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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
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