We got a liquor license here at the theater late last year. When appropriate, we have a cash bar before shows and during intermission. We’ve been hiring freelance bartenders and servers and, honestly, our sales volume is so low that we’ve barely made a profit. But, it’s a service our patrons ask for, so we comply.
Recently, however, our bartender failed to arrive. The show must go on! What to do…what to do…??? Knowing full well I was opening a wiggly can of worms, I happened to mention that in my wild and wooly days I waited cocktails and tended bar a bit.
Can you guess who’s the new bartender?
I live in fear that someone is actually going to ask me to make a real drink. But, so far, it’s mostly been wine, various substances on the rocks, and the occasional gin and tonic. I can handle that.
I had 61 days from my first bartending gig in which to complete an alcohol awareness class and apply for a server’s permit. My class was yesterday. It’s all done but the shoutin’, baby! I’m legal!
Five hours. It took FIVE LONG HOURS in class. If we hadn’t had so many “bonding” experiences, we could have been out of there in an hour and a half, but I don’t make the rules. I just endure them.
I did learn something interesting, though. Apparently, there’s a gentleman who has several stuffed dragons that he carries around with him from bar to bar. The dragons share a name, but I can’t recall what it is right now. Anyway, he orders the dragon a drink, and the two of them consume their beverages, with the dragon’s nose being occasionally dipped down into its own glass. If just one of my classmates had related this tale, I would have written him off as a weirdo, but more than one person in the room had served the dragon. It’s for real! I’m kind of hoping the Dragon Man is a lover of the arts, but I have a feeling I’ll never serve the two of them at my bar. I’m almost disappointed.
April 1, 2009 at 10:37 pm |
LOL – That’s hysterical. You’re totally a renegade! Now, this all brings up all sorts of ideas like … Now that you have the permit, you could moonlight anywhere. On the theatrical side of things – A lot of the places in the city (and even in the Adks) do the “free” wine thing, with the donation cup on the bar. I honestly can’t believe they are still getting away with it. AND finally – The most amusing (and most insider-ish news … One of the Broadway producers has now started using these sort of “Adult Sippy Cups” for the intermission bar, so people can take the drink back to their seats.
April 2, 2009 at 9:53 am |
We give away a lot of free wine, but in the process of getting our license, we learned that we cannot give away anything that we’ve bought! Weird rule. It has to be donated wine. And, we have to give it away in a “private” setting – such as an invitation-only reception…nowhere that the general public has access. The sippy cup idea will be a big hit at staff meeting! LOL!
April 2, 2009 at 10:40 am |
I’ll have a martini, extra dry, on the rocks, with a twist,….. Tangueray!
April 2, 2009 at 11:04 am |
OMG that is scary. Make sure you have your bartender’s manual in a drawer! Good luck!