Passing the Bar . . .

 . . . or stopping in . . .

Tips for the bartender (from http://www.shakestir.com/features/id/571/10-tips-for-the-beginner-cocktail-bartender)

1) Focus on service, not just drinks.
You are a bartender, not an artist - you provide service above all else. If customers have a good experience from a very engaging, attentive, and accommodating service staff but the drinks aren't amazing, they are still likely to come back.

2) Taste everything.
A great chef would never serve anything without knowing that it tastes good, and neither should you.

3) Be knowledgeable.
Know everything you serve, not just the items that interest you. If you are all about cocktails, good for you, but you are still a bartender and will be called upon to serve beer, wine, and of course food.

4) Don't be pretentious.
Customers do not want to feel judged, but welcome and appreciated (because they are!). Remind yourself that you are here because of them.

5) Don't be lazy.
This covers a wide range of issues behind the bar (and every job there is). Old or store-bought juice will make a noticeable negative impact on your drinks, as will using stale vermouth.

6) Control your dilution.
Mixing too long can make your drink flabby, and it's very hard to get the balance back from over-dilution.

7) Don't adjust too much.
Once your palate develops you'll start second guessing your drinks a little bit while you look for the perfect flavour balance. Adding a dash of an ingredient for balance is fine, but making too many adjustments can lead to over-dilution and long drink times.

8) Don't shake everything.
Presentation is very important for both food and drink, and any discerning customer will not appreciate a cloudy Manhattan.

9) Measure your ingredients.
While many an experienced bartender can probably free-pour any volume very accurately, this style belongs in nightclubs and not in cocktail bars and restaurants.

10) Communicate!
Good service and good working relationships start and end with good communication. Keep everyone in the loop with what you are doing and make sure you know what is happening outside your station. Do not be afraid to ask for help, and offer to help others if you have the time. It is also important to call back orders, as restaurants and bars can get loud and miscommunication can cost time and money. If you are not talking to your co-workers behind the bar, you are not doing your job properly.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Whatever . . .

. . . your taste . . .

. . . in jazz, you'll find something to your liking at the. . . 


Spring Jazz Festival
at Elk Run Vineyards
15113 Liberty Rd, Mt Airy, MD 21771
(410) 775-5089

For Tickets Go To:
http://www.elkrun.com/spring-jazz-festival/



The Elk Run Spring Jazz Festival features two days of jazz performances, along with vendors, crafts, hayrides through the Mt. Airy vineyards and wine tastings.

Saturday June 14th
Noon-1:30  Howard Burns Trio
1:45-2:30    Ray Jozwiak
2:30-3:15    Laura Baron
3:30-5:00    Ronny Smith and Friends

Sunday June 15th
Noon-1:30  Time Squared
1:45-3:15    Josh Bayer Trio
3:30-5:00    Darryl Brenzel Quartet

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Friendship. . .

I have never 'unfriended' a person in my life.  Well, never intentionally anyway. . . until now.  And I've got to say it has been an emotional experience.  Why did I do it?  Quite simply the 'friend' in question was totally unwilling to be reasonable. More specifically, the 'friend' chose to continuously post personal testimonials for Rush Limbaugh, gushing about the vast amounts of knowledge that were imparted through his radio broadcasts.

Now we certainly all possess our own personal quirks, preferences, tastes, likes and dislikes, and that I can accept and live with.  Certainly my friends should be entitled to all these things and my perception (or acceptance of them) is most certainly totally irrelevant.

But no matter how much I agree or disagree with a friend on ANY matter, one  factor that determines just how good or desirable a friendship really is, is how one chooses to address (or not address) these matters.

Furthermore, in this digital day and age, it is quite inconceivable that anyone would accept, let alone forcefully evangelize armed with items which are at the very least shall we say, "suspect"? 

Maybe it's simply a matter of discretion.  Anyway, in the future, one quality for which I will heretofore assess any potential new friends, will most certainly be discretion.

What do you think?
Tell me at  
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Who. . .

. . . is the asshole????

Visiting a local vineyard/winery this weekend which presented a show by a local Shakespeare repertory company (The Shakespeare Factory-  a professional non-union ensemble company who employ the staging conditions of Shakespeare’s time as closely as possible for each production- see http://theshakespearefactory.com/).  Wine tastings were offered as well as stews and artisan bread to enhance the 'period' atmosphere.  I was 'tasting' the wines with the three, lovely ladies accompanying me for the production at one of the two, heavily attended tasting stations and attempting to allow the limited staff to attend to the willing tasters by grouping ourselves at the corner of the bar, myself at the bar and the others branching outward away from me and the bar and passing four glasses back and forth in attempt to allow the four of us to taste all six wines offered while leaving the remainder of the tasting station free for other tasters. 

In the midst of an extremely enjoyable wine tasting experience (and the wines were quite good too) I noticed a rather sour looking gentleman at the far end of the crowd, the number of which I am not quite certain, who appeared to grow more perturbed as time passed.   

Finally he stepped forward and said to ME, not to the person operating the tasting station,  that 'you have monopolized this tasting' and not allowed others to partake and . . . (not really sure exactly what else he said) but he was clearly unhappy that he had not gotten HIS WINE!  Guess you could say he was whining about his lack of wine.  I responded only by stating the obvious fact that this was a 'wine tasting' and that I and three others were together tasting our allotted six samples of wine.

The obviously conscientious caretaker of the tasting station quickly spoke up and asked the gentleman what he would like and assured him that it would be served forthwith.  The man, still clearly unhappy, took a glass (maybe two, I didn't really pay much attention to the details) and began to depart the station but in his befuddlement about the process of wine tasting and a possible desire to maintain his imaginary upper  hand, he made it a point to mumble unmistakably in my direction. . . "ASSHOLE."

Who do you think was the asshole????. . . . (and do you think this tragic situation left him 'heartbroken'?)

What do YOU think?
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

You can NOW download your
very own copy of Ray Jozwiak's
newest release:
AMBIENCE & WINE

Please visit
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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