1913 Bartenders' Manual (Bartenders Association of America)

BARTENDERS' MANUAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR BARTENDERS WHILE TENDING BAR. Always maintain a neat appearance in dress and be scrupttlotisly clean in your person. White is the proper dress for serving behind the bar. The white jacket is preferable to the white vest and shirt sleeves, although the latter give more free dom of movement. In this discrimination, however, lie governed by your surroundings—that is to say, thc'class of trade to which you arc catering. Be prompt to relieve the opposite watch, and when oft duty leave the place immediately. Do not drink, shake dice or enter into any kind of games with customers, and whilst observing, upon all occasions, a polite and cheerful and avoid arguments, espe cially political and religious. Unnecessary con versation and familiarity leads to embarrassing situ ations and the bar man who becomes too familiar wdth customers is usually made to pay for it in some way. Keep your cash register straight and see that your opposite does the same and do not blame him for your faults nor stand for his. Do not allow anybody behind the bar who has no right or business there. When you open the bar in the morning give it a thorough ventilation (winter and summer) and start the porter cleaning up and see that no detail is neglected. The sweeping should be done with wet sawdust, and toilet rooms, urinals, washstands, etc., thoroughly cleaned and provided with disinfectants, toilet paper, soap, clean towels, etc. After the floor is swept or scrubbed tbe windows should be washed and mirrors polished. The wood furnishings should be gone over every morning witb a damp sponge and dried with a chamois skin, and at regular intervals the polished hardwood furniture should be cleaned with some kind of good furniture polish, of which there are many kinds on the inarket that can lie purchased as cheaply as they can be made in small cpiantities. As quickly as possible in the morning get your glasses clean and shining; clean all silverware; pre pare ice water; look to your bar napkins and towels, and see that all serving bottles are filled and corked, placing those for immediate use on ice. Then get your workboard in order, i. e., a tborough washing and polishing, and place on it such articles as be long there. When washing glasses do not spread them all over the counter, but leave room enough to wait on your early customers comfortably; and as soon as possible get you glasses back again on the back bar or wherever they belong. Be careful to keep your array of glasses on back bar always tastily arranged. The effect of shining glassware, properly arranged on a back bar, lends a peculiar enchantment to the general handsome appearance of a first-class bar. When the cleaning is finished 5