food and beverage business and helped thousands of graduates find good paying full and part time bartending jobs.

 

 

 

Top 10 Bartender Job Hunting Mistakes

Top 10 Bartending Job Hunting Mistakes

Review the following 10 job hunting mistakes when seeking a bartending job. Correct what you can, clean up, and you will improve your chances of landing a good bartending job.

1.  Not having the proper experience or knowledge for the position you’re applying for. Just because you may know how to make a few drinks, doesn’t make you a work ready bartender. Without proper training from a state licensed bartending school or actual bartending experience you’re probably wasting your time.
2.  Don’t show up at breakfast, lunch, or at dinner time and expect to get an interview, this is the wrong time.  Go before or after these meals for best results.
3.  Don’t give your resume to a perspective employer without first checking for spelling and grammar errors; giving incomplete
information with regard to education and work experience will always raise questions.
4.  Dress appropriate for the job interview, go on a job interview looking successful.
5.  Don’t have bad breath.  Remember, you are face to face with the hiring manager.
6.  Bathe or shower before your interview, don’t overdo it with deodorant, after-shave lotion or perfume.
7.  Always smile in the interview.  Remember, bartending is a face to face business.
8.  Job seekers should give a 24 hour phone number for call backs.
9. Turn off your cell phone before going in for an interview, left on; it gives the impression that you’re not serious about being in the interview.
10. If you want to work as a bartender and don’t have any experience invest in a forty hour state licensed bartending school.  Being school trained gives an individual at least six months of work experience.  It’s an added bonus; managers will always hire professionally trained bartenders, it’s the on the job experience that you get from school that counts.

Skinny Cocktails

Skinny Cocktails

Here at American Bartending School we are now teaching our bartender school students how to make low cal cocktails.  Like to have a drink and not worry about the extra calories, think about ordering a skinny cocktail for a change.

We teach our future bartenders how to make their own drink mixes using sugar substitutes like Splenda to cut the calories in half of drinks that use a lemon or lime mixer.  In the old days of bartending, one of the first things that bartending schools taught students was how to make non-alcoholic mixes.  One of the original recipes consisted of fresh lemon or lime juice, sugar and egg white.  The egg white when shaken with other ingredients produces a foamy head on the drink.

With America’s bulging waistlines, some of the large chain restaurants are coming up with unique ways to make their customers favorite cocktails more slimming.  Many of these low calorie delights are less than 200 calories.  My first experience with of these slimming lavations was a Skinny Margarita.  It consisted of tequila and fresh lime juice.  Since the sugar was left out, it was a little on the tart side to say the least.

Most cocktails like martinis and margaritas have around 300 calories in them.  A couple of these before or during dinner can have as many calories as some of the low fat entrees.  The success of light beers has shown that many consumers are interested in reducing their calories, while still enjoying their favorite alcoholic beverage.

Skinny cocktails particularly appeal to women and to older consumers.  However, by the second or third cocktail, I don’t think anyone is still worrying about calories.

The Cheesecake Factory, known for its extra-large portions, now offers a full array of low calorie cocktails.  The Ram Restaurant Chain and Bakery in 5 states sell 80 calorie, Skinny Lime Bite Coolers made with Captain Morgan Lime Bite Rum and diet Coke with a lime garnish. A local Austin chain Z’Tejas  Southwestern Grill has a “Naturally Skinny” cocktail menu with six drinks under 250 calories.  They use fresh juices, spirits and natural sweeteners.

So, if you want to shed a few pounds after letting loose after the holidays, think about going on a diet of skinny cocktails every now and then.

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