October 2007 Archives

When I decided to be a bartender, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do it full time right away. I have a lot of bills, so I knew that I would have to keep my day job, at least until I collected enough shifts to bring in a similar amount of money. Also, I'd never tended a bar before, and while I was pretty sure I'd love it, I had to acknowledge the slight possibility that I might be awful at it.

For the last three years, my day job has been working for an armored car company, doing a variety of office tasks, as well as some light dispatching. It's been alright, but the money isn't great, and clocking in at 5:30am every day has been awful. At least that meant I could clock out early, and that made it possible to grab some afternoon shifts at the local bars.

Now, six months later, I've finally gotten enough shifts in the right places to make ends meet. I gave notice to my boss on Monday, October 1st. My last day of armored car drama will be October 12th, and from then on, I'll be able to say I'm a full-time bartender. If you, dear reader, are a veteran bartender, I suppose that sounds pretty silly, but I'm very excited about it. I set a goal, followed my plan, and now I'm days away from making it reality. I get to put a check mark next to the first step towards opening my own establishment!

The Libation Quotation for this Wednesday inspires me to do a bit of reading. Perhaps I'll hit the library later this week, because this is not the first time I've found a reference to this book, and what I've found has always been great.

"He pulled three dollars from my pile and winked at me. I understood that my drinks were free, while drinks I bought for others were not ... I realized that the same rule must apply when a man offered to buy me a drink. Uncle Charlie would charge the man a dollar or two as a token. Money wasn't the issue. It was the gesture, the timeless gesture. Buy another man a drink. The whole bar was an intricate system of such gestures and rituals."

~from The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer

This Tuesday's toast may be short and sweet, but that should make it easy to remember!

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light.
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Today, at McGrath's no less, someone came in and ordered a "Brandy Prez"! I was amazed that this classic was requested, and even more amazed that I remembered how to make it! Thank you San Francisco School of Bartending!

Ingredients

Glassware: Old-Fashioned
1 oz. Brandy
4-5 oz. Soda
1 oz. 7up/Sprite
Garnish: Lemon Twist

Instructions