Bartending Basics Video Tutorial
How to Pour Drinks
Using a Shot Glass
Learning how to pour drinks properly, efficiently and quickly is paramount to becoming a good bartender.
It may seem like something so simple, but without practice pouring mixed drinks, a bartender will not be able to keep up in a fast-paced bar or nightclub. Great bartenders are fluid in their movements, never stopping from one action to the next, from one customer to the next. This is not something learned from reading a book – you have to pour hundreds of drinks before you get into the swing of things and get your flow on.
How to Pour Drinks Bartending Basics
Start by practising at home with an empty bottle of vodka filled with water. Pour multiple drinks, with mix and garnish in as many combinations as you can think of.
Even if you work in a slower establishment, you can still practise being quick (for when you go out and find that job at the club you want) by going as fast as you can for each order you get. Even if they’re 30 minutes apart.
Want to become a good bartender? Then learn how to mix drinks and practice, practice, practice till you’re a pro.This video goes through the steps needed for nearly every drink you serve. This tutorial is at a slow pace and full of great tips for quick, efficient service. With enough practise at home and at the bar when its dead, nobody will know you’re inexperienced – even if you are.
Bartending Basics Video Tutorial: How to Pour Drinks | How to Pour Using a Shot Glass [Transcript]
My name is Reese Richards and today we’re going to give you a little tutorial on bartending basics. And this bartending basics will be “How to Hold the Bottle and then How to Pour”. Ok, so first you need a couple of shot glasses and ah.. I have two pour spouts here – one is a regular pour spout and the other is a measured pour spout. My glasses are back here, i have my ice and my scoop here. Ok, normally in a regular bartending situation, a club or a restaurant – anything basically other than a very fast pace nightclub, you should always, always use a scoop. Some people will argue that you should always use the scoop no matter what. However, these glasses are very very thick, these rocks glasses. Ok, so they very very rarely break in the ice. A pint glass is very likely to break in the ice – so you should never scoop with a pint glass. Ok, rocks glass only if you’re in a nightclub because it has to be fast right. So generally, you’re here (scooping ice) and here (pouring ice on the rocks glass). Ok, but in a nightclub setting i will xxx two glasses at the same time and fill them both with ice. Just because it’s a lot quicker and these have… I don’t think they have ever broken on me, not here anyway. Ok, so in a nightclub go ahead use the thick glasses for digging the ice. But otherwise, stick with your scoop. The most faster the more you are a professional. Ok, now let’s talk about holding the bottle. Ok, so here is your bottle. This is just filled with water, so you can do the same thing just dry the bottle and fill with water. Get one of these little pour spouts. Ok and this is going to be your practice bottle. So, when holding, when holding the bottle if you’re right handed like i am, you’ll want to hold the neck and put your finger over the top of the spout, here (top of the spout). Ok, so hold that neck and put your finger over the spout. And what you’re doing is you’re trying to come up with a kind of a swing. So it basically goes up like this (swing’s bottle). Ok, so you’re arching around like that. Ok so, let’s get started. Let’s say that we do use the scoop. So, scoop the ice, fill it up (glass). Always fill up your drinks full of ice. Okay. It makes the drink taste stronger. For a start they use a lot less xxx or mix. Ok, so then we have our shot glass which should always be turned upside down because you have to let the previous liquid or alcohol drain out of it. Ok, you don’t want to put xxx and you leave it like this (flipped upward) and then i pour a vodka shot and its chocolate martini instead of a vodka water or something. Ok, so always always xxx to leave this down, face down. So what we want to do is xxx here, xxx the ice. Ok then i want to flip my glass up, i’m gonna bring my bottle at the same time. Ok, i’m going to pull here and a 45 degree angle. And then i’m going to turn to stop. Ok, so 45 degree angle. Pour. Here i am going to turn to stop and pour. Ok, so you want to practice that a couple of times. I’ll practice again with two hands. I’m not gonna use the ice scoop. And here it is(scoops glass on ice). One in. Grab(shot glass), flip it up. Pour and stop. Ok and make sure when you pour into the glass, shooter glassCLICK HERE to check this product in our barstore. with the liquid in it is very close to the ice. Because otherwise, if you pour from here (too far from the glass) it will splash off the ice.