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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, September 7, 2003

Master bartenders stir up more than just drinks

• Bartenders can be 'captain of the ship'
• Pay's poor, but tips can help boost bartenders

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jon-Jon Eslit, who has been called the best bartender in town, prepares to welcome customers at Kaneala's Bar.

Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser


Brendan Sunada, a bartender at Kapono's, showed off his flair bartending during a recent contest at Reign.

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

His description on the Chinatown Web site sounded intriguing enough:

"Regulars claim he's the best bartender in town."

And so we made the modest trek to Mr. C's Chinatown Garage Fill Up & Go Bar on Hotel Street to see for ourselves what Jon-Jon Eslit was all about.

Problem was, the Fill Up & Go no longer exists, at least under that name. We did find Mr. C's Swing Club, and manager Jim Townsend did indeed give Eslit a ringing endorsement.

"But he doesn't work here," Townsend said. "I'd love to steal him away, though."

Regulars at two nearby bars also knew Eslit well.

"Over there," said a near-toothless man named Augie, gesturing with his elbow to a doorway across the street as he considered the bottom of his beer glass.

Earlier, a scuffle involving three men had flared on the sidewalk fronting the place Augie indicated, perhaps not unusual for the territory, but still a bit jarring in the harsh mid-afternoon light. We hurried in.

Behind the bar, looking perfectly at home in the dimly lit hole-in-the-wall club, was a man dressed in a black long-sleeve shirt and long red shorts, his hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.

He looked up with a cautious smile.

Jon-Jon, we presume?

"Um," he replied. "Yeah?"

The bartender, as any casual imbiber will attest, is so much more than the person who pours your drink. Keen as a cat's whisker and steady as a banyan, a good bartender is the heart, head and, in the old physiological sense, humor of any liquor-serving establishment.

Some, such as Eslit, pour straight from the tap, drop a coaster in front of you and make you feel as if you're part of the family.

More flamboyant others add a little flair to their presentation, juggling bottles á la Tom Cruise in the movie "Cocktail" and wowing patrons with their sleight-of-hand skills.

Whatever their style, today's bartenders inherit a long and colorful legacy.

Americans have long regarded the men and women behind the bar as sage figures. Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain wrote admiringly of the bartender's populist authority. Bluesmen from Lightning Hopkins to Keb Mo have appealed to their wisdom and their grace in song. Even the late eccentric basketball coach Al McGuire suggested that a young person's education would not be complete without a six-month stint at the tap.

No frills, no spills

Of course, the requirements of one's bartending education would depend greatly on where one minds the tap.

At Kaneala's, flair is tantamount to faux pas. A wise bartender would no sooner juggle a bottle of Stoli than switch from "Monday Night Football" to "Judging Amy" in the fourth quarter of a tied game.

Eslit sets the tone with his disarming calm and come-as-you-are philosophy. And for patrons of like disposition, that's plenty.

Loyal customers have followed Eslit from job to job. Neighboring clubs try to lure him away. He's the David Beckham of the no-frills, pau-hana bar set.

But what makes Eslit special?

His no-B.S. resolve, for starters. It's an attitude that goes a long way on this end of Hotel Street. Eslit says drug dealers occasionally will try to set up shop inside. "I just tell them straight that they can't do that in here," he says. "They're usually OK with that as long as you're upfront about it. If you let them get friendly, that's when you have trouble."

Willy Nohoanu, a customer at Kaneala's the past six years, sees Eslit's influence on the clientele.

Eslit "draws customers in," Nohoanu says. "If we come and he's not here, we might stay for a little while but then we'll go somewhere else."

The club's patrons are an easy-going mix of gay and straight, old and not-so-old. Most are local, though a few Mainland snowbirds also make it a point to stop by when they're in town. Their desires are simple. They order beer in the daytime and liquor at night.

Eslit shrugs off talk about being the best bartender in town.

"Oh, I don't know about that," he says. "I just want to make people comfortable. I think of this place as my house and I try to make everybody feel welcome."

More stylish, bigger tips

While Eslit may be ideal for Kaneala's and its customers, his style of homespun bartending might not translate well in a more exclusive place such as Diamond Head Grill in the W Honolulu Hotel.

At the W, a stylishly appointed restaurant and bar that caters to young, upscale patrons, the rules of engagement are a bit different. Money flows freely, but with it comes a higher set of expectations.

Here, an ideal bartender is someone with the skills and charisma to attract customers week after week and the acuity to fill 15 orders at a time and not skip a conversational beat, according to bar manager Joey Gottesman.

The demands, rewards and daily pressures are all ratcheted up several notches at the W's main bar. A typical Friday night will find some 600 patrons filtering in and out.

The W's bartenders work quickly, accurately and, when appropriate, with flair. On a busy Saturday night, The Advertiser dropped by the bar in time to see one of its elite bartenders, head bopping in time with the pounding music, spin a bottle of rum on the back of his hand, roll it down his fingers and grasp it in time to complete an carefully measured drink. This he pushed forward to complete an order of nine drinks. He recited the order over the din of the music as his hands went to work on the next set of drinks.

The W's clientele is what Gottesman characterizes as "upper echelon."

"Everyone has a job, everyone has a car, everyone has insurance," he says. "They don't normally ask what the manager's special is."

The bar employs 15 bartenders, each with at least 14 years of experience. When evaluating new hires, Gottesman says he prizes attention to detail and the ability to create a following.

"A good bartender will make an impression that draws customers back," he says. "He'll remember names and use them. He'll keep the glasses filled, and maybe converse a little.

"I have people come back year after year and I'll remember what they drink and what their tendencies are," Gottesman says.

While some compare the function of a bartender in a club to a catcher on a baseball team, Gottesman sees a better comparison for his workers.

"They're like rock stars," he says. "They've got the charisma, the crowd, the music and the ambiance — and they just rip through it."

A flair for the dramatic

In fact, a little showmanship can go a long way in helping bartenders connect with their patrons.

Flair bartending has become a popular draw in Hawai'i thanks to the efforts of Big Mike Graves and Cache Bouren.

Partners in the newly established Flair Hawaii, Graves and Bouren have been active in promoting flair bartending events at local clubs and trade shows. They plan to open a school to teach experienced bartenders how to juggling, spinning and other bottle skills.

"You can go anywhere and get a rum and coke," Graves says. "But if you add a little flair — go behind your back, juggle — you can entertain your customer and make it that much more enjoyable. The imprint on the clientele is 'wow.' You can watch their eyes get as big as silver dollars."

Graves emphasizes that flair is only useful if the bartender already has a solid grounding in his or her profession.

"They have to be well-rounded," he says. "They have to know how to pour drinks. Speed and accuracy is important. Efficiency really counts because you're usually dealing with a lot of cash and a lot of customers."

Judgment is also crucial. Flair bartenders know there's a time and place to display their skills. A bottle has to be near its end so the tender can control the flip without spilling a lot of alcohol; the crowd at the counter should also be light lest the need for speed lead to a dropped bottle.

Graves has been in the food and beverage business for 18 years, including a six-year stint teaching bartending at Walt Disney World.

"A good bartender has to know a lot of different things, like liquor origins, differences in beer mechanics, salesmanship," he says. "They also have to learn how to deal with different situations. A lot of times that just comes with experience. Bartending is a very hands-on thing."

Easier for women?

Angelique Spear worked as a waitress before becoming a bartender seven years ago. Today she's co-owner (with her husband, Randy) and manager of Arnold's Beach Bar and Grill in Waikiki.

Spear, who still works the bar, says dealing with customers is the best and worst part of bartending. Like other female bartenders, Spear often has to deal with the amorous alcohol-fueled attentions of her customers.

"In some ways it might be a little easier for women," she says. "I think guys are a little nicer to women bartenders and sometimes you get better tips from flirting a little."

But, as Spear notes, bartending is more than serving drinks and chatting up customers. Depending on the business, a bartender might have to prepare condiments, wash glasses, restock the bar, and operate the register.

Spear says most bartenders find work through word of mouth and personal connections. As a manager, she values experienced bartenders who have their own customer following, but she also hires novices in whom she can instill what she considers the most important bartender qualities — a friendly, outgoing personality, a commitment to meeting the customer's needs and the ability to pour a good drink.

"I've been doing it for seven years," she says. "And I'm not burned out at all. I love it."

Amen, says Bouren.

"I haven't been to college and I haven't starved to death yet," he says. "Bartending has paid my bills and taken me around the world."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2461.

• • •

Bartenders can be 'captain of the ship'

John Woo, a bartender at Dave & Busters, knows the responsibilities that come with being a bartender. Good bartenders need to maintain customer comfort, happiness and safety.

Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Part of a bartender's responsibilities is making sure the patrons don't drink to dangerous excess. It takes a veteran eye to know when to cut someone off, and a polished approach to diffuse the potentially confrontational situations that can arise.

"If someone comes in slurring, if they spill something immediately, if they can't control their volume or if they can't focus — that's when you have to be very concerned," W bar manager Joey Gottesman says.

"A good bartender will always make a customer feel obligated to drink that glass of fresh water or that cup of hot coffee," he says. "Salesmanship is very important."

Wiggy Reyes, a bartender at Mr. C's Swing Club, knows what can happen when finesse fails to calm a drunk customer.

"People have threatened and people have thrown things," he says. "Sometimes you can call the manager or the boss, but a lot of times in small places like this the bartender is the only one there."

Jim Townsend, the Swing Club manager, says it's important for bartenders to assert their authority.

"They have to act as the captain of the ship," Townsend says. "Bartenders have a lot of responsibility and they have to maintain control.

I tell ... (patrons) that he has the right to throw me out if he has to."

Experienced bartenders from around town shared their secrets for keeping customers happy and safe.

  • What's in a name?: Knowing and using your customers' names can help turn one-time visitors into weekly regulars.
  • Conservative flair: Throwing in a few flips, spins and juggles when preparing a drink is a great way to entertain customers, but only in the right situation. A smart flair bartender will consider time, place and clientele before turning on the fireworks. Using bottles that are close to empty will also minimize the financial impact of a dropped prop.
  • There is such a thing as a free drink: Most managers will let their bartenders offer customers a drink on the house at their discretion. It's a nice gesture to regulars or customers who are spending and tipping freely. Bartenders will sometimes buy regular customers a drink if they know that they tip well.
  • When to say when: There's no easy way to cut someone off when they've had enough to drink, but fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and maintaining a low-key air of authority throughout the evening will put a bartender on better ground for that awkward moment.

• • •

Pay's poor, but tips can help boost bartenders

In Hawai'i, where the drinking cultures of dozens of nations find refreshment in bars and bistros, four-star restaurants and seedy strip clubs, the bartender's sphere of personal, social and economic influence is strong, indeed.

According to the Honolulu Liquor Commission, there are 816 "on-premise consumption licenses" and more than 8,800 bartending positions in Honolulu. (The latter figure does not necessarily represent the actual number of bartenders in Honolulu, as some bartenders work at more than one establishment, with each job counted separately.) This figure also includes managers and assistant managers, who are also licensed to work behind the bar.

Take-home pay for Hawai'i bartenders can vary widely. Many work for the state minimum wage of $6.25, though some larger hotels and clubs pay upward of $15 per hour. Some bartenders work for less than the minimum wage if their guaranteed monthly income is $2,000 or more with tips. And tips are where the real money is made. Bartenders may take home $30 to $50 in tips per shift at a small bar, or as much as $300 to $400 on a busy night at a top club.

While there are bartending schools available to teach prospective bartenders the ins and outs of the trade, most bartenders locally get their training on the job. To work, bartenders need to obtain a Liquor Commission card, commonly referred to as a blue card. Requirements for the card include taking a three-hour server training course from the Liquor Commission and securing a letter authorizing registration from their employer.