adventures in bartending

Well, I finally accomplished a long standing fantasy of mine last night, going behind the bar for once and not having that action get me kicked out of the pub. Always wanted to do this, both for the ridiculous amount of tips barkeeps receive, and to see the drunkard world from the other side for once.

Shot's Tavern, in Security, Colorado (just south of the Springs, about seven miles from my apartment), is my type of bar. If you could take the usual busy crowd at Barfly, take away the shitty smoking ban, and instantly age everyone in there 20 years, you would be at Shot's.

Arrived around 5:30PM and was shown around. Not only saw behind the bar, but saw the walk in coolers and all the other business stuff. Saw two cases of jager and thought of taking them and running, but I resisted.

Shot's is a local pub and it's usually packed. It opens at 9AM, and there are usually people waiting to get in, even on weekdays. So I knew I was gonna be in for a rough time. My only saving grace was that another of the bartenders at Shot's is in a band, Distant Warning, and they were playing that night. So I knew I'd be hammered early, then I'd have some recovery time, then get hammered again around 1AM when the show was over and the heavy drinkers returned.

I've always had a great respect for bartenders, even more so now. It's a lot of fun, but damn it's hectic. Especially later on, when everyone is drunk, and they're all calling your name for their drink. I shoulda told everyone my name was Horatio or something tough to say when one is hammered, jt was too easy.

Luckily Shot's is a beer and a shot kind of bar. I normally don't deal with booze (besides Jager, of course), so I was afraid I'd have trouble making all the girlie drinks. One idiot chick kept trying to stump me, going so far as to order a Monkey Fuck (vodka, rum, pineapple juice, some other crap booze), but she was too drunk to know if I messed it up or not. The most popular drink of the night was definitely a Tuaca bomb. It's not a stretch to say I averaged making 15 of these every hour I worked. Luckily, they're quick to make. Shot's has a Tuaca machine (like a Jager machine) and Red Bull is in the soda/water/OJ dispenser. Shot's does have Jager, but it doesn't seem too popular with the locals. Which is good, more for me! I was also disappointed that I didn't sell one single can of PBR all night!

Finally around 2:30AM the owner kicked everyone out. Had to do the usual clean up stuff. Clean the glasses, wipe down the bar, take out the trash, stuff like that. Ended up getting out of the bar around 3:15AM-ish.

Had a blast, looking forward to the next time! Definitely have a greater respect for bartenders, especially those who work at a busy pub. So remember to tip your bartenders, wankers!