On Bartending and Concoction.

'Layered' Drink.

In conjunction with SPRING Singapore and Restaurant Association of Singapore, Nuffnang launched the "A day on the Job in the F&B industy" program which gave me the chance to experience working as a bartender at Zouk last week. Upon reaching at 8pm, i met up briefly with Cherie and Huiwen from Nuffnang before being ushered by Zouk's Operations Manager to the Bar Manager who got me my uniform to look my part. After putting on the shirt/apron and my name tag, i was officially the 'guest bartender' for that night.

Learning 'Measurements'.

Learning from Wesley.

I was assigned to learn the ropes from Wesley at the WineBar. He and some others gave me an insight of the job. Being a bartender, besides having confidence, also requires an indepth knowledge of what drinks the bar has to offer in order to effectively suggest drinks for indecisive customers.

Preparing 'Absolut Mango White Choc Martini'

'Absolut Mango White Choc Martini'

For basic knowledge, I was introduced to the different categories of alcoholic drinks, consisting of 'Martinis', 'Shooters', 'House Specials', 'Classic/Sparkling Cocktails' and 'Party Drinks' (shots). They are most often stemmed from the seven 'House Pours' - 'Vodka', 'Gin', 'Tequila', 'Rum', 'Whisky', 'Brandy' and 'Bourbon'. Upon learning some of their characteristics, it became clear why some drinks blend better than others when mixed with juices. Thereafter, i was told the different 'Methods' of preparation. They consist of 'shaking', 'build in', 'blended' and 'layered'. I had a 'hands-on' on the first two and it was relatively easy after a while, even thou i still required help from the recipe and the other bartenders.

Preparing 'Absolut Go Mango'

'Absolut Go Mango'

Post-preparation, there is still the knowledge of what kinds of glasses and garnish to use. Some are self-explanatory like 'Martini', 'Beer', 'Wine', 'Champagne Flute' and 'Shots' glasses while others require knowledge (again). They are the 'Tall Glass'(10 oz), 'Rock Glass'(8 oz), 'Balloon' glasses and some others.

At midnight, i went over to Velvet Underground where a party event was in progress. Life behind the bar counter was bustling. It was at Velvet where Wesley showed me the other two preparation methods (layered and blended). I was impressed at how meticulous you have to be at while preparing a 'layered' drink so that the layers actually show. Nearing 3am, he brought me around all the bars in Zouk, Phuture, Velvet to ensure everything was locked and in place. It was weird seeing a fully lit Zouk and Phuture but that's besides the point. Another bartender then showed me the switching off of the beer supply prior to closing.

On the whole, even though it's only one day of experiencing this job, I realised that being a bartender is not easy. Besides having to have knowledge of ALL the available concoctions and knowing how to prepare them, a bartender also has to exude confidence when dealing with guests. They also need to be a good listener to people's problems and offering advice and suggestions of drinks based on their preferences. It's was a great bartending experience for me, at one of the leading night spots in Singapore.