BM:
People often ask me if it's difficult to get into the business.
I was just lucky but we can't all rely on luck. How'd you get your
first bartending job?
MC:
Things are only difficult if you believe them to be. I was working
as a server at a really cool restaurant called John Barleycorn's
Vision in Little Rock, Arkansas. I loved that restuarant...the inside
was a bunch of theme rooms like an Arabian Room, World War II Room,
Hollywood Room, etc. Well, one night the bar manager from upstairs
came down and told the restaurant manager that he needed a cocktail
waitress. I was chosen. I was scared stiff. I was truly intimidated
by the dark sultry world upstairs. Once upstairs, I was handed a
small round cocktail tray, a cash caddy and a pen. I told the bartender
that I didn't know any drinks and she just told me to smile, and
to listen to what they order and write it down the best way I can.
After taking out "one" round of drinks and making more
money in tips in that one round than I would've downstairs waiting
on a table for an hour.....well, needless to say, I was hooked.
Hold on, there's more to the story. .... After 2
weeks of cocktailing, I came to work and there was an "OUT
OF BUSINESS" sign on the building. Which by the way is a really
weird feeling. ....so I looked in the
paper and there was a new club opening that was hiring cocktail
waitresses. I went and applied and lied on the application by saying
that I had been cocktailing for a year. I got the job. Once I saw
how much money the bartenders were making, I opened my eyes and
ears, asked questions, let the manager know that my intention was
to make it behind the bar, and did everything in my power to let
my bosses know
that I was a responsible team player. It worked and within 6 months
I was behind the bar.
BM:
It seems that how most bartenders get their first jobs. After that
it's allot easier to get a bartender position. What was your favorite
Bartending Job so far?
MC:
Hmmmmm, I'd have to say that the best place I've ever worked was
at the Grand Floridian Beach Resort and Spa at Disney World. I worked
at the pool and beach bar. The money was awesome, I met famous
people everyday, we used plastic, I had all my nights and weekends
off, I got to wear shorts and their wasn't any cigarette smoke to
inhale.
Other than that, my most favorite bars to work are
tourist bars and private parties. Tourists bars are great because
tourists are happy, they drink a lot, they have money and they leave.
Private Parties are
awesome because you don't have the money exchange and people are
always in a good mood. Plus it's all you baby.
BM:
Your book "Book
of Bar Amusements" has some great tricks for beginners
and professionals. Do you have a favorite?
MC:
My favorite isn't in the book. But what I've learned through the
years is that I do that same 10 tricks over and over and over because
they are the cream of the crop. And if you work in a bar where the
faces change all the time then you really only have to know a few
tricks. If I had to pick the top three in the book
that people love it would be the Cherry
Challenge, Longneck Moneymaker, and the Egg and shot glasses trick.
BM:
Those are great
tricks. How'd you get into doing tricks and do you think performing
tricks actually increases your tips?
MC:
I saw my first trick at the first place I tended bar. A customer
did the trick and had everyone at the bar fascinated. Then when
I saw the answer, I as well as everyone else gasped. I was hooked
from that point. I started doing the trick for people and I noticed
that people loved being entertained and also noticed the tips in
my tip jar growing. Also, when you show tricks to people there's
always someone that says, "Hey, I know a trick too!"....so
I would collect their trick on a cocktail napkin. To date I have
collected 997 bar tricks.
BM:
Wow, that's allot of napkins. Any advice
for new or future bartenders?
MC:
10 years ago if I was asked this question I could give you a list.
But what I've learned is that all you have to do is follow the Golden
Rule in all situations. Sounds hokey, but truly, if you just treat
people the way
you'd like to be treated then everything falls into place. My second
piece of advice is to "SMILE". I learned this working
at Disney. You see, when you smile people on the other side think
all is fine...even though you might be slammed to the gills on your
side. All that matters is what the patron sees and how you make
them feel. The last thing I would say is to leave everything at
work and think of yourself being on stage and performing then it's
over and you go home.
BM:
Being a bartender exposes us to all types of people and situations.
What's the weirdest thing to ever happen to you at the bar?
MC:
Oh my, there's been so many. Hmmmmm, well, here's a good one; I
was working the pool bar at night on a cruise ship and a guy came
up to the bar and asked for a double shot of Jack. When I set the
drink
down in front of him he showed me a diamond ring that he was holding
in his hand. He held it out for me to look at it and asked what
I thought about it. I told him that it was beautiful. He then dropped
the ring in the Jack and shot the whole thing back then stood up
and took off running off the back of the ship in a swan dive. I
guess a girl turned down his proposal and he was trying to commit
suicide. But what he failed to researched was that he dove off the
promenade deck which is a wee bit shorter in the back and landed
on the deck below knocking himself out. Can you imagine waking up
and thinking that you'd be dead?
BM:
I once received airline tickets as a tip from a pilot that would
come in whenever he was in town. What's the most non-traditional
tip you've received?
MC:
Again, there's so many because you see everyone loves the bartender
and everyone hooks the bartender up. I've gotten airfare, 50 yard
line Super Bowl tickets, concert tickets, and free stuff to whatever
the type of business they happen to be in.
BM:
Do you have a favorite drink from the book, "Miss
Charming's Book of Crazy Cocktails"?
MC:
Wow, that's hard. Only because I have favorite drinks for different
environments. There's a drink I named "Sonata"
in the book that's half cognac and half amaretto. I like sipping
on that in a snifter at a blues or jazz bar, but I'd pick something
totally different for a dance club, pool party, or a BBQ.
BM:
You seem to be a pretty
writer, er I mean pretty prolific writer. Do you plan on gracing
us with anymore books?
(To our male readers: Take
a look at her pictures guys, pretty is an understatement.)
(To my beautiful girlfriend: I only heard that she's pretty so please
put the frying pan down.)
MC:
Thank you for the compliment Felix. As for the books,
well, I'm just a book whore. I write what they want me too. Once
I sign a contract they own it and I do it the way they want it.
For example, take the first book, Miss
Charming's Book of Bar Amusements...I didn't even know what
the cover was going to look like until I saw it the week it came
out on Amazon.com. All Random House wanted me to do was to give
them 80 tricks and divide them into 5 categories like Stick Tricks,
Glass Tricks, Money Tricks, etc. then they wanted an assortment
of easy to hard tricks in the entire balance. So, as you see, I'm
just a book whore.
BTW: The first book took me 2 years and 150 very
nice rejection letters before I got an agent interested. I don't
pursue anymore...they just email me now.
BM:
Most of us bartenders have pet peeves about customers that we can't
voice at work. Here's your opportunity to tell us some of yours
without worrying about getting fired.
MC:
I have none. I truly can say that I have reached an age/point that
nothing bothers me behind the bar. To be honest, I wish I would've
done it a long long time ago because it's a waste of my time and
energy. I do my work and when I come across a challenge (pet peeves,
difficult customers, etc.) I meet it head on and take a positive
approach to the situation. When everyone is happy it slides off
my back and I move on. I wasted too many years venting to other
co-workers about how badly some person treated me blah blah boo
hoo. I keep the power and don't waste my time and energy on that
stuff.
BM:
Thank you for your time Miss Charming. You've been great. Good
Luck.
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