You're 86

Fine dining and high-end casual restaurants can be very exciting and lucrative places to work. You get the chance to work with well respected chefs and staff, the pay is usually higher and the media attention is exciting too. But the unique challenges of high-end restaurants can make working in that environment exhausting if you're not prepared for it. High-end restaurants are often more complicated and more stressful. Solid teamwork is a must in that kind of environment. If the operation isn't firing on all cylinders, things can fall apart quickly.

My guest today is Mike Miranti, he’s worked and managed several high-end restaurants in New York, including Becco and Sen Sakana. He’s currently head server at Feroce in Manhattan and he is also a co-host of the Not a Foodie Podcast. Mike shared a lot of great advice about the challenges of high-end restaurants, including a time when the sewer overflowed into their bathroom.

Be sure to check out our conversation in the player or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to hit subscribe. We have new conversations every week about some of the biggest challenges in the industry.  Be sure to visit our homepage,  and if you haven't already, sign up for our mailing list. It's a great way to catch up on anything you missed. Thanks so much for listening! I'll see you next time

Have you ever thought about starting a craft spirits company? Many of us working behind the bar wonder where our careers will lead us next. Although I do believe one can have a long career in service, many people just don't want to. Starting your own spirits brand is an alluring career move, especially since we're so familiar with the market and the products that are available. Many bartenders have started brands or consulted with producers to create products that work better in cocktails or to bring back products that were unavailable. Absinthe, for example, didn't start to become widely available in the US until after the laws were amended in 2007. At the time, domestic production was almost non existent.

Starting your own company and creating a new product can be an extremely rewarding career, but it also comes with a lot of hard work and challenges to overcome. My guest today is Absinthia Vermut, founder of Absinthia's Bottled Spirits. Absinthia fell in love with the category in the late Nineties and began bootlegging absinthe at home. In 2013 she founded her company and began working towards bringing her organic absinthe brand, which is absolutely delicious and I'm not just saying that because she sponsored this episode, to market.

Absinthia had a lot to share about the challenges she faced starting her company, everything from legal nightmares getting the label approved with the TTB to marketing a still widely misunderstood product category. Check out our conversation about starting a craft spirits company in the player or wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to visit our homepage and check out Absinthia's website to learn more about her story. She's also started a new podcast about absinthe, so be sure to subscribe to that as well. Thanks so much for listening, I'll see you next time!

Welcome back! I Hope 2020 is treating you well so far. Have you ever thought about competitive bartending? It can be an amazing way to learn new skills and move forward in your career, but it’s not without its challenges, everything from balancing training time with your daily schedule to finding support for your cause, and some you may not even expect. Competitive bartending is definitely one of the more exciting directions you can go in this industry.

My guest today is Jessi Lorraine. She has been in the industry for more than seven years at bars like Absinthe and Bon Voyage, and she’s the winner of the most recent Speed Rack competition in California. Speed Rack is an intense, all-female, high-speed bartending competition which has raised more than one million dollars to date for breast cancer research. Jessi has competed in other competitions as well, such as Bacardi Legacy, and she also manages Elda, where we recorded this interview.

Jessi had a ton of amazing insights about competitive bartending and some excellent advice for anyone interested in getting into competitions. Listen to the episode in the player or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more. Also be sure to check out our homepage for more great advice on some of the biggest challenges in our industry

Wow! it's been a long and crazy year. So much has happened here at You're 86, and here we are almost into the 20s again! Fortunately we don't have prohibition this time around.  We've covered a lot on the show this year and I wanted to give you my 2019 top 10 tips for bartenders.

These are my favorite bits of knowledge from all of the interviews this past year. They are things that have definitely helped me, and I hope they help you too. Listen to the episode in the player or wherever podcasts are found. Be sure to share with your friends in the industry too. Read on after the break for the list of my top 10 tips for bartenders.

2019 top 10 tips for bartenders

1 - From Episode 0: One of the easiest ways to spot a counterfeit bill is by looking for the vertical security thread. All US currency notes of denominations of $5 or higher, printed after the early 90s will have this thread. You'll spot it easily when you hold the bill up to light. I recommend using the light of your POS screen to discreetly check out the bill.

2 - From Episode 2: Nurse Andrew Campbell advised, when you cut yourself, rinse the cut with water and apply pressure with clean gauze. If necessary, wash the area around the cut with soap and water. Putting soap, rubbing alcohol or anything else in the cut itself can actually cause more damage.

3 - From Episode 4: Beverage Director Andrew Meltzer recommended, when you have to cut someone off, plan ahead, be clear and offer alternatives. Use it as an opportunity to provide further hospitality.

4 - From Episode 5: Founder of Jigger and Dash Tanya Clark suggested finding the type of exercise that is right for you and that you're excited about. If you don't like running, no one is making you go running. There's something out there for you.

5 - From Episode 10: Beverage Director Enoch Tonatiuh recommended taking a vacation after opening a new bar. As soon as the dust settles and your operation starts to get into a groove, take a few days off for yourself. Opening a new bar is both exhilarating and incredibly stressful.

6 - From Episode 12: Mark Goodwin of The Pin Project had so much to say about our relationship with alcohol as bartenders. One of his recommendations for those times when you're offered a shot but don't want to take one is to take a shot of grapefruit juice instead. Not only will the sugar in the juice help appease the part of your brain that wants alcohol, you’ll still be taking part in the ritual of taking a shot with friends.

7 - From Episode 17: Hannah Chamberlain of Spirited LA stressed the importance of greeting every guest that walks in. Prepare a greeting that works for you and your bar and use it every time anyone walks in.

8 - From Episode 18: Joanna Lioce, long-time bartender at Vesuvio Cafe, has had to kick out a lot of drunken guests in her tenure there. She recommends not making it personal and not taking it personally when you have to eject a misbehaving patron.

9 - From Episode 21: Saving money can be difficult when you work in the industry, but personal finance expert Sarah Brady says the easiest way to save money is to make the process automatic. With your bank, set up an automatic transfer of part of your paycheck to a savings account every month. Choose whatever amount works for you.

10 - From Episodes 23 and 26: Both Keli Rivers and Rebecca Hopkins recommended the best way to not get to drunk at industry events is to not finish your drink. Take a sip and then casually leave it somewhere.

There you have it, my 2019 top 10 tips for bartenders. Thanks so much for listening and stay tuned for more great advice in 2020! Be sure to visit our home page for all of our previous episodes and much more. New episodes every week, so don’t forget to hit subscribe.

This is probably the craziest time of year for all sides of our industry, and surviving that holiday stress isn't easy. Our jobs are extra busy with company buyouts, we have to manage expectations of family and friends, we have holiday parties to host and attend, and that's on top of all the usual end of year stress. Despite all of the bright and cheerful decorations, this can be an incredibly dark and hopeless time of year.

My guest today is Rebecca Hopkins. She's been in the wine industry for more than 25 years, she's currently Vice President of Communications and Partner at Folio Fine Wine Partners based in Napa, CA. In 2018, Rebecca founded and launched A Balanced Glass, which is a wonderful website providing education and resources on health and wellbeing for our industry. She recently published a couple of pieces about surviving holiday stress, and she had a lot of advice to share.

Listen to our conversation in the player or wherever podcasts are found,. Please share this with your friends and colleagues in the industry too. This is advice that can benefit everyone and it's really important to support each other during this crazy time. Be sure to also check out our homepage for much, much more. And don’t forget to hit subscribe and stay tuned for more. I’ll see you next time!

Handling drunken holiday crowds is a challenging inevitability in our industry.  Days like St. Patricks Day, Cinco de Mayo and New Year's Eve can bring massive crowds of imbibers to your bar. Often, these are groups of people who have already been drinking elsewhere, and it can be hard to tell how much they've had already. This can be a dangerous challenge when you are extra busy with the high volume of customers and your awareness is lower. So how do we survive these crazy drinking holidays?

My guest today is barman Eddie Chann. He has worked in the hospitality industry for more than eight years in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eddie is no stranger to big crowds of drunken revelers. In addition to all of the usual holidays, one of Eddie's former bars, Blind Tiger in Oakland, Calif., was a popular bar crawl destination during the monthly First Friday event.

Eddie shared some great advice about how good communication, careful observation of your coworker's movements, practiced efficiency and how simply slowing down a little bit when something bad happens can help you get through even the toughest and craziest crowds.

Check out our conversation in the player to learn about Handling drunken holiday crowds, and don’t forget to hit subscribe and check out our homepage for more. We have new conversations every week, so stay tuned.  Also, if you want to get some holiday shopping out of the way, we've got new items in the shop. I’ll see you next time!

Some perfectly serviceable Crémant d'Alsace from my corner store.

We've learned a ton of great stuff this month, and it's a lot to remember. Which is why I like to do these quick tips for bartenders episodes. It's sort of a recap of the past four episodes. And as has become tradition, I drink a bottle of wine from my corner store. This month it's a perfectly serviceable Crémant d'Alsace.

This month, we had financial expert Sarah Brady talk about personal finance for bartenders in Episode 21.  She suggested many simple changes you can make to improve you financial wellness. We also talked with counseling psychologist Brenna McHugh in Episode 22 about mental health in the bar industry. Brenna gave some excellent tips that you can use daily to improve your mental wellbeing.

In Episode 23, I got to sit down with brand ambassador Keli Rivers and learn about the ins and outs of her career and how she made the transition from behind the bar. Finally, in Episode 24, I talked about the importance of taking breaks during this busy holiday season. I offered some advice on what has helped me feel more calm and grounded during my shifts.

Be sure to check out this episode with all of these quick tips for bartenders like you in the player or wherever podcasts are found. Don't forget to hit subscribe, as we have new episodes every week on some of the most important topics in our industry.

That’s all for this week, but be Sure to also visit our homepage for much, much more. Also, let me know what you think or if there’s anything you want to hear more of. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a message through our contact page.  I’d love to hear from you! Be sure to sign up for our mailing list as well. It's another way to stay up to date with all of this great information. I'll see you next time!

It's important to take breaks, especially when it's busy.

It's important to take breaks while working at the bar. Our jobs can be very stressful and fast paced, especially during the busy holiday season. Marathon weeks of holiday buyouts coupled with the general holiday frenzy and our own personal end of year woes create an unpleasant cocktail of stress, exhaustion and anxiety. And because we're so busy with work and everything else, it's easy to let other healthy habits of eating, drinking and exercise slip to the bottom of our priority list. If we don't give our minds and bodies time to catch up, the long term effects can be serious or even fatal. Many different studies show a significant increase of coronary related death during the holiday season.

When you do take a break, it's important to really take a break. Standing in the walk-in and continuing to worry about what's happening on the floor isn't really taking a break. Your mind and body are still in a state of stress and anxiety. This is something I personally struggle with as well. For most of us, it's really challenging to let go and truly take a break.

Although it may not feel like it, it really is ok to just stop thinking about the floor for a couple of minutes. Worrying about it isn't going to help the situation, and it will actually make things worse for you. And honestly, stepping away for a couple minutes isn't really going to affect service very much. Everything will still be there when you return, but you will be much better prepared to handle it because you gave yourself a chance to catch up.

Check out my advice about taking breaks in this shorter episode, in the player or wherever podcasts are found.  I know this holiday season is busy, so I'm giving you some quick advice to help get you through. You can even listen to this episode on your break if you want to. Be sure to visit our homepage for much, much more, and let me know how this is working out for you. You can leave a comment or send me a message through our contact page. Thanks so much for tuning in, and I’ll see you next time.

Where do you go next in your career? It’s a scary question to ask. With so many directions to go in, it's hard to know where to begin. It's a question I’m also trying to figure out myself. One of the many options is to become a brand ambassador. It’s a dream that a lot of us have, and it can seem like a pretty magical career. Have you ever been to a brand sponsored event for bartenders? The brand ambassador is like a rockstar sometimes. But the job isn't all parties and company credit cards, it's a lot of hard work too.

My guest today Keli Rivers, she’s been in hospitality for 26 years, all over the world. She helped open many bars including Whitechapel here in the city, and she’s now the brand ambassador for Sipsmith Gin. Keli shared a ton of great advice about how she navigated the transition from behind the bar to representing a brand and category that is really important to her.

Hear what she had to say about her career and how she made the decisions that led her to where she is today. You can listen to our conversation in the player or wherever podcasts are found. Don't forget to hit subscribe and check out our homepage for much, much more. I'll see you next time!

We've talked quite a bit about mental health in the bar industry on this show recently, and I don't think it's a subject we'll put to rest anytime soon. Bartending can be an incredibly taxing job. The sheer number of interactions we have with people every shift is mentally exhausting enough, not to mention all of the other challenges we face on top of that. Long, odd hours, low pay, physical labor and alcohol abuse can lead to mental health problems if we don't take care of ourselves. But what can we do, and how do we begin to change?

My guest today is Brenna McHugh. She's worked in the industry for more than ten years as a bartender, national spirits judge and brand ambassador. Recently, Brenna completed her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, with the specific goal of supporting mental health and career longevity in our industry. She currently works as a counselor at an inpatient substance abuse treatment center and leads talks and events about industry-wide mental health issues.

Brenna shared so much helpful advice on mental health in the bar industry. So be sure to listen to our conversation in the player, or wherever podcasts are found. Please share this with your friends and colleagues in the industry too, this is advice that can benefit everyone. Check out our homepage for much, much more and don't forget to hit subscribe. I'll see you next time!