November 2008 Archives

    I was wiping up a spill at home and I started thinking about my days behind the bar. I've wiped down a lot of bar tops over the years. That got me to thinking about when I worked in a commercial kitchen and then there were those many months employed at a bakery. What struck me is that I couldn't recall ever using paper towels in any of those businesses.

    Managing a bar during tough economic times changes how you approach every aspect of the business. Things you used to take for granted, like cash flow and a steady revenue stream, assume greater importance. Looking after every dollar and every ounce of profit becomes second nature, a survival instinct.

    These are heady times for the Martini. The American born libation is once again the undisputed king of cocktails, atop the list of drinks that every bar and aspiring mixologist must excel at making. Ones trademark Martini needn't be elaborate, just well conceived and skillfully executed.