Behind the Bar

Almost every year, my New Year’s resolution is something I throw out within the first week or two. One year, it’s “exercise more,” and by Week 3, I haven’t seen the gym in days.

Another year, it might be “eat healthier,” which is all well and good, until I drive by Burger King and can’t resist that fast food aroma.

This year, I wanted to pick a resolution and stick with it. I gave it some thought and decided to make my New Year’s resolution: “I will do things to get out of my comfort zone.”

At the time, I didn’t have any idea on how I would follow through with this. It was looking like I created a resolution that would just fall to the wayside, like all the other ones before it.

But one day in January, I found my first activity that would help me get out of my comfort zone. I was going through my e-mails and found one from The Bayou Bar & Grill in Manayunk.

At the bottom of the e-mail, it said the bar was looking for guest bartenders. The only requirements were that you had to be fun, semi-coordinated and be able to do fifth grade math. 

Hmm. I can be fun, I guess I’m semi-coordinated and I’m pretty sure that math will come back to me, (kidding ... maybe).

I decided to send The Bayou an e-mail and find out more about the event. I e-mailed back and forth with Theresa, who explained to me that I should guest bartend with two friends, so I got my roommates onboard.

Theresa told me The Bayou would create a Facebook event for us to invite our friends; she also said we could decide on a theme if we wanted–something we didn’t end up doing but would have been a great idea.

I stressed to Theresa that my roommates and I had absolutely no bartending experience. The drinks I make for myself do not follow any type of formula, and I never drink beer, (I know, I’m weird). But she assured me we’d be totally fine.

We set our bartending debut for Feb. 26, and Theresa told us to be there 15 to 30 minutes before our two-hour gig started. Friends and family kept asking me if I was nervous, and I told them I wasn’t.

For some reason, because it seemed OK that we didn’t need any previous bartending knowledge, I thought we’d be doing some kind of scaled down deal–not actually working like a real bartender.

My roommate got to The Bayou a few minutes before my other roommate and I did. We walked in, and it was crowded. There were no open seats at the bar, and a bunch of people were hanging out at the tables and in the walkway of the bar area. I looked at Gilmore, and she pointed to the bar and said, “We are going to be back there.” And I became terrified.

About 10 minutes later, we were ushered into The Bayou’s tiny kitchen. Tony Casselli, owner of The Bayou and the neighboring Cactus Restaurant and Bar, started briefing us on what we would be doing.

Polly would be going around selling shots; Gilmore and I were behind the bar. Tony showed us how to pour a shot using a "jigger" for a mixed drink, (hold the liquor bottle by the neck, put the jigger up against the glass, pour the liquor into the jigger and dump it into the glass).

After he explained this, we asked him to show us again. He took a look at the three of us, and I’m sure he saw three frightened little girls, not the confident, smart women I think we are.

“You guys look scared,” he said. “Don’t worry. Just go out there, smile and have fun, and you’ll be fine.”

I didn’t believe him.

We left the kitchen, and Gilmore and I got behind the bar. We were joining Bayou bartenders Paul and Liam. Paul started showing us everything behind the bar: the different types of glasses we should use for drafts, mixed drinks and shots; how to use the soda gun, (I want one for our apartment), and where the beer bottles were.

Paul moved on to show us how to pour a draft beer, and I knew this was going to be an obstacle for me. You have to pull the tap down all the way and let it run for a second, and then put the glass at a certain angle so you don’t get too much foam.

Right before we started, Paul also told us that any money we received, we needed to give to him or Liam–they would be dealing with the cash register and getting change. Yes, thankfully, Liam and Paul would be staying behind the bar with us.

After that quick tutorial, it was 8 p.m. and we were on.

Right away, someone ordered a Coors Light and I started using a bottle opener to open a twist top. Major “duh” moment as I made it obvious to everyone at the bar that I do not drink beer or apparently, that I’ve ever seen a bottle. Four people sitting at the bar started laughing at me and I became even more nervous than I was before.

I was standing behind the bar, uncomfortably staring back at the people looking at me, waiting to see if anyone wanted anything. Gilmore said she felt awkward. I asked Liam, who has been bartending for more than eight years, if he felt that way too, just looking back at the customers idly, and he told me he didn’t notice that anymore.

“It’s nice when we get new people in here and we get to hear a new perspective,” he added.

I found myself constantly telling people that I was only guest bartending; one group of guys asked Gilmore and I if we were in training, so I guess it was pretty obvious we didn’t look like seasoned bartenders. But, like Tony suggested, I put on a smile and tried to be helpful.

A cheery attitude seemed to make things better. I think by the end of the night I could make a mean mixed drink, though I never did master the art of draft pouring. I can’t say how many times I messed up, but it was clearly a lot.

Through all the screw ups, Paul and Liam were absolute saints. They were eternally patient with us and never got upset if we forgot something. Their friendly and fun demeanor helped me relax; Liam even said he’d helped me try to get some phone numbers; I told him there was no way I could concentrate on pouring a beer and flirting at the same time; (guess I’m not that semi-coordinated).

At the end of our shift, we followed Tony down to The Cactus basement to count our tips. Yes, that’s right–we got to keep all the tips we made, both behind the bar and from selling shots.

Polly was a champion shot girl, selling 58 shots in two hours. In the end, we made $222 in tips. Tony seemed pretty impressed. We were elated we raised that much money for a cause; we donated our tips to the National Brain Tumor Society.

Two hours earlier, I was contemplating running out of The Bayou rather than actually trying to bartend and willingly make myself look like an idiot. But I ended up having a blast.

I learned a new skill, hung out with my friends and some cool bartenders, raised money for a great charity and gained a new appreciation for those working behind the bar. And, of course, I got myself out of my comfort zone. Take that, New Year’s resolution!

(If interested in guest bartending at The Bayou, e-mail info@thebayoubar.com.)

Do you have an idea of something new I could try to do in the Manayunk/Roxborough area? Send your idea to amanda.e.koehler@gmail.com and help me get out of my comfort zone.