I've been looking for a Bartending Job like the one I had at Saint's & Sinner's for nearly 2 years. I worked at Saint's for almost 5 years and became great friends with my co-workers and regulars and created some great memories there, plus, got awesome Bartending experience at a high-volume bar. Over the years, I've learned to appreciate how incredible that job really was; we were making great money working short hours just a few times a week, and never had to deal with much drama. As I've tried to find a job, I haven't seemed to find anything that's even close to that experience until recently.
I love my job at Irish Times; I'm only there one day a week, but the people are awesome, my boss is fantastic, and it's an easy shift where normally I can get some work done before guests come in who then keep me busy for the rest of the afternoon. But I am only there one day a week, and while I have my Karaoke shifts at Gabe's, I needed something more. That's when my new job came along. I worked with Mike at Saint's & Sinner's. He was my door guy for years, and we spent many a time chatting at the end of the night, me getting advice from Mike, sharing stories with him, and gaining a true friend. Over the years, he kept telling me to come and work with him at his new bar he got a job at, and every time I tried, they had already filled the position, or were hiring at their other locations, and I wanted to be at Mike's Bar with him and keep our family together.
That all changed a couple weeks ago when Mike called and left me a message saying I needed to call his Manager and come in for an interview ASAP. He played mediator and the next thing I knew, I had an interview the next day with the Manager. As I walked into the bar and met him, something just felt right and clicked for me. The manager seemed to like me too and told me to come in the following night for a working Interview behind the bar. So, I went in on a Saturday night and watched the Bartenders working, making Specialty cocktails, using the computer system, and interacting with guests. Each Bartender I met was so personable and friendly, and a girl was working her first real shift that night, so if I did get the job, I wouldn't be completely alone. I worked the Back Bar as well which was much smaller and more intimate and got to help Mike while he was working. When I went back to the front I had to make a couple cocktails: Mojito, Long Island Ice Tea, Old Fashioned, Cosmopolitan, and then Ashley walked me through a Cucumber Gimlet which was one of their specialty drinks. I seemed to pass the Drink Test and after a few hours behind the bar I was free to go. The next step was meeting the owner, which I did a few days later. It's been a while where I've had to go into a serious interview (aside from Auditions) and I was really nervous. But as soon as I sat down with Jared, I felt at ease, and we chatted about anything and everything. Then, just 2 days later, I got the phone call...I got the job!
The next step was training, and getting a huge packet of information about the bar, recipes for their specialty drinks, including hundreds of recipes for drinks that I might have to make working behind their bar. I felt a little overwhelmed but as soon as I went in for my first Training Shift, I felt a little bit better. They schedule each of us in a rotation every week, which is awesome, and like I said earlier, everyone I met was so nice. It was great to see this kind of atmosphere where everyone got along, happening again. I trained for 3 nights, basically watching the first night, then working a well and Bartending the second night, making all the drinks and going over a few things that would be on the test, and then on my last night of Training, I opened the bar with Mike and closed it down as well, Bartending for most of the night. At this point I was comfortable with their drinks, the registers, and also working the service well, reading tickets and making drinks for the Cocktail Waitress.
My Bar Test was on Monday night. Basically, I needed to take a lengthy test about the bar, the drinks, procedures, prices, and recipes recipes recipes! Needless to say, I was pretty nervous about it, but once I got that test, I went to town on the recipe and measurements page, after getting such great help the past few days from my study partner! About a half hour later I was finished with the written part and it was on to the making drinks part. I made a Mai Tai, Old Fashion, Pimm's Cup, and Sazerac, even sparking the orange! Then it was time to enjoy a Tasting of all the Specialty Cocktails on the menu. Drinks I had tasted as I was making them throughout the week, tasted far different when you could actually drink them, but I found some of my favorites and have a much better understanding of the tastes and flavors because everything is made fresh, using organic juices and fruits, and I'll be able to suggest cocktails based on being able to taste everything!
Next up was my favorite part...shopping for new Bar Apparel. The uniform is black pants, a red tank top, and black shoes. I found some great Black Boots from Target which I've already broken in and have made it through a full 9 hour shift and were still comfortable at the end of the night. I bought my first pair of Dickie's, they're Bootcut, and totally cute, along with a pair of Skinny Jean's from a Boutique store. I rarely spend that kind of money on a pair of pants that are going to get beat up behind the bar, but I figured it would be worth it because they fit so well and were super comfortable (and to most, what I spent would be normal, I'm just thrifty). Then, I found a bunch of red tank tops at my favorite Boutique stores, getting 3 different styles for $15. You can't go wrong with those prices! So, now I am completely prepared and ready for my first shift. I'll be working Friday and Saturday's (the ideal Bartending shifts) and am so excited to work my first real shift this coming Friday! I still need to do my Verbal Test and give the Schpeal, but I'm hoping I'm a natural at guiding someone through the menu and giving them information about fantastic drinks and the History of the Bar.
Thank you Bar Lubitsch and I'll see ya on Friday!
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