Sorry for the severe lack of posts the past monthish. I've got recipes, and I've tried new liquors...I just have been slacking on posting them.
On to the post: My amazing 13-year-old cousin goes to this really cool arts and sciences school--I imagine kind of like the high school we visited while I was in the Gifted/Talented program when I lived in Oklahoma and wished I could someday attend. Anyway, they did a project where they chose a profession and interviewed somebody about said profession. Her choice was Mixologist, and while those of you who know me know my general distaste for the term "mixologist" I am all for the movement to view bartending as a viable career path and option once again, and if putting a label like that on it helps, well...I'll suck up my distaste. Bottom line, I was thrilled to get to answer her questions. I had a great time answering, and I'd love to give insight to some others who might wonder just what it is people like me do, and why we do it. I've altered the question re: pay. I feel awkward putting hard numbers out on the web like that, so instead of exploring potential pay rates of various potential mixological careers, I'll just mention the various potential careers.
1. What is your favorite part of your job?
Every day is different than the one before—I meet different people, create different drinks and menus, and do different things. I also get to take care of people—welcome them into my “home” and hopefully make their days something more than they otherwise might have been. I get to introduce people and watch friendships develop. I get to make bad days better for people. I get to compete in competitions and be creative, and there are a number of different roads I could take within my profession if I wanted to.
2. How much do people in your profession usually make?
That can vary quite a lot. There are many different roads that mixologists can take, and that leads to different salaries. You have the ones who bartend and/or manage in cocktail bars or restaurants. If you work in a corporate restaurant environment you could become a corporate mixologist/Beverage Director for a company like TGI Friday, or Applebee's, or Outback, or something along those lines. You could decide to do consulting work on the side—or even open your own consulting firm (helping create menus for other bars/restaurants, helping others with cost-controls and systems like inventory and ordering and training, etc.). If you're VERY talented, and like the idea of lots of travel and publicity, you could get the opportunity as a Brand Ambassador/Global Brand Ambassador for a big liquor brand like Tanqueray or Absolut, or any other number of brands. You could also choose to open your own cocktail bar/restaurant. That salary, of course, will vary depending on how successful your venture is.
3. Do you like your job?
I love my job. I never stop learning, and creating, and there are so many things I can do with it throughout my lifetime if I so choose. I never get bored.
4. What led you to become a mixologist?
I went to school initially for theatre performance. The plan was, all stage actors move to New York and wait tables or bartend until they get their break, so my best bet was to get some restaurant experience before I made a move like that. I started serving, and ended up falling in love with hospitality—and getting my degree in Anthropology with a focus on Archaeology—nothing even close to what I do now. I started working for a company where I got the chance to learn every position in the restaurant—paperwork, kitchen, management, bar, etc. I also helped open other restaurants in other cities. The restaurant I managed for had subscriptions to various industry magazines, and I started learning that there was more to the bar world than just making drinks—there was a whole creative and imaginative process, and so many technical aspects—how to shake cocktails properly, how to muddle fruits and herbs properly so the drink isn't bitter, how to balance flavors...I also started learning the different profiles and production styles of various liquors and beers and wines. I became obsessed, and after a lot of books and magazines and websites, I eventually started trying it out myself. I made (and sometimes still do) some SPECTACULARLY terrible combinations in the beginning. I learned, though, and now I can usually come up with a rough recipe for a drink before I even touch the ingredients I want to use.
5. How many years have you done this profession?
I've been in hospitality for about ten years now. The bar side, about four.
6. What exactly do you do?
I think the shorter answer might be what DON'T I do? I create recipes, I study wines and beers (and am studying to take the tests to gain my Levels I and II Sommelier certification—certified wine professional—and Levels 1 and 2 Cicerone certification—certified beer professional), I try to keep up with laws and regulations and potential legal issues affecting my profession, I follow and work to predict trends for liquors and flavors and bar “stuff” in general, I try to keep abreast of new liquor releases, I work on training and education programs for my restaurants and my bartenders, I study restaurant marketing and try to work out relevant promotions for the restaurants/bars I work for, and much more. As far as daily, I keep inventory of and do orders for the liquor/beer/wine I stock, I work out the cost of products and drinks I order and create, I come up with ideas for new menus and promotions, I make flavored syrups from fresh ingredients to use in my cocktails, I mix drinks for people, pour beers and wines, and I play what we jokingly refer to as the “typical” bartender roles—hostess, therapist, friend, alchemist/mad scientist, entertainer, babysitter, matchmaker, mind-reader, and others depending on what any given individual sitting at my bar needs. Different people come to bars and restaurants looking for different reasons and experiences. My job is to help accommodate what they are looking for, within possibility and within reason.
7. What is a bad day for your profession?
Having to cut people off or throw them out. Fights are not actually common, but I've witnessed a few. Computer systems going out due to weather or faulty equipment, forgetting to order something really important...or when you're just having an off day and feel like you can't remember any recipes or keep dropping your equipment, etc. Oh! And when something goes screwy in the computer, or an employee typed a number in wrong and it throws off your paperwork and takes a lot longer to finish your evening because you have to figure out where the problem happened.
8. What kind of benefits do you receive?
Benefits depend on where you work. Some companies offer excellent medical benefits and things like retirement funds (especially corporate restaurants and hotels), and some offer nothing besides food discounts and the like. I am a member of the United States Bartenders' Guild (the US branch of the International Bartenders' Guild—an internationally recognized group of cocktail enthusiasts and bar professionals), and we recently gained access to some very nice health benefits and rates since we're such a large organization. We also have many special educational opportunities to learn more about various aspects of our field. If you choose to involve yourself in the competition circuits, the payoffs can also be incredible at the top levels.
9. What is a good day for your job?
Creating a new drink, discovering a delicious new product, running great numbers on inventory, making people happy, discovering/mastering a new technique.
10. How long do you have to stay in this in this profession before you can retire?
Depends on who you are. Most of us don't keep retirement funds, but I think that's because many of us don't ever see ourselves retiring, per se. I aim to always be involved in some way—even if it means just as an owner and no longer a manager, or running a consulting company and not being as physical as I once was. I don't see myself ever wanting to stop because what I do can be so richly rewarding. I live, eat, drink, and breathe what I do. The hospitality industry is more than just a profession—it's really a way of life. If you do find yourself wanting to retire and you've had some jobs like outlined above and have been smart about stashing money in your own private retirement fund, I don't see why you couldn't retire in the same amount of time that a lot of more “traditional” 30-year types of jobs do.
