Bill: Beverage service is a great way to increase your guest bill and make your guest happy. Mixed drinks are quick to make and serve, and they can get quite expensive. Wine service is little more intensive but can greatly increase the size of a check.
I’m here today with our bartender Becca to chat about the complex world mixed drinks. What does the weight staff needs know about mixed drinks?
Becca: The first thing you need to know about mixed drinks service is that there are different grades or qualities of liquor. If a guest orders a vodka cranberry and does not specify the type of vodka, I’ll make them a drink with what is called well liquor.
Bill: Well liquors, what’s that?
Becca: Well liquor is an off brand that is kept in the well below the bar. These brands may also be called rail liquors. Now if a guest specifies that they would like an Absolut in cranberry, they are requesting what refer to as a call liquor. These brands are usually kept on the shelf on display for guest to see. Many restaurants also have top shelf liquors or premium liquors, these are your most expensive liquors and it might be a little difficult to sell a guest on a margarita made with the premium tequila Patron, but it’ll be quite easy to sell them on the call margarita made with Jose Cuervo tequila.
Bill: If a guest orders a vodka tonic. You can ask do you have a particular type of vodka you like that made with. Absolut, Ketel 1, Stoli usually, this will encourage a guest to pick a call or premium liquor. If a guest doesn’t care, they’ll usually tell you that the well brand is fine. It seems like there a lot of different types of alcohols back there.
Becca: You’re right, and different restaurants will carry different brands of alcohols. Waiters should check with their bartenders to find out what’s specific brands they carry.
Bill: Good advice, but what about all that bartender lingo? Martini up with a twist, neat, on the rocks—what does all that stuff means?
Becca: Well the terminology associated mixed drinks can get a little confusing. As a waiter, the best thing you can do is to make sure you write down exactly what the guest asks for and then relay that information to the bartender. The more you serve drinks, the more lingo you’ll learn.
Bill: Excellent, now I also want to talk about specific drinks and their main alcohol component. Now this is important because servers need to know the contents of the drink so that they suggest call brands for the up-sale.
Becca: You’re right, it’s really important. Not only does it help you sell more expensive drinks, it also lets your guest know that they are knowledgeable regarding drinks. Okay let’s start with vodka based drinks some common ones are Martinis, Gimlets, Screwdrivers and Bloody Marys. Gin: Martinis, Gimlets, Tom Collins and Gin tonics. Whiskey: Manhattans, Irish Coffees and Whiskey and Cokes. I also suggest checking out any of the numerous bartending books that are available. My cheat sheet listing drinks and their ingredients is located in the document section of this DVD. Servers can keep this list in their check presenters so that they can refer to it if needed.
Bill: That’s a great idea Becca, thanks. Alright, so now we know the different types of alcohol and what drinks they go in but are there any special guidelines we should follow when serving these drinks?
Becca: Definitely, you always want to serve drinks from the right side of the guest with your right hand if possible. Women should be served first, if the table is all women, start with the woman who ordered first and then continue serving in a clockwise fashion. You should always use a cocktail tray; these will keep the drinks from warming up from the heat of your hand. It may seem silly to carry a single martini on a tray, but your guest will appreciate a frosty glass and icy cool beverage. When serving martinis, you should always serve them by the stem of the glass, this helps keep the drink as cold as possible. Now when you were serving beverages from a tray, always remember that when you take a drink off the tray the balance of the tray is going to shift and you might have to adjust your hand position underneath the tray. Practice using a cocktail tray with glasses of water.
Bill: That’s a great tip; I’ve definitely seen far too many ways to send a whole tray crashing to the floor because of that. Becca, do you have any final words?
Becca: I guess the most important thing to remember is that mixed drinks are your friends; they are great opportunity for you to up sell and make more money.
Bill: Great. Now let’s move on to wine, the most important thing to remember about wine service is to make the guest feel comfortable. Wine can be intimidating not only to you as the server but also to the guest ordering the wine. If your restaurant has a wine list with over 200 wines, a guest who just wants some wine will probably be a little overwhelmed. Try to put them at ease. There is really no wrong choice when choosing a wine, there are simply better pairings of wine and food which will go over in a minute. As a server you need to know your menu inside and out. This includes knowing the great wine pairing for all of you entrees. Some restaurants may supply you with this info but most will not, it’s up to you to talk to the sommelier. If you don’t have a sommelier, talk to some one who is knowledgeable about wine. Usually the managers have a good feel for wine paring. Wine service is an excellent way to increase your tips. I’ve included a wine and food pairing guide in the document section of the DVD, it should fit nicely into you check presenter or order slip holder. Now without going into to much detail, what’s the most important thing to know about wine Becca?
Becca: The general rules is that lighter foods go with lighter wines and heavier foods go with heavier wines. In other words, white wine with white meats and red wine with red meats.
Bill: As the server, you owe it to yourself to become knowledgeable about wines. Today however, we’re here to show you how to serve the wine. Wine presentation can be quite daunty especially if the first time you have to open a bottle table side, the guest orders a 90 dollar bottle. With my step by step instruction and a little practice, you’ll be an expert in no time. Let’s watch as Jane presents a bottle of wine.
Step one: present the bottle of wine to the person who ordered it and confirm it is the bottle that they order. Next, take a step back to open the bottle out of the way of the guest. Jane’s carefully opening the foil cutting blade, she circles the lip of the wine bottle and definitely removes the foil capper then she closes the blade, opens the corkscrew and places the tip of the corkscrew in the middle of the cork. She then begins to twist the corkscrew until the coil portion is embedded in the cork.
If you have to, you can rest the wine bottle on your thigh to provide leverage while you pull the cork out. Jane will now present the cork to the guest. She pours him a sample taste, he’ll inspect the cork and taste the wine and then give the go ahead to pour the wine. Notice that Jane pours from the right side with the label facing the guest, she also pour to the woman first and then the gentlemen who ordered the wine last.
Did you see that? Jane gave the bottle a twist as she lifted it away from the glass and then wiped the mouth of the bottle to prevent dripping the wine on either the guest or the table cloth. She also poured each glass half full the appropriate amount, and she kept the neck about one to two inches from the glass. You always want to avoid touching the bottle to the glass. Also, notice that Jane placed the bottle near the person who ordered it. This will allow him to further inspect the bottle or pour the wine should Jane not be around and that’s all there is to wine presentation. Remember to keep an eye on your tables, when they run out of wine ask the person who ordered if they like another bottle. As a server you should be familiar with the different types of wine glasses. Becca, could you go over the different types of glasses used in wine service?
Becca: Sure. A basic rule is that the more expensive the wine the more important the glass. There are three types of wine glasses. First, the fluted glass is a taller, thinner wine glass that should be used to serve champagne and other sparkling wines. Second, the tulip-shaped glass is used for white wine and the larger more bowl shaped glass is used for red wine. The larger opening found in red wine glasses allows the wine to breathe and for the bouquet of the wine to develop.
Bill: Okay. In summary, you should know wine that pairs well with your entrees and have a favorite reed, white and sparkling wine that your restaurant offers. Try to expand your knowledge of wine whenever possible through wine tastings or wine books. Let’s move on to after dinner drinks. Many people enjoy a cup of coffee after their dinner; you should take advantage of this and present them with an array of after dinner drink options. Becca, what are the most common?
Becca: Espresso based drinks are great alternative to regular coffee. Some common espresso drinks are Latte which is an espresso with steamed milk; mocha, which is espresso with chocolate and steamed milk; café ole, which is half coffee and half steamed milk; cappuccino, which is 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 froth milk or foam and lastly a shot of espresso, sometimes it is serve with a lemon slice or sugar cubes. All of these espresso drinks can easily have alcohol added to them. One of my personal favorites is a latte with Bailey’s Irish cream. Now coffee drinks aren’t are you’re only for after dinner drinks, ports other desert wines and sipping scotches are also great options to offer your guests. Familiarize yourself with the after dinner drinks that your restaurant offers and be sure to point them out to your guest.
Bill: Alright, I think that sums it up for beverage service. Remember, your guiding the guest through their dinning experience. Make it an enjoyable one for them and in the end, for you.
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