The cocktail teachings of Arno

At a recent De Kuyper workshop in Sydney, global brand ambassador Arno van Eijmeren offered plenty of advice to bartenders. Here are some of his key tips:

• You don’t have to have 100 cocktails on your menu to be special. You can be special with just five drinks.
• The definition of a good drink is one you can order multiple times.
• It’s not rocket science but using vessels other than ordinary glasses inspires the customer. It’s just nice to do things that are out of the ordinary.
• We train our staff not to talk about themselves but to listen. Ask the right questions and that will get the conversation going. A ‘listening ear’ is what we miss in bartending these days.
• We use a lot of nutmeg and crushed juniper berries in drinks with no alcohol so you get a spiciness and a more interesting taste.
• At the end of the day you want to make money. If a drink’s not working, do something about it. If a bottle’s not selling, make it happen.
• Names of racehorses make good names for drinks.