‘Wish customers knew what bartenders do’

Odd hours, precision and a good listener may seem like the usual traits of a bartender, but Smriti Singh has moved past sticking to just these conventions.

BENGALURU: Odd hours, precision and a good listener may seem like the usual traits of a bartender, but Smriti Singh has moved past sticking to just these conventions. The woman fire flair bartender tells City Express about her career path

When did you take to bartending?
About four years ago. I am a freelancer.

Where did you study to become a bartender ?
I studied in a mixology school in Koramangla.

How did fire flair bartending happen?
When I met the fire flair bartender Ami Berham Shroff from Mumbai.

She taught you?
I watched YouTube videos about fire flair bartending and taught myself the trait. It took me a few months to learn. I have not perfected the art. I am still learning.

When did you know this is what you wanted to do for a living?
I still don’t know.

What are the key skills one needs to bartend?
You have to be good with numbers, concentrate on mixing and also remember who ordered what and how much. The billing, orders, it is all a game of numbers.

What kind of struggles do you face with your work?
Keeping track of things on busy day at the bar.

What is the one thing a bartender wishes his customer knows?
We know what we are doing.
 
One thing about bartending that people across the bar don’t know.
They don’t appreciate the art of making a cocktail.

(Fire flair bartender Smriti Singh will be at the gender neutral New Years’ eve party at The Humming Tree on December 31 from 7pm.)

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