When I first stepped behind the bar as a Bartender, that’s exactly what I considered myself. Today, I still think of myself as a Bartender although we are seeing more terms like Mixologist or Bar Chef emerging to describe the fine art of bartending. These terms have come about to describe the difference between those who take the profession of bartending seriously and those that use the profession as a stepping stone to another career.
Before Prohibition, Bartending was seen as a fine profession. You didn’t just jump behind the bar and begin pouring drinks. You had to be an apprentice to the Bartender, learning for years about the Craft of the Cocktail. You had to know how to mix a cocktail, the spirits you where working with and most importantly how to treat the customer. Jerry Thomas was probably the father of Mixology, writing the first cocktail book in 1862 “The Bon Vivant’s Companion”. During Prohibition, we lost all those Masters of the Bar as they left for Europe to practice the craft. Furthermore, we lost a lot of knowledge and experience on how to truly operate a bar and mix drinks. ...