5 Essential Bar Tips - for beginners and up!
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
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In today's video we're getting back to bar basics! Here are my 5 essential tips to better your bartending! I'm addressing some questions I've received regarding citrus, glassware, storage, organization, and tasting. You may already be using some of these practices behind your bar - in which case, this will be a friendly reminder you're doing it right. For everyone else, these are eas tips to keep in mind as you expand upon your bartending skills! I appreciate the questions I get from all of you who mix along or simply enjoy the videos. Cheers to you, and happy mixing!
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TIME STAMPS
Intro: 0:00
Dr. Squatch: 0:35
Tip 1 - Citrus: 1:38
Tip 2 - Glassware: 3:02
Tip 3 - Vermouth: 4:54
Tip 4 - Tidy Up: 5:57
Tip 5 - Taste Everything: 7:43
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Simple things to keep in mind. What tips would you add?
And thanks to Dr. Squatch for sponsoring today's video! New customers get 20% off with code DSQANDERS! 👉 bit.ly/3onwVQC
Great video! I would add:
1. Make a space in the freezer for your glasses so you always have a really cold glass or two at hand
2. Add ice just before you stir/shake to control dillution
3. Subscribe and follow Anders Erickson and turn on notifications, should you for some reason not have done so already
Thanks for the "taste everything tip". I have not done that yet.
What would I add?? I would say get some pour spouts and learn timed pours. It was really easy. I practiced with water from an empty Bacardi bottle. Got to nail my pours after a few practice sessions. I only do this when I'm hosting a large gathering and making cocktails for several people. I can turn them out twice as fast without measuring and being able to make 2 at a time. I can only do two of the same though. My mind can't keep up otherwise. Always learning/practicing. Oh...and clear ice is a MUST!!
Love your video as always. One thing I practice and recommend is have backups. Especially of things used often like bitters, favorite booze and your favorite mixers.
Funny you mentioned super juice… that’s the single best tip I’ve ever had.
Another good tip: Prep the garnish first. No fun having your drink warm up and the ice melt at the end while making the garnish. Thx to Cara Devine on that one.
Lies again? Tushy Interracial Pass
Don't be afraid! Try swapping ingredients around. Instead of Orange Curaçao try Blue. Being a home bartender is all about fun with friends. I love making colourful cocktails because they are fun. That's the most important thing about being a home bartender; have fun with your guests. The great thing about an Anders video is that it is always fun, never pretentious.
I agree! I've found than when I don't have any sweet vermouth, a bit of Angostura Liquor (not bitters!) is an acceptable substitute. Bonus is that it's shelf stable.
I have also found blending is pretty decent... for anything - two different vermouths, etc.
Um blue curacao is just triple sec dyed blues im p sure. Less dyes are better imo
@@gabrielpaal I suppose you mean Amaro di Angostura then, not their extensive line of rums? I can see that working out, yeah.
@@FuzzyDancingBear And orange curaçao could be just triple sec dyed orange. If the colour serves a purpose in presentation, less dyes is not better.
Definitely second the tip about cleaning bottles, especially the rims of twist-offs. Was making an aviation a while back and made an absolute fool of myself trying to open my friggin bottle of creme de violette, because the sugar had crystallized under the cap and gotten stuck.
A lesson well learned. Hope you got that bottle opened!
Use a hot water around the cap.
My amaretto bottles are always like this haha, gotta start making it a habit of cleaning them
Oh yeah… Violette is a crust magnet… Chartreuse too.
And in Florida at least, the crystallized sugar attracts ants.
My tip: don't skip the garnishes! It's worth the extra time/effort!
They might be "just" for presentation on food, but with cocktails, the aroma of fresh citrus, the reward of a booze-soaked cocktail cherry, or the sight and smell of a few dashes of bitters on top of an egg-foam sour can't be understated!
Humans perceive taste largely through smell, so it's important not to neglect the smell of the top of the drink.
Lime wheels and the like I think can be skipped without too much loss, but stuff like oil expressions and mint are important. Made a mai tai a while back without the mint garnish and its surprising just how much that small addition adds to the drink
We always have extra produce after parties etc. I will dehydrate them for garnishes!
@@LyK0sa I have some of the opposite opinion I think wheels and wedges are important but rubbing an orange peel on a cup seems ridiculous to me
@@Max-dg5gj it's more the spritz of citrus oil over the top of the drink that makes the difference, I'm not one for wiping down the glass with peel. Try making a sazerac with and without a spritz of lemon oil, and then tell me it doesn't make a difference. The lemon is a vital part of the flavour profile of that drink, and it just wouldn't be the same without it.
I had only ever garnished my manhattans with a lemon peel, until last night I tried a maraschino cherry in there. The tiny bit of sweetness from the syrup coating the cherry (which I did strain off as much as possible) just made the spice notes and herbacous vermouth pop in a really vibrant way moreso than before. I was amazed at how much this transformed the cocktail, not to mention how delicious a manhattan-soaked cherry is!
So yeah, garnishes matter!
I've been watching bartender on YT for over a year now and trying to decide if I wanted to try to start a home bar. I discovered you yesterday and your videos for beginners have helped me decide that I am going to start my home bar today when I get off work.
Oh man...you've stumbled onto a gold mine...and a money pit haha. This is my favorite UA-cam channel. Make sure to check out his earlier videos on bar essentials. Those lists made up the bulk of my stocking stuffers last Christmas :) Cheers!!
@@jonathanwilliams1974 i watched them last night. I'm starting small with an Old Fashioned and I'll pick up other equipment, spirits, and additions one paycheck at a time as I go. And since I literally just got off work, I'm walking to the liquor store across the street to see what they've got.
Started my home bar of this channel as well, it's money pit for sure, but very enjoyable pit ;)
@Scare Crow, do watch Anderson's 100$/200$ bar starter videos if you didn't yet, I've proven it for myself with gin, bourbon, white rum, dry, sweet vermouths and angousture regular and orange bitters that I can mix pretty much everything of the interest
@@captainbarge oh I'm sure it is. I've never been much of a spirit drinker, other than the occasional neat Irish Single Pot Still whiskey. I'm just super interested in trying new things
Mise en place is probably the best tip I've ever learned not just behind the bar, but for anything in the kitchen. Part of my mise en place process is that I never assume I have any ingredient until I have put it in front of me and I'm ready to start mixing. No one wants to find out they're out of maraschino only after pouring the lime juice, gin, and chartreuse into the shaker. Nor do we want to pick up a suspiciously-light bag of flour after already creaming the butter, sugar, and eggs when making cookies. Gather your ingredients and tools, prep, measure, then start mixing.
Thanks for another great vid!
I would proclaim this the last word on the subject
I work in aviation and the so called mise en place is a must for your tools. I do it at home to with my tools and also for my bartending it makes my cocktails fun and easy and fast to do. All the tools where you need em and always clean up immediately
The Japanese have a "5 S" method that is worth looking up. They use it in factories but it applies to a bar as well.
I have been fine-dining bartending for two years and learn more here than on the job. I had above-average knowledge from being in the industry for 10 years, but you helped fill in the gaps, especially Tikki 🍍😀
Happy the content's helpful! Appreciate the comment - Cheers!
I have not worked in fine dining myself, but I dated a woman for 9 years who was the type that might start as your bar back on a Monday and be your manager by Friday. She knew her shit and always moved to the top of the food chain fast. My alcohol education comes from the other end...I completed a specialization in distilled beverages as a part of my chemical engineering degree and have made thousands of gallons of beer, wine, whiskey, brandy, vodka, etc. Between everything I have learned spending 20 years in fine dining establishments as a "friend of the front of house manager", a heavier-than-is-probably-healthy drinker, and an education in essentially booze engineering, I still find that I learn far more than I ever expected to learn watching this channel. The history, culture, and science behind the world of booze is so utterly massive that I don't think anybody can ever know it all. All we can do is continue to learn. This is one great place to do it!
You're the Best!!! Cheers 🍸
An awesome video! Tips I wish I had years ago when I began running a home bar. I only have two additions with regard to vermouth and bitters.
Regarding vermouth, these last even longer if you use wine preserving vacuum stoppers and pumps. If you diligently purge the air out of the vermouth after every single pour, the vermouths will last for several months because they won't oxidize as quick. I've had bottles live nearly half a year and still be good for mixing, which meant that I could feel fine about purchasing a full-sized bottle of something that gets used rarely (like, say, a blanc vermouth, which isn't called for that often).
Regarding bitters, these should be smelled and tasted on their own, yes. A good way to get the aromas is to dash them into your palms of your hand, rub them together, then sniff away. For tasting, it is good to give them a small taste on their own, but this can be overpowering for the taste buds. So I always make a simple Bitters & Soda, usually just a few dashes in a shot glass filled with plain seltzer. That gives a good assessment of how the bitters taste with their flavors lengthened out in a mixture, which is how bitters get used, after all.
I have done the same method with bitters but with a shot of bourbon in a rocks glass. It's easy for people to tell how this changes the smell and taste of the spirt by first trying without and then with the bitters.
I use those vacuum wine stops as well for vermouths and Amari! Good tip.
Great tips!
Everyone should have a coravin!
Great tips, Anders! One from me: freezing carton egg whites and less-used fresh juices (e.g. pineapple, grapefruit) in 1oz cubes in silicone trays, then storing frozen cubes in date-labeled ziplocs, so you're not caught without... no need to defrost before adding to shaker tin.
I bought a bar fridge just for my vermouths, hand-stuffed olives, syrups, and other more perishables!
My own tip: Write on the vermouth bottle the date that you opened it. Just so you know when it's probably near/past its prime.
Just left my corporate job to learn bartending and I just found your channel the other day and subscribed. I can't thank you enough for all this amazing info!!
If I recall correctly, Liquid Intelligence mentioned that people tended to prefer citrus juice at the "age" that they were used to having it. People who worked at a bar enjoyed juice that had aged a while, but people who usually have it fresh from the fruit prefer it that way.
My tips are everything you just said, that was spot on.
Alright I ordered my Dr. Squatch
Another tip: I wrote in my personal notebook every recipe that I use and for each recipe an alternative for the ingredients (if it's possible of course) in case of you know... shortage or just sillyness. :D Also, I wrote alternatives for the glass, with little tips like "You can use an old fashioned glass and put ice cubes, but shake during a shorter time to balance the dilution provoked by the ice cube". Kind of stuff. I wrote everything so even my friends can use the recipes. :D
With the bar towels, keep a bucket (5gal or 2.5gal), use the mop, toss in the bucket, grab a new one. Don’t cross-contaminate with towels. When the bucket is full, launder it, *no* fabric softener. Extra points if you rinse cycle with vinegar and hang-dry because they will be 2x absorbent.
Great video Anders, I sometimes miss bartending. Good old days haha.
Happy Friday 😉
Once a bartender, always a bartender. Cheers to you David! 🥃
Added to keeping things organised; keep them handy. Nothing is worse than making a chore out of something that should be relaxing. Brilliant tips, the lot of them.
Anders: "I have been bartending professionally for 20 + years....you don't have to listen to me though"
Me: "....this is a test....right?"
Great video as always cheers!🍻
😂
With vermouth, if I don't use them up within 3ish months I just put them into sorbets, loads of sorbet. I have an icecream machine so it makes that pretty easy.
I have had BAD experiences using vermouth in cooking, but freezing it with sugar and fruit juice tends to work nicely.
Thanks for the video and tips Anders!
What a great solution! Thanks Joonha - Cheers!
Odd. I’ve been successful using vermouth in cooking.
But then I’ve mainly been using dry vermouth in either tomato sauce or herb pan sauces. So possibly I’m using recipes with stronger flavors which can hold up to the botanicals.
TO THE BAR! 🥃
I’m ready for that super juice reaction video.
I can’t tell you how much I love your channel!
I don't know if this counts as the kind of tip you're looking for. But when I started getting serious about tending bar at home, I spent most of of my initial research working out my "workhorse" spirits... Finding those bottles that are not high-end spirits but are the best value for money. I learned about bonded ("bottled in bond") spirits and made whiskies like Old Grandad, Old Overholt, and Rittenhouse my workhorses. I learned that big name-brand spirits like Jameson or Bacardi Silver can be not great (to put it mildly) and finding better standard replacements like Power's Gold Label or Plantation 3 Star, respectively. Same applies to some of the most basic liqueurs. A Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao or Luxardo Triplum is a huge step up from bottom-shelf triple sec. The very best spirits, more often than not, are meant to be enjoyed neat or with a bare minimum of tinkering. When it comes to cocktails where you're mixing different flavours, it really ups your game when you find the workhorse spirits that really represent the category with a touch of quality but without a hefty price tag.
Your cinematography is awesome
For tasting bitters, I actually recommend you dash a plenty in your glass, and lengthen it with a great amount of soda, this will bring out the most nuance flavors of the bitters. Me and my staffs are addicted to it! You can also apply this with amaro.
Came to say the same thing. With any bitters or amaros, water will help one taste it without being overwhelmed by the concentration of flavors.
@@nathana3170 Yeah! And it's good for your tummy!
@@jasonqian4444 🤣👍🏼
A clean bar is a happy bar.
Very good video. Lifers in the industry have the biggest issues with organization I don't get how or where they didn't learn it from or they just don't care enough to keep everything mirrored, balanced, neat.
One of my tips is to not try bitters on their own. Mix them with an even amount of water.
Not only do you get a better idea of how they're going to work in a cocktail, you won't risk burning your taste buds with some of those more pungent ones.
Wow, thanks for the tip about putting vermouths and all fortified wines in the fridge. I never knew that!
Great video and info as always! A couple related questions on shelf stability:
1. Does ABV dictate shelf stability for non-wine-based products as well? What’s the shelf life of low-to-medium ABV liqueurs like Aperol (11%) or various Amari and cordials (15-35%)? Do any of these need to be refrigerated?
2. Is there an ABV threshold over which a bottle is considered “shelf stable” and has virtually unlimited shelf life?
Many thanks!
Great video, Anders! Another tip that I picked up from your videos is to double-strain shaken cocktails. It's one of those things that fall within the category of "low effort but makes a big difference." No one likes ice shards in their cocktail after all :)
An ice machine is a god send for a home bar! I love the one my wife got me because it makes clear ice cubes
I’ve been watching you for a long time, love the non alcoholic drinks, I think the gray fox is my favourite, keep up the great work!
Love this video. My tip is to document when you are trying new cocktails or experimenting. I personally keep a small notebook. Also if you document something and note that it is the best thing ever, take that with a grain of salt if you made it 4 drinks in...
Try to keep it tidy but always a challenge by the end of the night, cheers Anders 🥃
I can agree with that!
Man, you're the best! Love every video.
Hahaha that Dr squash add was priceless 👌
I just bought a set of 60's era cocktail glasses. Love nice glassware.
Back in January I came across one of your old fashioned videos. A month later I began a home bar. 7 months later, I'm the family bartender. Love your style
As someone living hot climate, I would recommend using double walled glasses at home. You don't need as much ice and you aren't drinking too fast.
Have a trash bin/bowl handy for garnishes, spent lime halves etc helps keep things tidy during a dinner party
Fantastic!!
My biggest tip for friends who are getting into mixology is to use high-quality ice-as you mentioned, a large portion of your cocktail is water, so it needs to be good! Why spend so much money on ingredients only to mix them with unfiltered tap water from cloudy ice cubes?! McDonald’s sells 8# bags through the drive-thru for $1.
A good experiment: whatever ice you are using, try leaving a few cubes in a glass out on the counter. Once they melt, taste the water for neutrality and quality.
Love keeping your bar and tools clean. First lesson I taught any bartender at my place was "A clean bar is a happy bar. And what is a dirty bar? UNACCEPTABLE!"
Love the videos. Ever think of doing one on barrel aging cocktails?
I have a sweet vermouth bottle that I opened two years ago, not refrigerated in humid Japan, and I use today ;)
That was really good & super informative!!! Thank you for all the good content!!!
I can't watch enough of your videos! They're informative, relaxing, fun, and delicious. You've made the art of making craft cocktails so easily accessible! Keep the sips, tips, and recipes coming!
Hey Anders, I wanted to let you know I just got back from my trip to WI, more importantly, Washington Island in WI!! I am now an official member of the "Bitter's Club!" They made a fabulous "Door County Old Fashion" also at Nelsen's Hall. I'm glad I saw your video about Nelsen's Hall. We had a blast. My wife said their OF was the best she's ever had!! Keep up the good work. Keep inspiring us all to be better bartenders and better people. Much love!!
Love that you made it up to the island! Happy to hear you enjoyed your time and the old fashioned - Cheers to you!
Really fun and fast paced video. Really enjoyed it
As someone who will be taking over an F&B management position, with emphasis on the bar, at an event ranch, these videos are incredibly helpful. Thank you so much, Anders, for making them and sharing your wealth of knowledge. I really appreciate the effort you have put into this channel and videos.
What is event ranch
Awesome as always
Excellent tips!
Vermouth. I highly recommend trying this. I bought a 1 liter bottle of Cinzano red (because that's what my wife likes to sip in the evenings). I poured half of it into a 500 ml bottle and put it in the fridge. Then every day I poured 20 ml of each into small glasses. I told my wife "One of these is bad and one of these is good. Your job is to tell which is which.". I went until we ran out of Vermouth (which, by coincidence, was today). Never once could either of us tell the difference. A few times my wife swore she could tell the difference and I took the glasses away and swapped them around. Then she tasted the again. Each time she picked the other one :-) (wild coincidence). Also, for reference, my kitchen (where I store the vermouth) has been over 30 C every single day during this test.
I think white vermouth is probably quite different and I'm going to try that next. Also, Cinzano is quite a... robust flavour. It's just what my wife likes, so that's what I started with. However, my preliminary findings are: if you drink a bottle of Cinzano red within a month or two, then you don't need to refrigerate it. There may be some super tasters who can pick out the oxidation in it, but actually I'm a super taster for a lot of beer oxydation flavors and I absolutely could not detect *any* degredation at all.
I invite others to give it a go. Vermouth isn't that expensive. It's worth a try.
Always interesting, educational, and fun. Thanks, Anders.
I've used opened, unrefrigerated vermouth WELL over a year old stored in my liqueur cabinet with only the tiniest detectable difference (and not a bad difference in any way whatsoever). I even went so far as to open a brand new bottle and compare it to my over a year old open, unrefrigerated bottle. Perfectly usable. Both were Antica Formula, if you were curious. That's my 2¢ worth of my personal anecdotal experience. But based on that, I never waste precious refrigerator space on vermouth or similar fortified wines.
The love the laid-back relaxed feel to this video
Hands down the most informative and entertaining bartending channel on all the Tube.
great tips! thanks!
Superjuice has changed the citrus game! It's super easy and so convenient!
More of this, my man! 👏
Great stuff. It’s a nice insight into your personal approach. Love it.
Great video and straight to the point. Thanks
Excellent tips.
Early this year, trekking around second hand and antique shops to find the right size glassware.
Oh dear, I'm going to have to check the cupboards. Bottles been there for years.
Love you Anders
Very helpful, you are the best Anders!
On the last point on tasting everything, this is a really great idea with bitters. I didn’t really have a sense of what distinguished Angostura v Peychaud’s v Regan’s v Boker’s bitters until I tasted them side by side. It really helps you pick the right bitters for the job when making an old fashioned, or experimenting with a new cocktail.
Great information!
The video I’ve been looking for!! 💯💯💯 thank you 🙏🏾.
It’s always great to listen to and learn from people that know their groove. 👌🏻🍻
re Vermouth
And for those who take forever to go through their vermouth, there is something call "THE FREEZER"!!!
Having rapidly learned that vermouth goes "bad" I realized I needed a different approach - and that the freezer - with a mini-bottle separate from the main bottle that can be warmed up if frozen without warming the "mother bottle"....
Works like a charm.
ALSO - I don't have the ability to use fresh juice - at least at this point - so use Lakewood Organic - or Santa Cruz. HOWEVER, I have noticed that on occasion these juices are bad - from the store - they are dark - rather than bright and fresh looking...as they should be. Be aware - check the material before purchase!
re Taste Everything
YUP! Great advice - I am always working through my material....
Anders! I noticed your bottle from Journeyman! I love their distillery. Glad to see their bottles are making it around the midwest
Tip for home bar (but maybe not while entertaining): If you have a plastic shaker bottle normally for making protein drinks, it can serve as a cocktail shaker in a pinch. Preferably using a new one, remove that shaker dingus inside, add ingredients & ice, screw on the lid, and shake like mad. It ain't elegant, but it works. Oh, and don't put them in the dishwasher because they can pick up soap smells. Hand wash with a brush & rinse well. (AND: This is a great video; thanks for making it.)
Very helpful.
I loved this video!
Amazing channel. It has inspired me all summer and fueled a new bartending hobby.
Always Love the sponsoring bit.
Dr. Squatch Ad 0:35
Use Fresh Citrus 1:40
Know your glassware 3:01
Vermouth (imp!) 4:53
Keep bar tidy 5:54
Taste Everything 7:40
TY for the Vermouth tip!
Cheers!
Thank you Anders.
This was just an amazing video!
Thanks anders. Really helpful. X
Your bar looks AMAZING! The wood, the black metal, the bureau, the bottles. An inspiration😍
Love your videos, you have up my bar skills
I’m finally putting together my first, true home bar and I really enjoy your videos and honest style.
Dude. Solid BAR knowledge 👌. Cheers
Thanks for the tips :)
All I can say every time when I watch one of your video: THANK YOU.
Please share more and more videos.
All the best. 🤗
Good video, thank you.
I started tasting individual ingredients recently & it’s so fun! Great tips, thanks for another helpful video Anders!
Mahalo for the tips, Anders! 🤙
Great video
When I'm offering drinks to friends, especially when it's a cocktail I haven't done in some times, I take and taste the first one so I can do adjustments if necessary.
I mean, you're simply THE BEST! Just when I think I didn't have anything more to learn...and in such a fun manner. Thank you and keep 'em coming!
I love videos like this! Most of what I’ve learned (and purchased) this year was from your videos. I’d love to see a behind the scenes video on how you prep and shoot a video. And not just because your “Art Director/Cinematographer” is so awesome. 😉
We got a bottle of salted carmel whiskey from a friend recently. It's delightful, but also sweet. And guess what it's currently decorating! Hint: it's mostly still IN the bottle, but it's also...
Also I now am planning to get a little tipsy from tasting after work tonight. I'd never thought of doing that, and that strikes me as a brilliant idea!
I haven't been in the industry for about a decade but I still love these videos.
Also 8:39 I cannot overstate just how *_incredible_* Fee Bro's Black Walnut Bitters are....
Awesome.
I like to make traditional cocktails herbaceous, e.g. a dash of absinthe to a martini, 1/2 oz of Chartreuse to G&Ts, etc. Definitely livens up the drink as well as the taste buds.