1954 Practical Bar Management by Eddie Clarke

ONE

Drinking in General

The tide rises, the tidefalls. The tivilight darkens, the curfew calls; The little waves, with their soft zohite hands

Efface thefootprints in the sands. And the tide rises, the tidefalls.

w ''E BRITISH are often misjudged, but never more so than ,, by those who believe that the best mixers of drink are either American, Cuban, West Indian, French, or any other nationality but British. This in itself is an obvious "sticky wicket" for the ego of the Bar Manager, but he must not only live up to the high reputation of this island breed by grinning and bearing such adverse opinions: he must fight and in the end emerge triumphant. Not physically, of course, but with such weapons as a high degree of tact, together with service, comfort and facilities more than comparable with those obtainable abroad. To justify such resolutions, is it not a well-known fact that the tourist's reaction when not finding all this (including his or her favourite drink)will beto criticise, either silently or aloud,not only the guilty establishment, but the country as a whole ? Whilst remembering our foreign visitors, let us not forget our own countrymen, who in these days of high prices are surely ro service of proportionately high standard, for although we are a long-suffering race and are reluctant to show outwardly our disapproval, we do possess wills of our own and, therefore, choose our drinking haunts accordingly. To this end, then, must the Bar Manager dedicate his endeavours. He must be competent, with as much practical experience as possible, possessing business acumen and a pleasing personality together with a real live interest in the welfare of his clientele and of the establishment which he represents. He must liken himself to the captain of a ship, upon whose initiative and direction it depends whether his conunand heads for the rocks, or towards the calm waters of prosperity.