Learning new techniques, improving on different skills and having a passion for your craft. These are just some of the traits you should have if you want to be the best bartender in your team and progress. To improve even more this year, consider perfecting a new skill and have these seven goals to work towards.
1. Perfect Your Signature Drink
3. Learn How to Keep Craft Beer
4. Memorise the Menu and Prices
5. Go to a Bartending or Cocktail Event
6. Attend or Compete in a Bar Competition
1. Perfect Your Signature Drink
This is the year you should create a signature drink that’s unique to you. It should be something that looks and tastes nice and a drink that not every bartender can easily make. It should also sound appealing so that it doesn’t get lost in the menu and customers order it.
The trick is to choose something out of the ordinary. It should require a technique that you’ve worked on, lots of practice to get it right and something your team turns to you for when guests order it.
Either stick with something gin-based like a Martini or something which can evoke happy memories, like a Mojito.
2. Find the Perfect Footwear
Stop ruining your favourite shoes or trainers when you’re behind the bar. Do your research this year to find footwear that has been specially designed for bartenders like you. Think of the potential hazards like spilt liquids which can possibly result in slips, trips and falls.
Then think about the potential injuries they can bring to your feet and back, for example. So, look for bartender shoes that are safe and comfortable.
Plus, look for bartender shoes that are designed to be slip and water-resistant, protect your feet from liquids, stop you from tripping and are lightweight to take the pressure off your legs, knees and joints.
3. Learn How to Keep Craft Beer
Depending on your experience, you might already know how to change a barrel in record time. It can be anything from a keg of beer to a box of bottled Pilsner. However, you can take this one step further this year and learn how to manage and look after craft beers to an industry standard.
By learning how to do this, it gives the management team one less responsibility and shows they can rely on you to do this important job. Even if the bar you’re working at isn’t accredited, you can learn how to keep craft beers to their standards for your place of work to stand out even more.
4. Memorise the Menu and Prices
Speed and accuracy are two vital skills that bartenders need. The bar can become a busy area at any time so it’s important to try and not waste a lot of time when big orders are coming in.
Take a copy of the menu home or take a picture so that you can memorise everything in your own time. This will naturally improve your knowledge and help you better understand the drinks you have on offer.
Plus, knowing the prices means that you can begin calculating rounds in your head, rather than always waiting for a till to be free.
5. Go to a Bartending or Cocktail Event
Going on a cocktail course will teach you the principles behind why certain drinks need to be made a certain away. This can include the importance of them being shaken, why some need crushed ice and others cubed or even why the glasses matter.
You’ll also get plenty of useful tips on how to become a better bartender by picking up useful skills. You’ll learn from the experts and industry leaders while even sharing knowledge with bartenders from all over Europe.
6. Attend or Compete in a Bar Competition
If you think you already have the skills, think about entering a competition to show just how good of a bartender you are. Or to get a flavour of what these competitions are like, then attend one to prepare yourself for an entry another year.
This is good for your own development, raising awareness of the bar you work in, boosting your profile and progressing as a bartender if you manage to win awards. Here are some to attend across Europe:
- The Monin Cup Global - Paris, France.
- Bols Around The World - Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Ultimate Bartender Championship - Liverpool, England.
Even if you’re just a spectator, you’ll learn lots of new skills that you can apply in your own bar.
7. Learn and Adopt New Trends
Whether it’s research online or what you’ve learnt at competitions and events, stay ahead of the game and adopt these new trends in your own bar. It can be new skills, techniques and flavour combinations which customers are going to like.
It’s better to be prepared for these new trends right now rather than catching up when it’s too late. Using new trends and flavour combinations can encourage repeat visitors, especially if you do it before anyone else.
Although these goals are important to work towards this year, we’ve got even more information on how you can be a successful bartender in just five simple steps.
Your Five-Step Guide to Becoming a Successful Bartender
To help you develop a long and successful bartender career, download your success guide below. It’s full of useful tips from how to work productively without getting stressed, tips on dealing with customers, working effectively as a team and so much more.
Get your free copy below.