There’s a mint to be made in the cocktail and drinks industry (and not just as a garnish).
Those professionals who make it their business to know a Rioja from a Riesling and a margarita from a mojito can make a more than comfy salary.
The best part? They’re earning money doing something they love. We asked some industry experts how to get in at the ground level…
The mixologist
“It doesn’t require an awful lot of training,” says Cuan Dumas of his profession as a mixologist at The Folly Bar in London.
Though he’s won several awards for his innovative and elaborate concoctions (truffled Japanese whiskey sour = yum), his beginnings weren’t exactly fancy.
“I used to work at this small town bar that only served beers,” Dumas recalls.
“The only cocktail they made was a Shirley Temple.”
He says that his enthusiasm helped make up for his lack of experience.
“When I started, I worked at the bar. When the mixologist that was there left, I just got excited about the cocktail menu and started getting involved with gastronomy cocktails and infusions, and playing with spirits.”
The main thing in his field, Dumas says, is research.
When he’s not behind the bar, he’s trying out other cocktail lounges around London or scouring gardens and farmers’ markets for fresh inspiration.
Even at home, he’s always experimenting with new ingredients and garnishes.
“Any bartender can be a mixologist if they have a passion for making cocktails,” he says.
Though the “unsociable hours” might prove a challenge to some (nights and weekends are a mixologist’s prime shifts), other perks make the job.
Dumas regularly gets to travel for research at the behest of his company, and says the job is a great way to meet people.
He reckons that between the base salary and service charge, mixologists can earn upwards of £500 per week.
The beer sommelier
Drinking beer for a living may sound like a dream job, but it’s still hard work. After all, developing an encyclopedic knowledge of anything, let alone beer, is no easy task.
“The first thing you need to do is expand your knowledge,” says Rod Jones, the beer sommelier at the Meantime Brewery.
The good bit about this is that it means you’ll need to practice, which will entail not just reading a copious amount of beer literature (there’s heaps out there), but drinking lots of beer.
“Don’t just sit down and order five Heineken,” he warns. “Really push your boundaries.”
It’s also vital to learn to distinguish the various notes of each brew.
“You get a lot more flavours in beers than you do in wines, because beers involve more ingredients,” Jones explains.
“You want to be able to try and link up those flavours with food.”
As for salary, those starting out can expect to earn around £23,000.
The best way to break into the business, Jones says, is to get a job at a craft beer bar.
“That’s a great way to build up some trade experience,” he says.
–
The wine salesman
“Dealing wines can be a surprisingly physical enterprise,” notes Martin Longley, a sales director at Ellis of a wine merchant that supplies grape to restaurants and caterers.
“You have to be very hands-on, and deal with the customer at a hands-on level,” he says.
Often this means carting a heavy tote of samples to restaurants and regaling sommeliers with the backstories of a variety of labels. The hours can also be loopy.
“You work the hours that the restaurant works. They can contact you any time of day, and you have to get back to them.
You can’t say, ‘No, I’m not here.’ As salesmen work on commission, it’s in our best interests to be on call.”
Longley says that a good salesman can earn as much as six figures annually.
Longley recommends those starting out should learn the ropes at retail outlets such as Oddbins.
Develop your palette
The best way to hit the ground running is to keep a journal of everything you try.
Note the different flavours, plus the history and origins of what you’re sipping.
It will be easier to keep straight.
Beer fans can delve into 1001 Beers You Must Try Before You Die, a quality 10 for the industry.
For a formal education, try taking a course at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust.
Photos: Thinkstock
This is an updated article taken from the TNT Archives.
