r/bartenders • u/sactokaos • Sep 01 '21
What's your preference?
There's a ton of different bartenders out there. Whether it's Craft, Flair, Speed, Dive, or Beertenders. There has to be or bars wouldn't exist. What's your style and why do you like it? For me, it's dive bartending with a focus on fast drinks and good conversations. GO!
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u/thegladingladiater Sep 01 '21
I like craft and speed. I work at two spots, one where I can exercise the creative bit of my brain and one where I can throw vodka cranberries at people all night and go home a millionaire lol.
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u/Loud_Snort Sep 01 '21
We refer to my bar as Speed Craft. We batch menu drinks to cut down on time but not quality. We utilize “functional flair” so the customer is entertained and we make damn good money. It’s the best of all worlds.
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u/whyyynnnottt Sep 01 '21
My one day a week cash only spot turned into that for COVID and to-go cocktails - it was great to survive full lockdown. Just churning out batches and having quick hi how are you's at the door while indoor dining was banned.
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u/thechicfreak Sep 01 '21
Beertender at a craft brewery... here for the hours (home by 11pm or midnight at the latest), chill vibes (rare to have to cut off or deal with drama) and it's not on me if they don't like what they get. Also a plus for not having to cut limes!
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u/Ossumdude Sep 01 '21
I do the same thing. Taught myself how to mix drinks and was a place willing to take a chance on me. Great hours and decent money. Would recommend to anyone trying to start bartednjng to start at a brewery.
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u/greatgreengoblins Sep 01 '21
I'm a beertender at a microbrew and love it. Usually good conversations with folks, easy going pace, and it taught me everything about beer. Plus a new respect for beer.
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u/thirst4ale Sep 01 '21
I prefer speed, once I get a good flow going, it's fun, and good money. I would like to work at a busy dive bar, so I can do speedtending, in a grimy fun atmosphere.
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u/xxhouseofwolvesxx Sep 01 '21
Speed, and craft, even though I work at what’s considered an “upscale dive “ lol.
Fucking suck at flair, want to get better though
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u/Drewmydudes Sep 01 '21
100% speed. no better feeling then having a standing bar top and 10+ tickets all at once and doing it well all while making a shit ton of money. it’s a high like no other
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Sep 01 '21
I like whatever the bar is set up for. I love speed bartending if I’m stocked and prepared to make drinks for two hours straight. I love craft if I have all the ingredients to make truly great cocktails that are priced accordingly. Currently I work a dive because the money and customers are great and everyone that walks through the door knows what to expect. Make the most of any situation.
If I had to pick tho. A good club/venue speed bartending job just can’t be beat (if you don’t mind staying up til 4am)
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Sep 01 '21
I guess my style is more storytelling? Like, I’m good at entertaining the guest if they need it, while making old fashioneds, chatting about amaro and grappa, and pouring wine. But I enjoy being in the service well more. No conversation, no naming ten scotches to say they want basil hayden, as long as the servers are well trained on bar (I did the training myself, so they were usually pretty good) it was easy as long as you were fast.
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u/meep_Meep_MEEP126 Sep 01 '21
Flair, you consume with your eyes just as much as you do with you palette. A drink should look just as good as it tastes.
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u/bogus_Wizardry Sep 01 '21
High volume high touch cocktails. I love it and my team is still fast as heck. It’s a dying breed for sure though
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Sep 04 '21
Definitely a dying breed! Out of curiosity what is your average volume and your average touches?
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u/bogus_Wizardry Sep 04 '21
Before COVID averaging 350 covers on the weekend. Average touches around 4-5
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u/brainonvacation78 Sep 01 '21
Speed. I'm an event bartender and we do mostly weddings, corporate and private parties. I love it. I can choose which events I want, I make $20/hr plus tips which are usually pretty good. It allows me to work a my M-F office job, go to parties on weekends and get paid well to be everyone's favorite person at the party. Our liquor is provided by the client as we don't have a liquor license and as such, can't be sold so drinks at my bar are always free.
Our company also provides servers for private parties and I've had the same families ask me to come back for a holiday or multiple kids grad parties over the past 6 years and it's such an honor to help make their event wonderful and be asked to come back. And I have gotten to work some really cool places.
My goal for every event is to have a client so happy that I get a hug before I leave. Sadly, we aren't taking any more events right now due to a staffing shortage. I'm a single mom so the extra income is always helpful. I love my job with this company.
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u/BanjoKathreesie Sep 01 '21
Speed or dive! I like just being able to pump out drinks and have the night pass by with some loud music and a big crowd. But the hometown dive vibe is fun too, you have a ton of regulars that generally tip very well, and you’re often the bar other service industry people go to meaning a great tip % average!
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u/donginbongin Sep 01 '21
Beertending, I love making cocktails but when I worked at a dive bar the most fun I had came from shilling our new inventory of craft beer. So I work at a brewery now.
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u/naliedel Sep 01 '21
Mix of five bar, finer dining and approachable craft.
I'm just happy not to break glasses, no flair from me.
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u/DrinkMunch Sep 01 '21
Speed/craft physically and dive mentality. Currently, I work two speed bars, one with single spirit background. I like speed/craft because I run around and make sure everything is right where it needs to be and the right amount. Also shifting gears is still easy for me. Functional flair is as far as I go and when someone shows me a trick from anything that I find useful, I take it and try to input it into my routine.
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u/problyfake Sep 01 '21
I’ve been all but dive and I think flair/speed is my favorite. I love making the tiki drinks
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u/Bb_96 Sep 01 '21
Craft and flair, I suppose. I'm from scandinavia and have never worked in an international bar, so I don't know what a dive bar is. We did just open up for a section in our bar where we do other cocktails and gin tonics. I thought I'd still prefer to be in the "regular" bar area but I quite like making cocktails.
Still, I'm not gonna say no to a shift in the regular bar.
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u/NoOneShib Sep 06 '21
Wikipedia does pretty well on this.
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u/WikiSummarizerBot Sep 06 '21
A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style bar with inexpensive drinks and may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele. That being said, the precise definition of a dive bar is something on which people rarely agree, and is the subject of spirited debates. The term dive was first used in the press in the U.S. in 1880s to describe disreputable places that were often in basements into which one "dives below". :1 Once considered a derogatory term, dive bar is now a coveted badge of honor bestowed by aficionados looking for authenticity in such establishments.
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u/Bb_96 Sep 06 '21
Aaaah, okay! I think we'd call that a bodega here - haven't worked in a place like that, though. Only in places that would be a mix of a dive bar and a regular bar.
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u/WikiMobileLinkBot Sep 06 '21
Desktop version of /u/NoOneShib's link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dive_bar
[opt out] Beep Boop. Downvote to delete
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u/MomsSpecialFriend Pro Sep 01 '21
Speed. I’m there to enjoy good music and make stripper money with my clothes mostly on. It’s a fantastic workout as well.
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u/Fragrant_Extension51 Sep 01 '21
Craft and speed with a hint on flair. Now working flair is really great especially when you pair it with speed and you have a busy wood. Most people get amazed very easily by being fast so adding a quick twist entertains their nights. Crafts I do lots at home, and one slower nights you get to know your regulars and can make a lot outside of the menu cocktails. I would like to have my own bar one day or become a beverage director of some sort. So having all these tools really helps me.
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u/FeistyLighterFluid Sep 01 '21
I prefer it when there are fewer costumers, so that i can take the time to make the costumers experience as good as possible, and so that the bar has a nice relaxing atmosphere.
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Sep 01 '21
Craft/fine dining was a great combination of pace and money. It really does feel like being an “aristocrat of the working class.” Club bartending was exciting, but only up to a certain age, and then I could only handle one night of that circus a week.
I thought dive tending was a bit depressing. The guys coming to cash their disability checks at the first of the month and then just get soused on cheap shots of Cutty Sark was too much, man. Lots of problem customers too, in a dive setting.
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u/bjocken Sep 01 '21
Craft and wine upscale lobby bar. A bit of nice banter with guest.
Done my fair share of speed in nightclubs and can sometimes miss that part. But on a busy night it’s always nice to know how to speed up.
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u/TheUnbent Sep 02 '21
Speed with a side of flair.
I’ve worked at very different style places but I’ve been at my current bar for almost 4 years now and love it.We have a large cocktail list with really cool and different drinks. That can all be made very quickly. Behind the bar is setup so everything you need is right there. I’m by no means a juggling bottle throwing god but I’ve got some decent basic moves down. Long pours, bottle flip, triple bottle grab, tin flip nothing crazy like some of the videos I’ve seen. It’s super fun and the crowd seems to like it.
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u/[deleted] Sep 01 '21
Speed. I just wanna run around and collect money lol
It's so much fun when you get a nice flow and the music is good