How much should a hospitality professional charge for creating cocktails, speaking and educating, or bartending for events? Keyatta Mincey-Parker pulls back the curtain and talks about the questions we should ask before accepting a job, the information we need to know to do the job, and how much money our knowledge and know-how is worth. As hospitality professionals (especially women of color) navigate working for themselves in addition to working within the confines of restaurants and bars, this article is a must-read. 

Let's take a deep dive into the world of rose water! This edition of our Dive Bar series takes a long look at the intensely aromatic floral waters, their history, their cultural significance, and the way they can be used to create singular cocktails. Join Eric Syed and Mohammed "Bin" Khulayf as they share their thoughts on floral distillates and what makes them an exciting ingredient.⁠

Within the bar industry that thrives in modern-day North America, sustainability conversations have historically omitted the crucial perspectives of Indigenous people – until recently. In the last two years, restaurants have featured America’s truest but unknown cuisine: Indigenous foods. The Indigenous movement towards food sovereignty has also gained recognition in the non-native conscience.

The Sour is the best example of a cocktail’s evolution over time. The word sour is an adjective, and is often seen as a catchall term denoting any alcoholic drink containing citrus juice, yet it originally had a stricter meaning. As mixology has expanded over two centuries, drink families have narrowed, becoming more specific. Today, many bartenders are taught that a sour should contain egg whites, when that is a decidedly modern addition. But in an effort to codify the broad landscape of cocktails today, leaning into this evolution is quite valuable.

Navigating the server/ well bartender relationship is a delicate balance. We asked our team of servers how they build an effective team with the folks behind the bar.  Education and communication are always top among the solutions but read on to find out what specific steps these pros have taken.

What makes a great menu? And how can we make them more exciting and useful? Our server panel weighs in on what makes a menu a knockout.

There are many ways to say thank you to your guests. And many ways to apologize to a table for something that may have gone wrong. We asked four servers how they use comps to enhance their service during a shift. 

We have all had that table that just can't be pleased, and we all have our own style when it comes to dealing with them. We wanted to compare notes, so we asked Kevin, Paul, Sarah, and Julie what their strategies were when it comes to tough guests.