The life of a bartender

Y'all. It never fails. Every time I go to a bar, I end up missing bartending so bad. Its like crack. I went to a few bars this past Saturday and all I could think about (besides getting more fireball shots) was how bad I wanted to be back behind the bar. Then that got me thinking... "Bartending has its ups and downs. That could be a neat blog post." So that's how we ended up here.

Bartending
Hot dudes flirt with you, but then again so do the uggo's.

Say goodbye to going out on weekends with your friends. But, damn son. The money is worth it. $$$
But speaking of money, it's not always guaranteed. Some weekends you'll be rolling in it and others you'll be counting nickels and dimes trying to get a McChicken off the dollar menu.

There is alcohol at your fingertips. You just gotta keep a steady buzz. Oh, and don't get caught drinking on the job. Unless you work at a cool place where they "look the other way".

The hours are incredibly long. Like, 8+ hours on your feet and you're almost always constantly moving.

You always meet fascinating people with the most ridic/colorful stories. But sometimes there are people who are rude.
Bartending can be incredibly frustrating, to the point of have a borderline mental breakdown.

Bartending is also hard work. Most people think it's so easy to serve people drinks but the reality is you have to be on your feet for lots of hours, and you might not be making any money if people aren't tipping.

All of your friends expect you to make them badass drinks. And you do. But they better not get used to it unless they plan on tipping me.

You always know what shots are good and what shots are not good. And you are usually the one who decides what shots to get when you do get the chance to visit bars other than the one you work at.

Bar patrons who have had a bit to drink then to ask incredibly inappropriate questions.
You gotta have a dirty mind, or else you basically will drown in the filth that come out the mouths of pervs.
You also gotta have thick skin. I've been called every name in the book, and multiple times.
But you also have the right to refuse service. So if some drunk lady is nice enough to inform you that you're a bitch, you can 1) stop serving her and if she causes a scene 2) get security to escort that streetwalker out.

Bartending school is a sham. The best training is real time and hands on. You learn as you go.
At this point in my short 4 year career, I can make a vast variety of cocktails, shots, specialty martini's, you name it. I can even create a specialty drink based of a persons flavor profile.

You gotta be friendly if you want to make good tips and trust me when I say that some people will not make that easy. But no one likes an angry bartender. But that doesn't mean you can't be a bitch when necessary.

Bartenders are typically night owls. Working late in the the night means you can sleep past noon and no one will judge you (too harshly). Like, yo I got home at 5 am relax and let me catch some zzz's.

One of the best pros of bartending, you can always fall back on it. It's a skill that you will always have, kinda like riding a bike. If I lost my office job tomorrow, I could find a bartending job within a couple of weeks.

So I find myself wondering, why do I keep doing it?
Some nights, after long and grueling hours of unappreciative people barking their orders at me I just pour myself a shot (or 2 or 3), put on my big girl panties, and deal with it. With a smile of course.. -_-
But other nights, I see people having legit fun and drinking tasty adult beverages that I created, and I feel proud of the fact that I'm one of the reasons why these people are having a joyous time.

"That is the beauty of this job, and it is rivaled by few others. We touch thousands of lives, sometimes just making them a little bit better. How many people can say that? That beauty is what keeps bringing me back" -Michael Neff

So there you have it. I definitely didn't plan on this being such a long post but shit happens. And I could definitely go on and on and on but if you made it to this point in the post, you probably want to gouge your eyes out with a spork. This is the end. If you have any questions/comments/critiques/whatev leave a comment!

(Also, if you're reading this and have been or currently are a bartender, then please go to youtube and watch the bartender hates you series. It is the greatest thing ever.)