“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
This maxim applies to barkeeping as well as to anything else, and a barkeeper should try to make his bar inviting in appearance and keep it so. Nothing appeals more to a customer on entering a place than to see a well-kept bar, where everything is bright and clean and the glasses are well polished.
If the bar be in a hotel, you can do much towards sharpening the appetite of the guest by the manner in which you serve him his drink. A dry, well-polished glass, liquor from a well-cleaned bottle, served by a tidy barkeeper in a polite manner, will do much, towards making the guest enjoy his meal.
The barkeeper should always wear either a white jacket and white apron, or a white vest and white apron. He should always be polite and courteous, as politeness goes a good ways.
Never start a conversation or drink with a customer.
On opening the bar in the morning the first and most essential thing is to have it well ventilated. Nothing like plenty of good fresh air. No place is quite so bad as a foul-smelling bar room.
After seeing to the ventilation of the room, the barkeeper should fill his pitchers with ice water, cut up his fruits for the day—such as lemons, oranges and pineapple—and then proceed to wipe off all the bottles, and to polish every glass on the back-bar. During this time the porter should clean the work-board, polish all brass and nickel work, and see that the room is cleaned up in general.
Having now cleaned up thoroughly, the stock should be looked over and gotten in shape, the whisky bottles filled, the side drinks properly arranged and then you are ready for business.
The stock, of course, must be governed by the trade and demand. Rye whisky is the most popular now, although some still prefer the Bourbon. Scotch whisky has become very popular and several good brands should be kept.
There are a great variety of bitters on the market, but the following are good and should be kept in stock: Peychaud, Orange, Angostura, Pepsin, Boonekamp, Celery and Hostetters. It is also well to keep in stock some green mint, peppermint, Jamaica ginger, bromo seltzer, bromo soda, bromo caffeine, acid phosphate, aromatic spirits of ammonia, Dubonnet bitters, Fernet bitters, Lee & Perrins’ sauce, bicarbonate of soda, buttermilk, sweet milk, glycerine, rock candy syrup, molasses, limes and quinine.
Whisky and gin should be kept on the ice for immediate use; also seltzer and ginger ale. It is also well to have some whisky and gin on the back-bar, as some people prefer their liquor warm or the same temperature as the room.
White wines should be served cold.
Red wine should be served the temperature of the room.
Never serve brandy, blackberry brandy, port wine or claret cold.
Ale should not be kept as cold as beer; and in serving never shake the bottle. Be careful also to pour -very slowly into the glass.
Always strain mixed drinks thoroughly; and never leave a customer until properly served.
Selections from the book “Applegreen’s Bar Book or How To Mix Drinks by John Applegreen, Formerly of Kinsley’s, Chicago and Holland House, New York. Published by the Hotel Monthly, Chicago, 1909”
