letters to a young bartender by derek brown and joshua wagner
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Letters to a Young Bartender by Derek Brown and Joshua WagnerTRANSCRIPT
Letters to a young BartenderTales of the Cocktail 201417-07-2014
Letters to a Young Bartender
DIY
By: Derek Brown
I was born in Washington, D.C., one of the coolest cities in the world. At least I thought it was
because we had these great punk bands. I’d go to shows and 16-year-old kids were booking
them, playing in them, making ‘zines about them. They’d have funk shows at night and we’d take
over the day with punk rock matinees. We never ever thought that this would become a
movement or that these bands would become so famous. For us, we just listened to one mantra:
DIY (do it yourself).
So, when I started bartending, I never thought about the fact that we didn’t have cocktail spoons
behind the bar. I don’t mean that they didn’t exist. I mean that they weren’t de facto bar
equipment. When I found out that some drinks were supposed to be stirred, I just grabbed an ice-
tea spoon and began stirring with the spoon handle clenched in my fist, bent inward, rotating my
elbow. I call that the chicken wing. If that wasn’t horrible enough, at least it was better than
“swisheling,” which I saw other bartenders doing. They would swish around the ingredients with
ice in a circular motion and that was somehow supposed to blend the drink.
Either way, I didn’t know any better. The Craft of the Cocktail and Joy of Mixology didn’t exist yet.
The B.A.R. didn’t exist yet. Unfortunately, I hadn’t heard of Jerry Thomas or David Embury. Blogs
were a thing but few existed that gave you real, tangible advice. The first time I stumbled on one
was Robert Hess’ drinkboy.com, which I found a few years into bartending. It was a revelation, a
siren call. It was electric to me.
On his blog, Robert discussed things like orange bitters in a Martini. That really got me going
because I wanted to learn. I didn’t know what bitters were let alone orange bitters. I loved the
discovery. It was something completely new to me. We did have one crusty, old bottle of
Angostura where the paper sleeve around it was soaked through with the dark brown stain of
caramel, but orange bitters? That was something all together different. I looked everywhere but
not a single liquor store carried them. One of the servers I worked with had a sour orange tree, so
I found a recipe and just made my own.
My managers thought I was an idiot. I was, a little. But I was also determined. Whatever you’re
one day to do well, you’ll begin by these awkward starts and fits, like learning to dance. You
mustn’t be too concerned with who’s watching. Your job is to get better. That takes time and
practice.
Regardless of what stargazing it was I remember thinking to myself that someone on this planet
is the best bartender in the world. I didn’t know who that was. I hadn’t met the people who would
begin the cocktail movement, who would become my mentors, but I thought to myself, why not
me? Why couldn’t I be the best bartender in the world? So I set out on a path. I wanted to learn
everything I could.
Of all the things that make a good bartender—not great, just good—I’ve now determined that this
is the sole requisite besides having two hands (and even that is up for debate). You must first
wish to be a good bartender. But that’s not my advice. If you’re at a seminar entitled “Letters to a
Young Bartender,” and you’re at Tales of the Cocktail, chances are that you’ve at least met these
criteria. You actually give a shit. You actually want to be a good if not a great bartender.
Here’s the real advice:
Take a chance. Bartenders are not a shy race of people. Should you be thwarted easily, you will
fail. You have to have a little chutzpah. What bartending taught me more than anything is
confidence.
Learn everyday. Customers are relentless in their inquiries. You can fake it a little but at some
point you have to put in the work. Muhammad Ali said, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”
Be your own idol. Rather than wait for the cocktail movement to happen and its resultant awards
and recognition, or anyone to bless our work, many of us just became its foot soldiers. That’s how
we rose through the ranks. That’s how we got recognized.
The most important piece of advice, however, is what I learned going to those early punk shows.
No one is going to do it for you: DIY (do it yourself). Those kids made a difference. Those bands
became legends. I see it in the same people who started this movement.
That we didn’t have spoons, books or blogs at first is not just me telling you an “I-walked-a-mile-
in-the-snow” story. The point is that people started this. It was their drive, passion and obstinacy
that started this. They revived a craft that had languished for over a century. Think about that.
They effectively brought it back from the dead.
I admit that it may have looked and felt a little awkward to begin with – arm garters, mustaches
and goofy hats. I still cringe at the word "speakeasy,” but it grew into something greater. And it
grows. It grows because of you and what you do next.
With that said, there is one rule, set down by a Chilean writer named Nicanor Parra, addressing
young poets. He wrote:
Write as you will
In whatever style you like
Too much blood has run under the bridge
To go on believing
That only one road is right.
In poetry everything is permitted.
With only this condition of course,
You have to improve the blank page.
You can switch poets for bartenders, blood for bitters and page for glass but the sentiment is still
correct. You can do anything you want. You don’t even have to listen to me. I don’t even really
bartend anymore. It’s your turn.
What you do next will determine whether the efforts of those who came before you were in vein or
not. Whether what has been achieved will grow or languish in the next 100 years. We will try but
youth has an advantage that old age does not. No one is as excited as the person starting his or
her journey. I’ve already opened five bars. Truth be told, I don’t have many more in me. That’s
why it’s your turn.
Take a chance. Be confident. Soak up everything. Don’t wait for anyone to bless your work. It’s
your turn. It’s your time to advance the discourse and practice of our craft. Even if its starts
awkwardly. Chicken wing stirring, or with stupid hats—you must start somewhere. Most
importantly, like those punk bands that made my city so cool (it still is, by the way), don’t rely on
anyone else. We will help—that’s why we’re here—but it’s up to you, DIY.
Dear Young Bartender,By: Joshua Wagner
It’s not a job… It’s a lifestyle…
OK young buck… Because your attention span is about as short as the memory of a goldfish and you wont be able to go the next couple minutes without picking up your phone to check something on social media… I will keep this simple and easy. One liners and short, straight to the point facts. Hopefully some things you will actually retain and refer to you in your evolution… If not… Who cares, right? It’s just my opinion youngin, and at the end of the day… who the hell am I?
It’s not a job… It’ a lifestyle…
Let’s make this abundantly clear from the get go… This will become your entire life, and this lifestyle is NOT for everyone…
Start healthy habits now… Great to be young and filled with piss and vinegar and feel invincible… but this shit will straight fuck you up…
Horizontal leads to vertical… you want to start at the bottom… relish in it, master every task… creating a strong core and it will help you naturally rise…
Vacation time… family time… personal time… gone… Trust me… Put in the work and that sacrifice will pay off ten times once you’ve earned it…
I didn’t have my first vacation for 5 years… Literally five years…
If you think that there are 5 days in a workweek… you are cruelly mistaken.If you think a 60-hour week is rough… exit quietly.If you think a 70-hour week is absurd… walk away.If you think that a 90-hour workweek is not a possible thing… Just run out the door. Most important part about all of this… If you think your going to get a pat on the back for all that work… HA! That is something you will earn over time… And when I say time… I don’t mean the instant gratification of the social media/ tech driven world today where every action is prompted by recognition and reaction… This is an amount of time that you need and want to be slow/ long… It will make you better…
In this business you must have thick skin and a short memory…
You don’t even have all of this remotely figured out…
Your friends and family who don’t work in the industry will never truly understand what you do…
Work in as many different environments as possible… craft, high volume, big, small… you have the time to learn now… take advantage of this. It is important not to pigeon hole yourself…. Experience all… you will be wiser because of it…
Regardless of what you think…the world will continue to turn without you.... Whatever you think… You ARE expendable!
Don’t be a dick… its so much easier to just be nice to people…
Take your product seriously but not yourself to seriously…
Never yuck anyone else’s yumm’s…
Don't steal. It will haunt you forever…
If you're scared to get your hands dirty... you simply don’t belong here. When I say dirty… Use your imagination and then realize the nastiest thing you thought of wasn’t nearly close enough…
Don't shit where you eat… You’ll hear this a million times for a reason… There’s a really good fucking reason for it…
When you get to place where you are managing people… Don't poke the payroll…
You never know who someone is... Treat all with respect… Again… You never know who someone is… Treat everyone with respect…
Be proud of everything you do… When you finish a task… Simply ask yourself… “Are you proud of it?”… If not… Go back and make it so…
Go to as any many trainings and educational seminars as possible, study, read… I promise you… you may have a ton of repetition, but if you simply learn one little extra tidbit it is worth it!
The best in the biz/ the wisest… Get the most excited when they have the opportunity to learn something new… learn as much as you can so you can have that wonderful feeling one day…
Always be gracious…
You will most likely get fired/ let go one day… People will remember you for your reaction… Step away, evaluate, and don’t be impulsive…
Don’t intimidate/ belittle people because they don’t have the same knowledge you do… Take the time to show/ teach them or realize they quiet frankly don’t give a shit about the things you think are important…
Your job is to make people happy… Not to school them, unless they want/ ask for it…
Small batch/ boutique/ local does not always mean something is good… and large/ corporate/ “the man” does not mean it is bad…
Everyone deserves a second chance… people CAN learn and change…
Update your resume once a year… and make sure it’s done well…
I know so many bartenders/ people in the hospitality industry that are assholes… I wish I knew less…
You’re in this business to serve/meet strangers everyday… don’t do this for just your peers… you will loose sight of the prize, get grumpy, get impatient, and lose the passion you need to be good in this world…
Work your ass off! The right people will notice…
Treat your job as if you actually owed the business…
Don’t be the brown nose… nobody likes the brown noise…
Don’t interrupt… Listen…
Surround yourself with people that inspire you…
Surround yourself with people you respect…
Start saving some money now and make that a routine in your life. It will change your life…
Don’t rush… don’t try to jump a rung on the ladder, don’t cut corners…
Always ask questions… Don’t guess…
Ask for help when you need it… Better to do it right then half ass and have to go back and fix it… Plus you will learn…
You ALWAYS get 100% of what you don’t ask for…
It’s remarkable to know how little others think about you… You think of your superior’s countless times more then they think of you… They are busy with other things you don’t even know about yet…
Be the first person to introduce yourself… You will be more memorable and simply because it the polite thing to do…
Have multiple mentors…
Please, Please, Please make sure, that all your friends do not only work in the industry! We are critical, discerning assholes and when we roam in pacts we loose perspective that there is more in life then just the hospitality industry… and your mother wont be proud of all the cursing and drinking you will be doing…
Remove yourself emotionally and physically from your person… Look at your life as if from a movie screen… How would it make you feel? And if you think you’re always a rock star… you didn’t listen to what I said…
Don’t burn bridges… This world is a very small place and you WILL cross paths again and again and again…
Be a bridge builder… Where there is a problem that you may pass once… build a bridge behind so that other may follow and have an easier path…
Confidence is a wonderful thing… delivering it with humility is far more powerful…
People will judge you… on appearance, lore, rumor, and the stories of your ex’s… Don’t be the ass to do the same to others… Give people a chance… You’ll be surprised…
Be chivalrous/ and or ladylike…
Do not live on social media… Use it as a tool/ not a personal outlet to vent, you will regret things you share with the world that will never be able to be retracted…
Be early…
Welcome making mistakes, learn from them and then move on…
Simple is good. All great products should be able to be summarized in less then three sentences…
Success is in the details and so is the devil…
Be happy or take the time to know why you aren’t…
Own up to your mistakes…
Clean as you go…
Personal hygiene really is that important… Gents , especially the nails… Not just for work purposes but the ladies always notice…
Don’t be known as the guy/ gal that does a lot of drugs… you’ll never shake that one…
Master the Houdini/ Irish Exit…. Not worth being that guy/ gal that everyone has a story about that you have zero recollection of. It’s not a good look…
Don’t share everything you are doing, its good to surprise people…
Always have a personal project that you are the only one that is fully aware of it…
Express gratitude… Pleases and thank you’s go a long way…
Follow up in a timely fashion… It you don’t it will just disappear in the pile…
Writing a hand written letter and sending it in the mail is always special to receive…
Make sure your passport is always valid…
Listen to your own advice… Especially the parts you give so well but don’t actually live…
Life is made up of memories… positive and negative ones… We are in the business of making memories…. Go into to work everyday and make positive memories for others… Do the same outside of work…
And in the words of my father… Most importantly…. DPJ… Don’t Postpone Joy… Meaning… Identify what JOY is for you and don’t postpone your effort to get there!
-With 34 years of experience and a long way to go…
Yours truly,
Joshua [email protected]