Bartenders compete in the Cocktail Award, but one has extra motivation to prove his drink-mixing skills.
Episode 8 — “A Challenge”
Hmm. Bartender Glass of God Tasting Notes.
The service industry focuses on making guests comfortable, which has been a primary theme of Bartender Glass of God so far, so members must avoid things that detract from the guests’ experience. For example, how could a client trust his drink’s flavor if he worries about his server? Bartenders affect a cocktail’s taste through their appearance as a bar’s secret ingredient. Kyouko lacks sleep, and Chen appears too distracted. A smile works wonders in most instances. But if Chen keeps his good looks, that helps with the female customers. At least his ikemen status works on Kyouko!
The other customer service aspect the Cocktail Award highlighted was presentation. Not of the drink, though. We’ve been through that many times already in Bartender Glass of God. The bartender’s presentation: he has to put on a show for guests! Sometimes, they can be too flashy, like the host club bartender in the first episode. But, at the very least, the bartender should make the entire drink an experience for the customer sitting at the bar. A cocktail’s presentation should be like a magician performing a trick or a dancer on stage. Those movements make the patron look forward to drinking whatever ends up at the end of the performance.
Dancing Behind the Counter — The Performance of a Bartender
The key to a bartender’s performance is how she does it for one person. The set of actions should all point to the end goal of the customer imbibing the product. That basic rule is why Chen failed his act before the Cocktail Award judges. His performance was for his father on the other side of the livestream. Sasakura, with his keen eye for observation, immediately picked up on Chen’s focus. The judges drinking his cocktails were secondary to his goal of convincing the elder Chen he wanted to be a bartender. His plan worked to a degree, but not enough to let him stay in Japan. Could Chen return after he finished his bartender training at his family’s Singapore hotel bar? Maybe. But he still has far to go in focusing on the customer in front of him.
Cocktail Awards — Can Bartender Glass of God Turn Fiction into Reality?
The International Bartenders Association (IBA) maintains the standard recipes for classic, contemporary, and cocktails of a new era. When you peruse the list of mixed drinks, you will notice one thing: no brand names. Previously, we’ve discussed how liquor has so much diversity in flavors because of the long history of distillation and aging. Each cocktail in the IBA list has a set ingredient and amount. But a bartender can choose from endless varieties for his expression and the customers’ tastes. This is the space that Mr. Perfect and the Glass of God occupy. But what about new cocktails? How do they become a standard that international bartenders include at every bar?
The drinks we saw Yuri, Kyouko, and Chen make at the Cocktail Awards could become signature local cocktails. These are the drinks the bartenders want to make for their patrons. But the classics? Those are the drinks the customers ask the bartenders for. The bartender guilds can only vote to include it as an official IBA cocktail if guests keep asking for a new drink long enough. Signature drinks are top-down, but IBA cocktails come from the people. Which of Bartender Glass of God’s cocktails will lead a populist revolt in Ginza? Will Yuri’s Okinawan Chimugukuru kick Kyouko’s Headwind past Chen’s Lion City? Only time will tell.
Horse’s Neck — Ginger Ale with a Kick
According to the IBA, a Horse’s Neck should contain cognac, ginger ale, and a lemon peel. That’s how Bartender Glass of God makes it for Mr. Minami, too. The long, winding lemon rind gives the drink its name. The Horse’s Neck started as a ginger ale beverage with lemon, but after people spiked it with brandy or bourbon, they called it a Stiff Horse’s Neck or a Horse’s Neck with a Kick. In America, the cocktail traditionally includes bourbon instead of the international norm of brandy or cognac. That Kentucky (the home of bourbon) and horse connection makes it one of the staples for the Kentucky Derby, joining the Mint Julep (the official cocktail of the famous horse race).
Why did Master Minami choose the Horse’s Neck as the drink he wanted from Kyouko? Was it because Kyouko’s Headwind cocktail gives you a “kick?” We can only speculate, but there must be some significance because this story is fiction. An author only shows things to the audience he wants to. Unfortunately, Bartender Glass of God has skimped on these cocktail-related details as the middle of its season focused on the bartender characters instead of how they serve drinks to customers.
The formula had been a specific mixture of ingredients corresponding to a situation, which led the audience to receive a philosophical perspective. That has been missing lately. Similarly, the bartenders in the Cocktail Award contest explained the name of their drinks but not what the ingredients meant. I wish anime would not lose its way in the middle third of its season.
Next time, Sasakura reveals his attachment to an empty lot. Will it explain his self-alleged fear of heights?
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Would you like to try those cocktails from Yuri, Kyouko, and Chen? They seem like a lot of work. And how often would I drink kumquat liqueur? Or would you prefer the simple kick from a Horse’s Neck? Let us know in the comments below.
Bartender Glass of God (Bartender: Kami no Glass) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles. Bartender (2006) also streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and English subtitles.
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