Lead instructor at London-based Portobello Road Gin and The Ginstitute, Jake Burger spoke to Caterer Middle East recently in Dubai.
Mixologist and entrepreneur Jake Burger may not be able to reveal his most memorable cocktail in print but dishes out top tips on how bars can be successful:
What mixology trends are dominating in 2013?
The application of modern techniques steals all the headlines but in this age of financial uncertainty I find that my customers want good, well made, enjoyable drinks that they can trust.
In this region, most bars are still in hotels. Of these, too many are just a typical hotel bar — boring for guests and locals alike. How can hotels rethink this offer?
The current ‘Greatest Bar in The World’ (Artesian at The Langham) is a fine example of how a hotel bar doesn’t have to be stuffy and boring. I am sure the owners must walk in and wonder what is going on when their customers are sat around dressed as pirates drinking piña coladas out of skulls. Then they look at the top shelf and see all the awards. Bars should be fun, people come back to fun bars ... that is down to the bartenders and the bar manager to achieve and owners should give them the freedom to achieve that.
| Advertisement |
What are your top three tips for bartenders?
Find a great mentor. Learn the classics before you start experimenting. Enjoy yourself — it’s supposed to be fun!
Best qualifications for bartenders to strive for?
I am not convinced any of the courses bartenders can take to learn their craft are as good as practical experience; certainly the WSET courses are worthwhile but nothing beats time spent behind the bar to perfect your skills.
What are your top three tips for bar managers?
Respect the staff all the way down to the humble glass collector; he may be your head bartender someday. Teach your staff humility by example. A customer remembers a great night much longer than he remembers a great drink.
Advice for industry professionals who want to go it alone and set up their own bar?
Go for it. But pick your business partners well, your best friend may be your first choice but is he the best choice? Someone with business acumen is going to be a great help to you. Then open a bar that you would want to drink in yourself.
How do you create atmosphere in your bars?
Encourage the staff to have fun as well as the customers, it’s infectious. Music is important and I find that customers enjoy music they know rather than whatever is the coolest track of the day — though this does obviously change from venue to venue. Encouraging people to sit at the bar is important too; it is the stage and it is easier to entertain them if they are sat in the front row.
Biggest mistake in the way bars are run?
People spend a fortune on the fit-out and then don’t bother training or supporting the staff. Worst of all are the ones who spend a fortune building a bar without asking a bartender what should be behind the bar — I have seen hugely expensive bars open without a shelf for the liquor! I mean, seriously?
You’ve created numerous cocktails; what’s your most memorable?
The Blighty Mojito is my most enduring. The most memorable? It probably can’t be printed!
Is it important for bars to offer a food menu?
That depends on the venue, I don’t think it’s essential in all bars. The blurring of lines between bars and restaurants is not always a good thing.
What ambition would you still like to fulfill?
Open my own, full-size, distillery.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
Still looking after Portobello Road Gin; hopefully by then distilling it for ourselves, and occasionally pulling a shift behind one of the bars, and still enjoying it.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
