Alcademics

Category: bartenders

  • I am BarSmart

    You know that BarSmarts certification I was all stressed about, where we had to learn 25 drinks and a lot of information to pass the written and live bartending test?

    I passed, and am officially BarSmarts Advanced certified. Congratulations to me.

    Now I can put my new degree to use, backstool bartending by critiquing the drinks of others.

    Of course, I already do that. So I hope they send me a badge or something to make it official.

  • Here’s that story I wrote about bartenders

    Bay Area's best mixologists leaving bars for brandsSanter

    Camper English, Special to The Chronicle

    Friday, September 19, 2008

    While you're still likely to run into many of San Francisco's best
    mixologists in the usual cocktail hot spots, increasingly they'll be
    standing on the other side of the bar.

    That's because many local bartenders have accepted full- or part-time
    positions as spirits brand ambassadors, bar consultants and sales
    representatives. David Nepove, Jon Santer, Jacques Bezuidenhout and
    Todd Smith are some of the top talent who are working behind the stick
    one night per week, if that. Even more are bartending three nights or
    fewer.  Smith

    Venegas

    (read the rest of the story here)

  • Who’s rocking at the clock?

    Not only is Bacar’s Joe Parrilli now working at the Clock Bar (note: hat-less!), Bourbon & Branch’s Kevin Diedrich will be pulling shifts there too starting today. He told me he’ll still be spending some time at Bourbon & Branch- after all, he’s the one creating a lot of the homemade syrups, tonic water, and other items on the list.

    With three good guys behind the bar, Clock Bar should make a swell addition to the downtown cocktail circuit- as if I needed another just-stop-in-for-a-drink place in the neighborhood. (I would like to ride the BART train home without a buzz on occasion.) I was in the place this past Friday night around 10PM and it was full but not packed- just the way  I like it. Actually, I like bars mostly empty, but there’s little chance of that happening there.