Licensed Mixologist

Somewhere on my list of things I've wanted to do for a long time is, 'be a bartender'.  But it always seemed to be one of those things for, 'someday'.  I mean, really, study to be a bartender??  It's kind of hard to justify when I maintain a daunting stack of books for my current career that I'll never get through.  And I have no real intention of making a profession of it.  I figure it would just be cool know how to make a good drink for friends at a party.

So it just so happens that one night I'm out at a bar on a slow night in Seattle and end up talking shop to the bartender.  And quite a good bartender at that. He talked for sometime about what it took to be good at his craft.  At some point, he mentioned that, 'Yeah, sure, you can get your license really quickly at some of these quicky courses, but ...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.'  I kind of stopped paying attention when he detailed the high road.  But my ears perked, when he mentioned a quick and dirty solution.  So after convincing him that I had no ambition of being a pro, he finally let slip that there's this guy, 'Kevin the Wine Guy' that can get you a license quick.  So I went home, googled him, and signed up for a class.

The class was held in a fairly small office in an office plaza off Aurora ave in Seattle.  I arrived at 9 AM on a Saturday not knowing exactly what to expect.  One surprise was that I left not learning how to make a single drink.  The goal of the course was to get you past the Mandatory Alcohol Server Training curriculum and to past the required exam for a Class 12 Mixologist Permit.  This permit is required to serve or supervise the sale of alcohol.  It really is focused on making sure you don't serve to minors and the visibly intoxicated; and that understand the consequences.

But that's not to say I felt let down or did not learn anything about being a bartender.  Quite the contrary.  Kevin "The Wine Guy" Stump is a personable, boisterous fellow with years of experience behind the bar.  He covered the material by making note of the key points and explained the concepts using tales from his life.  Along the way, he'd inject tips on how to be a good bartender.  A pro.  Things like the importance of the House Rules; essentially how your particular bar sets up rules stricter than the law to assure things don't get out of hand.  Or, techniques for communication, like blaming The Man for the House Rules that you are stuck following.  Even if you actually are The Man that instructs your employees to enforce them.

Getting the permit was a lot fun.  Maybe someday, I'll get a chance to use it!

Links
Kevin The Wine Guy: http://kevthewineguy.com/
Liquor Licenses (WA State): http://www.liq.wa.gov/licensing/Mast.aspx