Today we're going to show you in detail what a bartender is and how this professional, responsible for preparing drinks and cocktails for guests, is extremely important in bars, clubs, events, and even hotels.
After all, their service isn't limited to just preparing famous drinks . Some professionals use various strategies to attract attention while preparing the drink, engaging and entertaining guests.
This is the case of bartenders who perform magic, juggle or even those who make fire come out of a small glass of drink!
This is all done because, in addition to serving good classic drinks , the bartender also has the mission of entertaining people who come to the bar and, consequently, increasing drink sales.
So, throughout this article, we will clarify what a bartender is and delve deeper into this profession, so that if you are interested in becoming one or hiring one, you will have all your questions about this profession answered.
Come with us!
What is a Bartender?
To understand what a bartender is, let's first look at the translation of the word.
Literally translated, bartender means waiter. This word is a combination of "bar" and "tender," which means to care for.
Therefore, the origin of the word refers to the person in charge, watchman or guardian of the bar.
But the term bartender, in practice, goes beyond the definition of waiter, after all, it refers to the employee who does not just serve customers in an establishment that sells drinks.
The bartender gets his hands dirty and prepares a variety of drinks, mixes them, explores flavors with spices , and understands the drink tastes of numerous countries.
But the answer to what a bartender is isn't just that!
This professional is also a showman, as while preparing drinks, he usually performs and exudes charisma to consumers, to please those who frequent the establishment where he works.
Didn't quite understand this part? Don't worry, we'll expand on what a bartender is later, going into detail about what they do!
What does a Bartender do?
As we already gave a spoiler above, the bartender is a professional who prepares drinks for guests at an event or venue, such as a bar, club, hotel, restaurant, wedding , and the like.
Their work involves organizing all the items needed to prepare a drink, from using items to make a mix, adding fruit, the right alcoholic beverage, juices, soft drinks, and choosing the right body for each drink.
And we said that the bartender also has a showman role, right?
This is because some bartenders, while preparing drinks, love to involve the guest with a show.
This show usually involves juggling, magic, making something disappear and reappear on the bar, pyrotechnics (using fire in a performance) and much more.
What is the difference between a Bartender and a Barman?
Even knowing what a bartender is, it is common to wonder what the difference is between a bartender and a bartender.
In general terms, what differentiates these two professionals are the dress code and the public they serve.
A bartender usually wears a classic outfit, while a bartender dresses informally, that is, more relaxed.
And this happens precisely because the bartender works in places like ships and hotels, with a public with greater purchasing power, hence this requirement when it comes to dressing.
Furthermore, there are two classifications of bartenders: classic and freestyle. Learn more about each below!
Classic Bartender
Classic bartenders are usually young people who work in clubs, parties and events.
Their drinks are usually not difficult to prepare, unlike those of bartenders, which are usually more elaborate.
Therefore, the classic bartender works in a simpler way, generally being responsible for helping out at events with a lot of turnover.
Precisely for this reason, the classic bartender is more suitable for events with a lot of people, with drinks already established on a menu and not personalized.
Freestyle Bartender
Just like the classic bartender category, freestyle bartending also has more young people working.
The difference is that here they add the showman presentations, as we said usually happens.
So, the freestyle bartender's job, in addition to serving guests, is to entertain the public with some entertainment while preparing the drink.
These entertainments usually include magic, the use of flames with fire, juggling, and more.
What drinks does the bartender prepare?
When it comes to preparing drinks, the bartender needs to be prepared to know how to make all the drinks listed on the menu for the party or event at which he or she is working.
Here you can find a little bit of everything: drinks with juice, soda, drinks with tequila , gin, beers, caipirinhas, sangria, mojito and so on.
And because it's such a playful and free profession, the bartender also has the power to create drinks, as they explore this universe, or reimagine famous drinks.
What are the areas of activity of a bartender?
Are you enjoying learning more about what bartending is? Now let's dive into the different fields of activity.
The bartender can choose between working as a freelancer or as a permanent employee.
Freelance bartenders work at weddings, gatherings like happy hours, and graduations.
They are usually requested by catering companies or business owners who have their own bar.
Permanent bartenders work in places like restaurants, hotels and bars.
Tourist areas also often have permanent bartenders, as is the case on cruise ships. But be careful, as they often require professionals to speak other languages.
What is the average salary of a bartender?
Glassdoor, a recruitment portal, indicated that the average salary for a bartender in Brazil is R$1,996.00.
And the places that hire these professionals the most, according to Caged (General Registry of Employed and Unemployed People) , are: Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina and São Paulo.
These places also have the best salaries for bartenders.
What are the skills of a bartender?
Knowing what a bartender is, it's clear that their skills undoubtedly involve preparing cocktails, understanding everything about drinks and their accompaniments.
Here, learning about the origin of drinks and their traditions is never too much, in addition to knowing the main characteristics of drink brands.
But beyond that, the bartender also needs to be skilled at keeping the bar clean, organized, fast and providing quality service.
So, we can say that a skilled bartender has:
- a good resume, with proven experience as a bartender;
- good communication skills;
- entertainment skills;
- ability to stay organized;
- ease in handling busy events;
- knowledge of how to serve drinks.
- knowledge about typical foods and pairing with drinks
Furthermore, a good bartender has a keen sense of agility, memory and quantity, so as not to make mistakes with customers' orders.
And of course, alcohol and customers can cause problems, so the bartender also needs to have the skills to deal with the excesses of drunk people who go beyond the limits.
What is the desired training for a bartender?
Bartender training can include specific courses to learn more about drink preparation, such as a cocktail course.
Bartender courses usually teach about the characteristics of drinks, such as alcohol content, aromas, colors, and the like, as well as preparation techniques and knowledge about the materials used to make drinks.
However, it is common for many bartenders to learn their job well simply by following a more experienced professional, paying attention to their techniques for preparing a drink.
Furthermore, when looking for training to be a bartender, you must keep in mind that you can only work in this field if you are over 18 years old.
After all, bartenders handle alcoholic beverages on a daily basis and must be very responsible.
Need one for your event?
So, did you enjoy learning more about bartending? Looking for one for your event?
As you've seen, the ideal bartender for an event needs, first and foremost, drink-making skills. That's more than half the battle.
But he also needs to please the customers who will be at his event, that is, be attentive, answer questions about drinks and the menu.
If he's a showman, that's even better, as he can perform while serving guests.
And for your event to be a success, in addition to a great team of bartenders, you can count on Quetzalli.
We have our own structure to be present at your event and complement it with various themes, including mobile activities, bars and other interventions!
To learn more, simply visit our events page by clicking here.
CONCLUSION
In this article, our mission was to clarify what a bartender is, so we explained that this is a professional who serves customers in a bar and prepares various drinks, mixes and explores flavors with spices.
He can also be a showman, that is, he can perform magic or juggling while making drinks, to entertain and captivate the public at the establishment where he works.
Bartenders who perform these types of bartending are often called freestylers, while those who don't are classified as classic bartenders.
And as you've seen, there are several interesting facts about what a bartender is, but generally speaking, this profession is fun for both the person who works there and the person who is served by these professionals!
