Top Bartending Myths: Shaking up the Truth

The bar is a place where stories flow almost as freely as the drinks, but as expected, not everything you’ll hear here is true. In truth, most of it isn’t! Bartending, like most crafts, has a share of myths that have been passed down through different generations of mixologists.

Some of these are harmless quirks, while others are outright deceptive to the point where they hold back bartenders from perfecting their skills and giving their customers the best possible experience. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or are just starting to learn the ropes, here are the top myths you should be aware of.

1. Shaking Makes Every Drink Better

When you take your bartender certification course from a reputable provider like RocketCert, you will learn that there’s a reason for shaking some cocktails and stirring others, and it’s not just about flair. Drinks with citrus, egg whites, or dairy (think whiskey sours or margaritas) benefit a lot from shaking since it emulsifies the ingredients. The result will be a frothy texture.

When you shake spirit-forward drinks like a Manhattan or a Negroni, on the other hand, you risk over-diluting and clouding them. This can easily ruin the smooth, silky mouthfeel that such drinks are loved for. So, Pro Tip: Shake when you need aeration and stir when you want clarity and texture to shine.

2. Expensive Liquor Always Makes a Better Drink

When you become a bartender, or if you’re one already, don’t ever forget that price doesn’t always equal taste. Sure, top-shelf spirits may add complexity, but once you mix them with multiple ingredients, that subtle $100-a-bottle nuance will more than likely be lost.

While you can still use the expensive spirits to make mixed drinks, many seasoned bartenders don’t see the need, and thus they reserve high-end bottles for sipping neat or on the rocks. For this myth, therefore, the takeaway is that it’s important to know when to splurge and when to save if you want to be a smart, profitable bartender.

3. You Can Just Eyeball the Pour

Free-pouring looks “cool”, especially in movies, but in the real world, it can be a fast track to inconsistent drinks, cost overruns, and worst of all, unhappy customers. Always know that precise measurement isn’t just about the taste: it’s also about inventory control.

A well-trained bartender uses calibrated pour spouts or jiggers to ensure that every drink they prepare tastes exactly as intended, while keeping the bar’s bottom line in check. Seems like a lot of work at first, but you eventually find your feet.

4. Clear Ice Doesn’t Matter

If you think that ice is nothing more than frozen water, think again. Cloudy ice is infamous for melting faster, which makes it dilute drinks more quickly. So, just in case you were wondering why high-end bars prefer using slow-frozen, clear ice cubes or spheres, it’s not just for the pizzazz: it’s also to help cocktails hold their flavour longer.

It may seem like a small detail, but it’s one that the keen customers will notice, even if they can’t quite put their finger on why their drinks taste better.

5. You Must Memorise All the Recipes

Not quite! Even though it’s essential to know everything about classic cocktails, bartending is more about understanding flavours and techniques and combining that with a fair amount of creativity. As long as you understand the fundamentals or core drink families (highballs, sours, spirit-forward classics, etc.), you can build countless variations.

It’s much better to have a strong foundation, and then look up recipes when required, as opposed to cramming obscure cocktails into memory.

Understand Bartending Like You Should

The one thing you should know about bartending is that it’s just as much about knowledge and technique as it is about personality and showmanship. When you let go of outdated myths, you open the door to better drinks, smoother service, and most importantly, happier customers.

Interested in learning even more about bartending? RocketCert is here to make that possible with expertly written and fully narrated online courses for maximum convenience when studying.