Today we launch a new feature at Joe Bartender: Bartender interviews. We will be interviewing bartenders from all over the world, to get tips, inspiration and learn how our profession differs in different locales.

Our first bartender interview is with Murray Alexander, who tends bar in London at The Drayton Arms on The Old Brompton Road. Murray describes it as “a really nice and wealthy area which is almost over populated with very attractive women and Ferraris.” Murray actually started as a club promoter before he was seduced by the art of mixology and moved behind the bar. There is a lot of great information here for anyone who is currently behind the bar or contemplating a career in bartending.

Why did you decide to get into bartending?

Well, before I was a bartender, I was a club promoter (yeah, I got it all backwards!) and I never really looked at being a bartender. I thought it would mean lack of freedom, harder to interact with people (girls!) and it just wasnt on my mental radar! Then as the club promoting developed me and my then partner thought of going to the next stage and getting a club. It was at this point I started looking at the bar and realising I knew absolutely fuck all and really I should if we are going to do a club… but as things developed and my focus moved to other areas and I needed another income while I went back to college I thought fuck it. Get behind the bar, earn some money and learn a new skill!

How did you go about getting your first bartending gig? Was it tough to land your first one?

It was tough in a way. I went through the back door. My first bar-tending gigs were at temporary events. Shit like sports stadiums and country fairs. Tough as it’s all mobile. Little preparation and you have to set up EVERYTHING and break it all down again. The toughest was a show where I had to make £10000 ($20000) of pimms a DAY 4 days in a row….fucked up. Then I moved on to my first proper gig in a local bar… I had very little normal bar experience but the guy took me on (I think because I am a big guy and he wanted someone to double as security!) and I was keen to learn…

What is your favorite drink to make?

I love em all. As long as its making the customer happy and/or exposing them to something new. I love introducing someone to new combinations, twists or just new drinks. Cocktails, wines, beers… anything. I also love drinks that have some drama. Like Cosmos when you flame them or making fresh watermelon martinis (Eclipse London style) and chopping up the water melon.

What is your least favorite drink to make?

I dont really have any I hate. Some Rum drinks can be a bit of a pain because remembering the combinations and recipes is not as easy as other drinks but it’s all part of the challenge. Like, when youre in a busy bar making Rossinis or Bellinis with champagne foaming up. But if you think a few steps ahead, it’s all good. You take it in stride.

What is your bartender pet peeve?

Lazy co-workers and shit managers. Most of the other shit you can always get round. Drunk customers, random obscure drinks, being packed to the point of bursting etc. They’re all cool, but when a manager is crap or a co-worker is lazy then it bites. The only way to get round it on the short term is to raise your game and take charge of the situation.

What’s the most interesting/scandalous thing that’s happened to you on the job?

Most of the sauce and scandal is more situational. Its more about the couple who comes in, then later in the week the woman comes in with her husband/lover/girlfriend or just me and the other guys behind the bar mis-behavin!

What’s the best line somebody has used to get a free drink from you?

Ha Ha, lines normally never work on me at all! When they drop a line I just say “Heh, I’ll give you a free drink when you agree to pay my rent when I get fired!” Most people dont really use a line, it’s more like guys being a bit cheeky or girls flirting or being out right sexual to get a drink

What’s the most memorable pickup line you’ve heard?

It’s mainly been from other bar-tenders and alot of it is for laughs/throw-away one liners.

Who would YOU want to have a drink with and why?

Cool people with a vibe. They tend to be the most stimulating people.

Tell us one thing about tending bar that we might not know.

You’re on a stage so ENTERTAIN. Most of the unique skills are not the drink making but the way with which you interact with the clients (look up the difference between client and customer) and later as you become a manager the way in which you interact and motivate staff and the venue.

Are there any books or resources you would recommend for up and coming bartenders?

There is a guy named Jeremy Sherk (writer of Bartender Secrets Exposed) who does a website that’s worth checking out. It’s about the art of bar-tending, making it faster. The name is cheesy and you might think it’s a bit shallow and about the wrong reasons to bartend, but I have a theory. It’s main mission is to make you faster and more aware. When you’re faster and more aware it then enables you to have the time and space mentally to give the person you’re serving drinks your attention. It also squares away the concept that when you work you CHOOSE your attitude. Plus, in this country bartending isn’t seen as a profession. To enable some people to see it as a profession is your ability to support yourself (good cash tips rather than just minimum wage) and make a career of it (longevity/opportunities). So all in all a good guide to check out.

I read the odd book on making cocktails (Dale De Groff – very cool) but when you’re running a business and the “official” (which is wrong in a way as cocktails is an art and almost freeform) way is counter to the deal you might get on a liquor,spirit, juice etc. from a supplier and you need to jazz the recipe it loses some relevance.

In an ideal world, you’d like all of them to be exact but if, for instance, you aren’t running a hotel bar with huge amount of staff, but you have a mega high volume club/bar and you knocking out $10,000s of drinks a night, you’re free pouring and you’re having a wide range of drinks that are to be made by staff who might not have as much experience as the manager and head barman but you need them up to speed… It can make more sense to make a recipe 50ml, 25ml and a dash rather than a definitive mixoligists recipe of 55.5ml. 29 ml plus a dash. Controversial but, heh, on the business side of things it can make things smoother.

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