Include The Textbook

Had an email from the course administrator yesterday with regards to how much the bartending course is going to cost the student and that most teachers who teach bartending with the College do not have a textbook with the course. I am the only one who does apparently.

I personally think a book on how spirits are distilled , wine fermented , flavoured liqueurs are made , differences between draft beer and bottled beer , and other such things is good for any aspiring bartender to know. Not only will they leave the course knowing how to shake , mix , stir , and build a drink , but they will know the how all the alcohol comes about on it's way to becoming a finished product.

So after explaining to them that the textbook should not be an option , the course administrator made a great decision and included it with the price.

When has anyone ever taken any course at all without having to do some reading! Is reading out these days or is the internet taken over so much that people just go to wilkpedia to get their quick answers. There was a part of the news the other night that explained that college students are getting lazier and lazier because they do not read anymore or at least not as much as they used to. They get on the net and get the answer without really understanding the why or hows of how the answer came about. Reading gives you that.

The art of conversation in the future will be one word answers I suppose.

The idea behind the book as well is to keep the student focused throughout the week between classes. Besides that it may be the only bartending book they will ever own so it shows at least while they are taking the course they are putting some level of commitment toward it by at least purchasing a book. If they are real serious about making it a career they should be reading book after book about recipes , different types of spirits , wine , etc. Just like anyone else taking another course. Bartending is no different , in fact a book about human psychology would help as well in dealing with all kinds of people.

Which brings me to my last point and that is about value and investment as opposed to expense and costs.

Just recently we bought a new van which will cost us about $100 more a month on a loan but it is really an investment because we have a 5 year , 160,000 km warranty on it bumper to bumper.So the value to us as a family is great because in the long run the repair cost other than a oil change at scheduled periods far outweighs what money we would have paid out on our old car on loans and repairs.

Thus the extra cost per month on the loan is really an investment because of the added value of not having to worry about repairs plus the free Onstar , carstarter etc that came with it. That is how I view a bartending book to go with the course. A $20 investment so that someone will know the whys as well as the hows.

Besides a bartending course that includes , real liquor as opposed to coloured water ( I think we are the only one in Ontario that uses the real stuff ) , making drinks with it , field trips to other bars to talk to others in the business , a beer and wine tasting , Smartserve that everybody who serves alcohol needs here in Ontario , a teacher with lots of years in the business , etc. and the investment for all this is only $250.

What course can you take for that low investment and make your money back in some cases before the course is even over? No student loan , no credit card debt to pay back. Just get out there and shake and bake.

It is a steal especially when many people are looking to earn some side income or change their career direction. I wouldn't be surprised if another 20 showed up at the upcoming class starting on April 21st. The other one locally we have enough already starting next Monday so that will make 3 semesters in a row which is a first for the course.

I will be busy but it will be a good couple of months ahead then a breather for the summer.

An Opportunity Worth Checking Out

Just came across an ad for an Operations Manager for a new dining room at the main campus of the College with whom I already teach bartending. It is a two year contract , probably has some benefits to go along with it and paid holidays perhaps.

I like what I am doing but since I am teaching with the college already I may just submit my resume anyway to make myself a little more known to the higher ups. It will not hurt and the worst that could happen is they may have something else that might be better suited for me in the future.

Waitering where I am could be a thing of the past and maybe I can continue a couple nights a week teaching the bartending course.

Before I do anything like send my resume in though I should let the people I work directly with of my intentions. Perhaps with the positive results I have been getting with the bartending course they may fast track me to the interview process or on the other hand they may be put out with my plan on applying for the Operations Manager. The pay goes from $24 to $30 an hour which I am not sure what that means entirely. But it beats having to depend on the tip and work at $7.60 an hour. Another attractive tidbit of information is it mentions it is a 37.5 hour work week. That would be nice for a position like that in comparison to a 50-60 hour work week that so many work at in the profession. Also it is a two year contract which I like. Long enough to really get my foot in the door in a college full time and it should open more opportunity later.

Worth checking out , don't you think???????

Quiz Answers Second Instalment

Well I hope you are having some fun as I am doing this. Here are the answers.

1. Grappa is to Italy what Marc is to France. Therefore Marc is the answer.

2. The customary way in which the French drink Marc is to dip a sugar cube in the Marc and suck the spirit out. If anyone has every tried Grappa or Marc you would know the reason why a little sugar would help in drinking this.

3. Pisco is the name of the brandy native to Chile and Peru. Ever heard of that drink the Pisco Sour?

4. Pineau des Charentes comes from the cognac region that is 3 to 1 wine to cognac. Not one of my favourites and not really popular over here on this side of the Atlantic.

5. Creme de myrtilles is the flavour of bilberry.


How did you do???

The Numbers Are In

It has come to my attention that for the first time that I can remember where I work is busy all the time. After New Year's Eve there is usually a lull in most places even in good economic times during the first week of January.

Well last night we did close to 700 covers and on Friday did over 600 covers. The GM mentioned last night we are way ahead in revenue during this period and tonight which looks just as busy is just gravy on top. How about that!

There are many restaurants doing nothing right now locally.

On a personal note I am really looking forward to 2009. With my bartending course gaining popularity and a busy restaurant to work in I couldn't be happier.

Last year my wife who works 24 hours a week and I who work about 18 hours a week both as waiters cleared $56,000 Canadian last year with both our hourly wage and tips. She works 4 mornings breakfast and I four nights dinner. About $1600 of that was from teaching which I plan on doing more of. A wine course is in the works as well either through the school or perhaps I will start one up myself as there is a huge interest out there.

As long as we can keep this up and all remain in good health who knows how far we can go this year.

I am right fired up for more!!!!

Gin

Gin has an interesting history that not a lot of people know about , and because there is not a slew of cocktails you can make from it other than your martinis , pink lady , and having it with tonic I thought perhaps a discussion on how gin got started and the different types of gin available would be insightful for a post. So here it goes.....

Credit for the discovery of gin goes to Holland and a Dutch pharmacist named Franciscus de la Boe who was a professor at the University of Leyden in Holland. Knowing that juniper berries had a diuretic value that was able to flush out someone's urine system so that the kidneys and bladder could remain healthy , he concocted a medicinal tonic combining extract from the berry and grain spirit calling it genievere which was French for juniper. Later on the British anglicized the word and called it genever. All this took place in the mid 1600's during which time gin became so popular it became known as Dutch courage when the 30 years' war took place and the Brit soldiers would drink some before going into battle.

It appears it became so popular that the British were walking around in a stupor because it was cheap and plentiful. Even the pharmacists of the day would sell some terrible versions of it in medicine bottles and call it colic water or gripe water.

It became so bad the consumption of gin that finally in 1751 the Tippling Act forbade grocery stores , jailkeepers , and owners of workhouses from selling the stuff. Only people licensed could sell the gin which reduced the consumption of it significantly.

As professional distillers entered the fray and began to make great improvements in Gin there became 3 main spheres of production within England. That being Plymouth , Bristol , and London.

During the 1880's Americans began making gin based mixed drinks. Then in the 1920's cocktails featuring gin came into fashion.

In dry gin you may find some or all of the following ; juniper berries , cardamon , cinammon , coriander , angelica , oranges , lemons , cassia bark , orris roots , and liquorice. Each distillery has it's own recipe which is the reason for different brand names having their own unique taste.

Dry gin is the best for making with cocktails as it has a flavour that does not overpower the other ingredients as opposed to Dutch gin which has a noticeable malty aroma and taste.

If you have ever tried De Kuyper Gin or Genever gin in that green bottle you will know what I mean. It is highly aromatic and the taste is one you have to like or hate. There is no in between. Some Dutch gin unlike dry gin is even aged in oak to make it in my opinion even more undrinkable. One thing is certain the popularity of the Dutch gin has long since passed so much so that for many years in every bar I have worked have not found a bottle of it anywhere. The last time I saw one was a private english club I worked in during the mid 80's. But perhaps over the Atlantic in the UK there still exist many in the pubs located everywhere.

Some different gins out there include the following.

Sloe Gin - sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn steeped in gin with some sugar syrup and almonds added to it. Reminds me of a drink called a Sloe Gin Fizz which I have never made.

Fruit Gins - in the Netherlands some gins are flavoured with lemon , orange , or blackcurrant which have a certain crowd it caters to.

London Gin - this is the one that most people drink both in England and North America.

Plymouth Gin - this gin can only be made in Black Friars Distillery in Plymouth England. It is heavy with Juniper berries and is the standard gin used in the Pink Gin cocktail which is a shot of gin and a few drops of angostura bitters in it to colour it. At that club I mentioned above where I worked I served this one.

German Gin - Heavily flavoured similar to Dutch gin a brand name familiar to most is Steinhager.

Old Tom Gin - made in Scotland it is a sweetened london gin made by adding glycerine or sugar syrup to the finished product.

Dutch gin - as described above it is heavy and pungent to the taste because of the quantity of malt used in the distillation process.

My favourite gin drink of all time , you ask?

Why the Pink Lady of course.

1 oz Dry Gin
3 oz 10% Cream
Dash of Grenadine
Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake it.
Strain in sour glass and garnish with a cherry.
Serve with a straw.

Until next week...... Have a safe one.