Bartenders tend to make it look easy behind the bar, slinging drinks with flourishes of seemingly effortless flair.
If, as a home cocktail enthusiast or aspiring mixologist, you’re imagining that a few hacks will miraculously raise your cocktail game to this level of professional panache, let’s kick off with a quick reality check from our industry legends.
Just in time for World Bartenders Day (on 24 February 2025) we chat to four top South Africa bartenders who have shared their tips on streamlining the workflow, addressing sustainability and reducing waste with flair, and adding a dash of creativity to your ANGOSTURA® bitters service.
The Industry has Spoken
“There are no shortcuts in bartending.” – AJ Durow (Bascule Bar)
- “When I started my bartending journey, it was with the clear vision that there are no hacks. It is all hard work, dedication, and practise of the craft. You have to understand the bar, the culture, and the workflow. A lot of time, effort and practise goes into making bartending look easy. Yes, there might be little hacks in your everyday ritual that can make service a little bit faster, but there are no shortcuts in bartending.”
“It’s so much more than slinging drinks.” – Liam Jukes (fable)
- “Looking back, I wish I had understood sooner the intricacy of bartending and how multifaceted the job is. It’s so much more than slinging drinks. The art of marketing and relationship building, upselling techniques with precise vocabulary and psychology, round building, time management, production efficiency… it’s a very long list to be honest.”
”Communication and multi-tasking are the most important skills you can have in hospitality.” – Evert de Jong (Just Short & Sin+Tax)
- “Communication and multi-tasking are the most important skills you can have in hospitality. Learning how to talk and listen to different people and manage and prioritize yourself will save your ass over and over again.”
Getting behind the Bar
Efficiency is the secret of the deceptively effortless flow and flourishes behind the bar. Here’s what these bar virtuosos make sure that any bartender joining their team learns:
“Mise en place” – AJ Durow (Bascule Bar)
- “The first hack that I’ll make sure a new bartender learns is setting up your station for success, your mise en place. Make sure that everything is set out ready for service. When pouring more than one of the same cocktail, don’t fill to the spill line on the first glass, pour half in all glasses then top up as you go to ensure all levels are the same. And steam is your best friend when polishing glasses.”
“In order to be a great bartender, you have to be an even better bar back!” – Evert de Jong (Just Short, Sin+Tax)
- “You can make more than one drink at a time,” says Evert de Jong, of Just Short and Sin+Tax. “It sounds so simple, but when you are starting out, building rounds and working efficiently can be extremely overwhelming. Proper planning and preparation is the secret to consistently producing high quality cocktails at a good pace!” He adds, “In order to be a great bartender, you have to be an even better bar back! Working clean and supporting your bar team is the secret to an easy shift.”
“You need an easy fall back when you’re tired or spinning.” – Liam Jukes
- “Practice building good work habits as early as possible so they become second nature. You need an easy fall back when you’re tired or spinning. Things are bound to go wrong in a bar, especially a busy bar. Learning how to roll with the punches, fix and prevent mistakes from reoccurring is a vital ability for any good bartender.”
ANGOSTURA® bitters hacks Uncovered
While there’s no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to using ANGOSTURA® bitters at the bar, they each have a favourite secret to share:
“My favourite hack with ANGOSTURA® bitters is…” – AJ Durow
- “My favourite hack with ANGOSTURA® bitters is actually to decant it into a clear bitters bottle so you can see your levels. And one with a longer pouring spout. This gives you a little bit more control so you can do patterns or stripes without spilling the bitters and staining your bar.”
“Without adding more acidity or altering the prominent flavour profile, is a massive ace up any hospitality sleeve.” – Liam Jukes
- “I’ve always said if saline is the salt of the cocktail world ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters is the pepper. Learning how to utilize it in to correct cocktail errors (like balancing out an overly sweet cocktail) without adding more acidity or altering the prominent flavour profile is a massive ace up any hospitality sleeve.”
“Just add a dash or two of ANGOSTURA®, it’s like a bartenders seasoning.” – Evert de Jong
- “Add it to your rum and coke or brandy and coke, it’s delicious! Also never forget that if your cocktail is tasting a little one dimensional, just add a dash or two of ANGOSTURA®, it’s like a bartenders seasoning.”
“I love fat washing with ANGOSTURA bitters.” – Stephanie Oosthuizen (Socks Premium Syrups)
- “I love fat washing with ANGOSTURA® bitters. Mix the bitters with a fat (like coconut oil or butter) to create a fat washed bitter. It adds a rich, aromatic and velvety texture to your cocktails.”
Sustainable Sipping with Stephanie
Oosthuizen offers a bunch of hacks to ramp up your cocktail creativity as the same time as reducing waste. She says:
- “Reduce your citrus waste by using citrus peels to make oleo saccharum, a flavourful syrup that can be used in cocktails.
- “Infuse water with fruit and vegetable scraps, like cucumber or celery to create flavourful water for cocktails.
- “Use egg white alternatives such as aquafaba (chickpea liquid) or agar-agar to reduce waste and create vegan-friendly cocktails.
- “Repurpose garnishes such as citrus wheels, cherries, or mint leaves to create new cocktails or infuse simple syrups.
- “If you have damaged dehydrated garnishes (such as lime, pineapple, strawberries, grapefruit etc) that are not pretty enough to use on cocktails, blend or crush it into an edible powder. Use these fruit powders to rim glasses (instead of a basic salt or spice rim). They add great flavours and tasting experiences to your cocktails.”
For more information on the Angostura range and its versatility please visit www.angosturabitters.com. Follow Angostura South Africa on Facebook /Angostura South Africa and Instagram @AngosturaZA for fun facts, recipes and brand updates.
