The 'Ol One Hand Two Spoon

If you have two hands so you might as well use both of them. I'm sure you have seen bartenders employing a variety of method's to insure effeciency of putting drinks out to guests. The shaker in one hand the spoon in the other, the two shakers going at once, and the stir or shaking in one hand while jiggering out a completely different drink in the process. But what about the two spoons in one hand technique. That's right I have just given you a reason to buy more bar spoons! How is this technique executed? I'll walk you through it.  Start with the Japanese style of stirring with one spoon in the normal position between the middle and ring fingers with shaft resting in the palm between the first digit and the thumb. I will refer to this spoon as the top spoon. The second spoon, which I will refer to as the lower spoon, rests in the same space but slides between the ring and pinky finger. So far so good right? Now comes the difficult part of actually moving the spoons in unison.

Here we go:

1. Move the mixing glasses close together

2. Insert the spoons at the same angle with the spoon facing the same direction (I like to start at the top left)

3. I start by pulling the spoons towards me which should move them clockwise. (you can stir in any direction you freakin want though)

4. This is the step that is the most difficult and will determine weather or not you wil have success and get a full rotation. You have to release your ring finger from the lower spoon and push the top spoon forward (moving it clockwise). This is what you would do normally with just the one spoon. The lower spoon get pushed forward with the pinky. In order to accomplish this you must crimp the shaft a bit where it rest between the upper palm and thumb.

5. Repeat.

It's really not the most elegant or aesthetically pleasing stirs. Using this method is actually kind of jerky and spastic. Also it's pretty freaking hard to master with both hands. It takes a lot of practice and hand strength. So far I can only do it affectively with my right hand but lefty is learning. That means I can stir two drinks while shaking another which is cool. Theoretically in the future I will be able to stir four drinks at once which goes beyond cool into the stupid/ridiculous area.

A side note: I have only used this method with Yarai mixing glasses. I fear that a standard pint might topple over so proceed with caution if you are not using a weightier mixing glass. Also, this is even more of a pain in the ass to accomplish with Kold Draft ice though I have been successful. If this is too confusing to read and visualize I will happily post a crappy video showing the movements.

Batching and Bottling Cocktails

Imagine coming home from a long day of work and reaching into your fridge and instead of reaching for a beer reaching for a bottle that contains your favorite cocktail. Sounds nice right? Sure it does. 

Basically batching a cockail is like baking. You simply multiply the recipe to get the desired quantity. However, there are some steps and guidelines I should cover before beginning:

1. Choosing a cocktail. I would recommend that you do not make a prebatch with juice unless you are absolutely sure you will be going though all of it before it expires. Using spirits (vermouth should be fine for up to a month or so in the fridge) cocktails allows for longer storage life.

2. The math. Make sure you are accurate in your conversions in whatever measurement you are using either in parts or some other volume unit.

3. To dilute or not to dilute? 

a. Diluting the cocktail before bottling can be achieved by exposing the whole batch to ice and treating it like one big cocktail or, my preferrence, adding chilled water is small doses until it tastes right. This option is nice if you have refrigeration space to keep them cold. 

b. Dilute afterwards if you do not have refrigerator space to store your batch cold. You can dilute as much as you need as you want to drink it.

Your choice will depend on the presentation that you desire as well as your access to ice and refrigeration. Either way these options make great gifts if you bottle them individually. Keep that in mind for the upcoming holidays.

As a side note the application behind the bar is pretty obvious. It keeps the drink consistent everytime no matter who makes it or how busy it is.

Bartenders and Tennis Elbow

I read an article in the New York Times about injuries that bartender’s in New York have sustained. I myself have developed several aches and pains due to this profession. We have issues mainly with the arms and back. Lifting kegs, bending over the ice well for hours, the constant twisting and turning at awkward angles all contribute to back pain after awhile. The arms are constantly in use from the shoulder to the fingers. The injury I want to emphasize the most in this post is Tennis Elbow. Why is this injury so prevalent? Is there a trend of bartenders getting seriously into tennis? Well, you can get Tennis Elbow without playing tennis. Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, develops from repetitive motion that stresses the tendons in the outside aspect of the elbow and causes them to develop tiny little tears.  Tennis players get this from hitting their backhand shots.  I actually found a list of the most dangerous movements that cause tennis elbow which are as follows:

•    Simultaneously rotating the elbow while the wrist is bent
•    Gripping something strongly while rotating the wrist
•    A jerky throwing movement
•    Movements to hit object with a hand

Repetitive motions over and over again? Ring any bells? Holding bottles that twist the wrists into odd angles, polishing glassware, stirring and especially shaking all put stress on the tendons in the arms. Even excessive hand shaking ( I swear! ) can cause tennis elbow. Any one of the above could cause injury and tending bar involves three of the four minus the jerky throwing motion, though I guess it depends where you work. Ouch.

If you have tennis elbow follow the R.I.C.E. principle: Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate. If you can take the time off this will help. If you have a long weekend and it already hurts I would suggest icing after every shift. Take it easy on your days off to let the healing process really take effect. Drink lots of water and stretch.

You can prevent these injuries from occurring. Stretching is a great start. Really bartenders need to exercise and strengthen their core and their arms. Do some pushups, pull-ups and basic core strengthening. Next warm up before your shift. Seriously. I know this is beginning to sound like a workout but going into your first shaken drink cold is as bad as doing any physical activity without first warming up the muscles. Do some jumping jacks, burpees, or go for a quick run around the block. Get the blood moving and the muscles warm. After your shift ice your arms while you have a beer.

Next we need to look the movements behind the bar that cause injury and refine them to better suit the body.

1. Basic standing technique. I know that sounds silly but if you notice the way you stand then you will realize how lazy you get after that fifth hour. You start to jut one hip out which props you up fine but rolls the pelvis forward and compresses the lower back. Stay engaged with your core. Do not allow yourself to get lazy. Change your stances up to prevent this but always make sure the core is engaged. When leaning over the ice well make sure that your knees are slightly bent and not locked. With the knees slightly bent and core engaged, you have a strong but not compressed back. With locked knees the lower back compresses and it is actually weaker and hurts more. Try it. It’s an obvious difference.

2.  Shaking. Keep it more tight and close to the body. Try to not move the elbows back and forth so much. Let the stronger shoulders do most of the work and absorb the shock. You will achieve the same dilution as proven by the guys at Cooking Issues here and you should still be able to shake it hard enough to develop that nice and frothy texture. Also, if your establishment allows, look into lighter shaker options such as cheater tins instead of glass.

3.  Stirring. Keep the elbow as straight as possible while stirring. I know, it looks weird but give it a try if pain is an issue for you.

4. Holding bottles. I know when it gets busy you just got to grab and go, but start to pay attention to how you hold a bottle. Try whenever possible to grab the bottom where the weight is and turn the bottle from that point. Keep the wrist straight. This will cause less stress over time than grabbing the bottleneck and twisting the heavy end with your wrist over and over and over again. 

 5.  Polishing. Kind of screwed on this one. The only thing I can think of is to not do too many at once. Break it up so you arm can rest in between.

 6. Lifting. There is plenty of info out there on how to lift properly. Make sure you do it. Don’t be a tough guy. Get help with the really awkward and heavy stuff.

 7. Straps. These support your tendons while you are doing the movements described above. Get a pair and wear them.

Tending bar is an active job that requires many movements that are not great for your joints and tendons. Overuse will take its toll more quickly than you think. Injury results in loss of shifts and therefore money so take care of yourselves so that you are able to stay behind the bar for many more years to come.