All Entries in the "Athens" Category
Winning Bartender: Adam Hyde – Athens, Georgia
What was the inspiration for your Lime Bite creation? For my drink, I wanted to create a drink with a BITE but that still evoked the refreshingness of all the great previous Captain Morgan’s cocktails to date. With the watermelon and fresh basil bringing the refreshing aromatic notes to the drink, I tied in the BITE with Captain Morgan Lime Bite, the jalapeno and the premium ginger ale. All in all creating a masterpiece the Captain would gladly stand for.
What is your favorite Captain Morgan cocktail? My favorite Captain Morgan cocktail would have to be the simple, yet outstanding Captain Morgan Private Stock on the rocks with a splash of coke.
What is the most important tool a bartender must have? For me, the most important tool a bartender must have is patience. Patience to take the time to learn the multifaceted aspects of being a bartender and gain the knowledge to be well versed in all forms of cocktails. Patience to learn how to manage the most unruly of crowds as well as the most compliant crowds in order to benefit the bar which he/she represents as well as themselves to the greatest potential. Patience is always a bartender’s best tool.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a bartender? My advice for an aspiring bartender would have to be, to prepare yourself daily. The job of a bartender is defined as simply as a server of drinks. However, being a good/great bartender not only requires time and dedication, but the determination to conquer the undeniably challenging tasks one will be faced with each and every night. You’re not just a bartender; you’re responsible for providing enjoyable times and memories for hundreds of patrons each and every night and each night will present a different crowd and situation in which you must manipulate in order to be the best bartender you can be. No one night will ever be the same as the next. Preparation is key.
Tell us one thing about tending bar that we may not know. Besides all the popular beliefs, made famous by the movie Cocktail, bartending isn’t the easy, glamorous job with the high source of income one may believe it to be. Sure there are opportunities for great income, but that only comes to the bartenders who take advantage of the opportunity and become a great bartender. The more you want to be the best bartender, the more dividends that will be reciprocated in the long run. So in short, although bartending can be fun and a party every night, it is still a job and those who are good bartenders take it seriously.
How do you deal with overly intoxicated consumers? When trying to handle the overly intoxicated customers, I try to handle them with the upmost respect. By doing so, I hope to create a rapport with them in order to handle the situation without a hitch. Just cutting them off will often upset them and having them thrown out will not leave them with a good impression of yourself or the establishment you work at. Obviously, I would offer them water or another non-alcoholic beverage first and politely suggest that they not drink anymore. While doing so, I will take notice of the surrounding patrons to see if I could determine a group of friends he/she may be with. And possibly alert them to the situation. I would also inform my coworkers of the overly intoxicated customer to prevent them from selling to him/her. Hopefully, the situation will have taken care of itself and the patron would understand. If they were to become unruly and overly annoyed with the service, I would then alert the proper security and inform them to ask the patron to leave politely. Always being polite and considerate will leave the door open for repeat customers and more potential sales.
Captain’s Sweet Heat Bite
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan lime bite
3 tsp of Watermelon Spirit Twister
3-4 oz. Blenheim Ginger Ale
1/4 of a fresh jalapeño, seeded/deveined
4-5 1″ cubes of grilled watermelon w/sea salt
4-5 leaves of fresh basil
Preparation:
Grill watermelon topped with sea salt. Let watermelon cool and cut into 1″ cubes. Cut fresh jalapeño into fourths, deseed and devein. Put watermelon cubes, fresh jalapeño and basil in shaker. Muddle thoroughly. Add Captain Morgan Lime Bite and Watermelon Spirit Twisters. Shake thoroughly. Strain mixture twice before pouring over ice to remove excess pulp and leaves. Once over ice, top with Blenheim Ginger Ale. Stir. Garnish with a watermelon slice and fresh basil. Relax, refresh, and repeat.