Bartending for Friends, Cleaning Equipment on the Fly

[Ethan.Bassist.]

Hey guys! I'll try to make this short because I need to go to sleep.

I'm going to be the bartender for my friends at a BBQ we're having Friday. When I mixed drinks a few weeks ago at my housewarming party, it went very well... almost too well if you catch my drift I'm trying to get into bartending so I figure this is decent experience mixing and stuff.

Anywho, let me get to it. When I mixed at my housewarming party, I had my sink right there to rinse my shaker, but this time, I'll be mixing outside not at my house. Is there a somewhat easy way to rinse/clean my shaker between drinks? I was thinking just a clean bucket of water, but I don't know if I want to be rinsing things in the same water all night. Maybe a no rinse sanitizer? Like the kind you'd use for brewing? Any thoughts guys? Or am I worrying too much about how I'm cleaning things?

On the menu:
Daiquiris
Lemon Drops
Mojitos
G&T's
Vodka Elderflower Cocktail
Gin Rickeys and Tom Collins
Whiskey Sours (I might be the only one drinking them though)
Fuzzy Navels (for those that need some more camouflage for their alcohol)
Maybe Cosmos and Margaritas. We'll see.

Any other ideas guys? I'm looking for drinks that don't require all sorts of liqueurs and brandys and other uncommon-for-the-homebar ingredients. I'll have Rum, Gin, Bourbon, Vodka, Citron Vodka, and Peach Schnapps on hand. I think I'll pick up some Blenheim Ginger Ale for some kick in the pants Moscow Mules and Bourbon and Gingers.

Thanks guys in advance!

 

[BlackBard]

A shaker needs less "cleaning" than you might think. There is nothing "dirty" or "contaminating" left in the shaker after you have made a drink - just a little residue from whatever you mixed.

I would just get a couple of liter bottles of water (you can use tap water) to use for rinsing. Just pour a splash of water into the mixing glass (or shaker), swish around and dump it. If successive drinks are the same, no rinsing needed.

Be sure to give us a report on the party afterwards (if you can remember it).

 

[ricardo9505]

what? no mojitos ethan??? awwww

 

[Jim]

To be up to snuff you need 3 buckets Wash, Rinse and Sanitize. 170 degree water min 10% bleach at 140 for the last bucket.Code varies from place to place and most establishments have dishwashers today. Its good to know all aspects of your craft though. Good luck.

 

[427TRI]

Martini's, Manhattan's?

 

[Ethan.Bassist.]

A shaker needs less "cleaning" than you might think. There is nothing "dirty" or "contaminating" left in the shaker after you have made a drink - just a little residue from whatever you mixed.

I would just get a couple of liter bottles of water (you can use tap water) to use for rinsing. Just pour a splash of water into the mixing glass (or shaker), swish around and dump it. If successive drinks are the same, no rinsing needed.

Be sure to give us a report on the party afterwards (if you can remember it).

Okay, that's a good idea. That's basically what I did last time. While I want to keep things clean, I mostly just want to start off each drink with a fresh shaker. I'm also going to try to remember to batch the drinks when I can. I've never shaken more than one drink before, but it'll save me time and cleaning and everything if I can make a couple drinks at once. I'll definitely report back and let you guys know how it went!

what? no mojitos ethan??? awwww

Mojitos are on the list! Speaking of, I need to pick up mint! Daiquiris were immensely popular last time, but I'm hoping to make some other good, classic drinks too! The host of the party and I went shopping today and got all the alcohol and tons of limes... and disposable 9oz cups... I used my glassware for my previous bash and let me tell ya... it was a LOT of cleaning the next day... I've learned that lesson!

To be up to snuff you need 3 buckets Wash, Rinse and Sanitize. 170 degree water min 10% bleach at 140 for the last bucket.Code varies from place to place and most establishments have dishwashers today. Its good to know all aspects of your craft though. Good luck.

Thanks Jim, that's about how we do things at work (old folks' home kitchen) when our dishwasher breaks down. It's a real pain... so I think I'm going to side with BlackBard on this issue hahaha, I appreciate the advice though! If I ever get to doing anything higher caliber (i.e. where I'm paid), I'll keep this advice in mind.

Martini's, Manhattan's?

I wish! I don't think anyone would go for them unfortunately. To be honest, I didn't think my daiquiris were going to be so popular since they weren't strawberry or blended up into a slushie, but my friends really surprised me last time haha. There are talks though of having a fancy party this winter, and I'll be damned if I'm not serving up Manhattans and other intensely classic drinks.

That reminds me, I really need to get vermouth, some more gin, and rye. If I'm being honest, I'd tell you that I haven't had a proper Manhattan or Martini! Eeek! I know, I know. See, I've had both, but in retrospect, I question the authenticity of the manhattan and I think the martini was just cold gin with olives... That's why I need to make my own.

 

[YetiDave]

This stuff's a good cleaner, I use it for all my brewing equipment and I've never had an infected brew yet!

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Jim's right on the money (as usual).

If it's just going to be a party of friends and family, I'd probably end up going a little informal (read: not up to commercial food establishment sanitation standards).

I would do two dishpans. One with soapy hot/warm water and another with clean water to rinse. You'd have to change the rinsing water a couple of times throughout the night.

Keep a stack of clean dishtowels on hand to do a quick wipe down of freshly washed/rinsed barware.

Heck, those standards are well above what I was subjected to in college and dorm life and nobody ever got poisoned then...as far as we know.

 

[johnniegold]

Get some ginger beer and some Goslings Dark Rum to make some Dark 'n' Stormy's.

 

[Patman27]

See, I've had both, but in retrospect, I question the authenticity of the manhattan and I think the martini was just cold gin with olives... That's why I need to make my own.

Winston Churchill would be proud. I believe he said to make a martini was to first drink a tumbler of gin and then bow in the direction of France. Personally, I'd take a tad more vermouth.

 

[BlackBard]

Jim's right on the money (as usual).

If it's just going to be a party of friends and family, I'd probably end up going a little informal (read: not up to commercial food establishment sanitation standards).

I would do two dishpans. One with soapy hot/warm water and another with clean water to rinse. You'd have to change the rinsing water a couple of times throughout the night.

Keep a stack of clean dishtowels on hand to do a quick wipe down of freshly washed/rinsed barware.

Heck, those standards are well above what I was subjected to in college and dorm life and nobody ever got poisoned then...as far as we know.

It is possible that you and Jim misread the OP's question. He said, "Is there a somewhat easy way to rinse/clean my shaker between drinks?"

What you are suggesting might be fine for cleaning everything, but Ethan was asking about cleaning his shaker only. Even the pros don't sanitize their shaker, shot glass, bar spoon, etc after making every cocktail.

 

[Edcculus]

If you are not washing drink glasses, and are just washing off residue from the last drink in your shaker, I wouldn't sweat it. As long as nobody is drinking from the mixing glasses/shakers, they are not "contaminated". If you are really worried, I might have a small bucket of mildly soapy water, then a rinse bucket. The biggest thing there is probably getting out a strong flavor if mixing a completely different drink. You don't want tequila flavors ending up in your G&T. On the other hand, a lot of those drinks probably don't even need a shaker.

 

[427TRI]

Glad to see real Daiquiri's on the menu, love them, unfortunately those slushy girly crap strawberry's and what not is what it is known for now.

 

[SiBurning]

I'd stick to the plain water rinse. Soap residue from a quick cleaning would be even more offensive than most drink residues. Might I suggest you use some kind of squirt bottles for the water. Those sports water bottles would be perfect, since they give a lot more flow than other squirt bottles. Save the bucket for the dirty water.

If you want to expand the drinks, bring some sodas and juices. (But people might drink those up.) If I were to go with one liquor, it'd be triple sec (though I always use Cointreau). But where's the tequila?

 

[inspiringK]

Mojitos are on the list! Speaking of, I need to pick up mint! Daiquiris were immensely popular last time, but I'm hoping to make some other good, classic drinks too! The host of the party and I went shopping today and got all the alcohol and tons of limes... and disposable 9oz cups... I used my glassware for my previous bash and let me tell ya... it was a LOT of cleaning the next day... I've learned that lesson!

There's your solution right there!

You are at a back yard shindig, no need for your own shaker/s. Depending on the type of disposable cups they have, you should be able to use them as shakers. Usually if you cut the rim of one cup off with a razor (sure you can find one!) about half an inch below the top, it will fit snug into an uncut cup (top to top). These work well as disposable shakers and you can have 3 or 4 of them ready to go at any time - say one for gin, one for dark liquors, etc.

 

[CptBlueBear]

There's your solution right there!

You are at a back yard shindig, no need for your own shaker/s. Depending on the type of disposable cups they have, you should be able to use them as shakers. Usually if you cut the rim of one cup off with a razor (sure you can find one!) about half an inch below the top, it will fit snug into an uncut cup (top to top). These work well as disposable shakers and you can have 3 or 4 of them ready to go at any time - say one for gin, one for dark liquors, etc.

That is A Stroke of Genius(tm)!

We use cheapo plastic shakers this way but they get broken easily. I think the first one we had came with a vile faux-cocktail premix but you can buy them in for a few bucks. They come in various bright colours so you can tell which is for what.

Re: your .sig: out here there is a, let's call id, cooking lubricant that called Buttah. I comes in an aerosol can with the warning "odour will dissipate with cooking"...

 

[Argonaut]

I'd offer straight bourbon, anyone else could BYOB, but I'm kind of unaccomodating as a host.

 

[CptBlueBear]

I'd offer straight bourbon, anyone else could BYOB, but I'm kind of unaccomodating as a host.

Heh, heh, heh. Once again Mr Allen you appear to be a man after my own heart. At last night's impromptu "tasting session" (honestly Honey, we were just tasting...) the order of the night was "whisky's on the shelf, glasses in the cabinet, help yourself and make mine a Glen Moray on ice while you're there".

 

[Ethan.Bassist.]

Great stuff, guys! That's a great idea inspiringK, unfortunately, it reached me too late, ha.

As far as cleaning and stuff went, we brought out a bucket of water and a cup. Every time I switched drinks, from one kind to another, I just put a cup of water in the shaker, shook it, then tossed it out on the back lawn. My mixing station (and the party for that matter) was on the back porch, so I just tossed spent ice and everything on the lawn. Perfect.

The party went great, I made who-knows-how-many drinks and had a great time mixing! I made a ton of Lemon Drops and a ton of Daiquiris. 427TRI, a couple were surprised that the Daiquiris a) tasted so good and b) tasted so good for not being strawberry or a slushy! And the hostess of the party said that her Lemon Drop was the best she's ever had! She got me a tip jar too, she's a sweet girl. I made $13! Hahaha, paid for my breakfast when we went out this morning. I made myself a Cosmopolitan... I don't think it's my drink... but I'd be interested in tweaking it to make it better. I even tried a Fuzzy Navel. Good, but come on, I have to draw the line somewhere. I stopped mixing for people at about the last hour or two... all the mixers and alcohol were on the table, I just let them fend for themselves, which they did. As for myself, I finished out the night with some Buffalo Trace, neat, by the fire we made outside. Party success.

Thanks guys for all your suggestions.

I turn my focus to the fancy New Year's Party. Drink of the night I'm thinking: Punch. Good punch too. Not Everclear with tropical fruit floating in a cooler. Legit Punch. 2 Legit 2 Quit. But that's another thread...