Warren Pang: The most exhausting guests are the ones who pretend to be cocktail geeks

Every self-respecting bartender should have his own lucky shaker. It’s like their chef’s whites.

I’ve noticed that romantics drink more than cynics. They just enjoy the process itself, and they don’t care if you make your bitters yourself or whether or not your ice is triple-filtered. Cynics, meanwhile, just need to have more sex.

There’s nothing worse than a burned-out bartender who doesn’t enjoy his job anymore.

If a fire were to break out in the bar, the first thing I would grab is our night watchman, Benji the mutt.

A bartender who wears a tie looks like a clown.

A bartender is ready to become a bar manager only when they understand that it’s all about their team, not about them. Add to that enough knowledge of their product, charm and a sharp eye for detail.

When you have your own bar, it’s impossible to know for sure what will happen tomorrow. Something is always hiding in wait there, be it good or bad.

I know a lot of nerds who later became successful bartenders as a result. I’m one of them.

The worst guests are the ones who pretend to be cocktail geeks.

The success of a bar lies in hard work, planning, training, creative marketing, negotiations with landlords, suppliers, and the tax collectors, and of course, the need to deal with the idiots who pop up among your customers from time to time.

When I make cocktails, there should either be disco-funk or old-school hip-hop playing.

Photo: Garrie Maguire