What are the most common drinks i need to know as a bartender?

Question

What are the most common drinks I will need to know as a bartender. List as many as possible. Thanks!

Also, did you just memorize the drinks or did you have experience before beginning your bartending job.

Answer 1

Most drinks are self explanatory like 7&7 or Jack & Coke. Many customers will be more than happy to tell you what's in their favorite cocktail but you will need a guide of some sort to help you along.

Answer 2

The best way to memorize is by doing...  The most common drinks depend on the kind of bar and area of the country you are working in.

Answer 3

Sugar, you need to get a bartender's guide from the book store, and read it, like it was the bible. It has some of the most common drinks listed. One of the most common I know of as a customer is a Shirley Temple, or Sangria with red or white wine. But seriously look at Barnes and Noble, Borders or Amazon, they should have a great selection of books to choose from.

Answer 4

What are the most popular drinks to know? Everything and everything, and did I mention everything, they teach you in the bartender course you took.

What, you didn't go to a bartender bootcamp?  For about $500 bucks, you get training, hands on even, and literature to make hundreds of drinks. Don't bother learning on your own, as a lot of the bootcamps garuntee placement.  If you don't want to shell out the money, be prepared to train on your own, and seriously do it.  The bootcamps have bottles upon bottles of authentic looking booze( although colored and thickened(thinned) water is used.  It mimics reality, and that is all that matters. besides, bottle flip behind the back and crash down that grand mariner just means someone in your group will help you master that flair, instead of billing you for the bottle considering in camp it is just sugar water.

Answer 5

Don't really know every drink there is but a martini with a little extra olive juice is a little less harsh on the tonsils.  I suppose you cant make everybody happy when IT comes to drinks but The  bartending position Will reach you everything you need if your repartee is Martini,  and any type of drink with Scotch or any thing having Io do with Gin and vodka is  best.

also if you make a good Manhattan and Long island iced tea you will satisfy  anyone  who knows  anything about  good  liquor. If  they want  something with   a margaritas or  any thing with Schnapps  just  give  them anything  they just  want to get juiced

Answer 6

Most people learn the drinks from experience. You start on slow shifts (weekdays, monday nights) and keep a book behind the bar. The third time someone orders a drink from you, you should have it memorized. It also helps to have other bar experience (Serving, Barbacking) before attempting to get behind the bar.

Drinks are pretty easy, the most popular ones have the ingredients in the name "Jack and Coke", "Whiskey Sour", "Vodka Cran", etc. Shots can be tough to remember.

Here are some common drinks:

Long Island Iced Tea:

Gin, Vodka, Rum (all three clear liquors), triple sec, sweet and sour, coke...some people add tequila. I think it tastes like sh*t when you do.

AMF (aka Adios ********)

Gin, Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Sweet and Sour, 7-up, Blue Curaceau  (however you spell it)

s*x on the Beach

Vodka, Peach Schnapps, Cran, OJ

Screwdriver

Vodka, OJ

Margarita

Tequila, Triple Sec (Cointreau if you want to be fancy), Lime Juice, Sweet and Sour (if you use cointreau you can leave out the S&S)

I'm not going to get into any fancy martinis or blended drinks here. Too complicated.

Shots:

Washington Apple: Crown, Apple Liquour, Cran

Red Headed ****: Jager, Peach Schapps, Cran

s****. Snack: malibu, Midori, Pineapple juice, Banana Liquor (optional, as far as I'm concerned) top with whipped cream

Surfer on Acid: Jager, Malibu, Pineapple Juice

There are so many more. Again, if you want to be a bartender, I would start by serving or barbacking. Or even just getting drunk a lot. All of the above drinks were from my memory, and I've never even really bartended full time. I cocktail waitressed for years and partied a lot. It gets a lot easier to remember them after you've had them a few times. For everything else, just use the book.