Cocktails in the Country

[birder53]

I took Gary Regan's Cocktails in the Country course this past weekend. A wonderful and informative time was had by all. While the course is intended for bartenders or those aspiring to be bartenders, he graciously allowed seats for some of us who just love cocktails. Gary is very entertaining and thanks to him it might be years before I can get Lonnie Donegan's recording of "Have a Drink on Me" out of my head. There were ten "students". Five were currently in the business, one is thinking of it and four just love to make great drinks at home.

I certainly got an appreciation for how difficult it is to be a good bartender. If I ever harbored any thoughts of getting behind the bar, I think he cured me of that. You need to be a diplomat, entertainer, speed demon, and make and serve every walk of life that present themselves at your bar. It also explained why I prefer to drink at home. Very few bartenders that I have come across can do what Gary explained as the responsibilities of the job.

It was interesting to hear bartenders say that they won't order cocktails when they go out because most bartenders don't know how to make a decent drink. They size up the bartender first, but most said they stick to wine or beer when they go out.

If anyone is interested in the course, check out Ardent Spirits

A special thanks to Robert Hess for recommending this class to me. It was a blast!