and by the way… AMERICA AIN’T THAT GREAT!

 

This is an Email/Facebook remark I received from Rob Rademaker, a trainer for the Bols Academy in the Netherlands.

It’s a remark that started when he asked me for a good cocktail guide, and I recommended BARTENDING FOR DUMMIES, which I told him I wrote. He wrote back, “It ain’t that great. There are better.” I told him there are better cordials than Bols. His remarks end with, “…and by the way, AMERICA AIN’T THAT GREAT.” I told him I was a former US Marine, and he was an A-Hole.

This is a person (‘bartender’ is too good a word for him) who when in the United States of America was trained by or attended Gary (or is it Gaz) Regan and B.A.R. Resources. WOW. Great Job. Gary says he is part of an expanded team that operates at “high hand”. Yeah right, at a high hand – BS for Regan – he’s paid.

America IS that great!! Bols training people and Bols  – That’s another story.

On the subject of bartending: Bartenders should not work for FREE.

So far two shows: The Manhattan Cocktail Classic and Tales of the Cocktail are using young bartenders and not PAYING them. Just offering expenses and a certificate while making money. This is a form of slavery. Bartenders should be paid.

When Tales of the Cocktail started, Ann R. Tuennerman wanted me to come to New Orleans and tend bar for FREE and I could sell my book. Yeah right! BARTENDING FOR DUMMIES has sold over 600,000 copies to date and I have never been invited again – who cares! The PR people who run and make money off of this want free help to this day and call themselves Mr. & Mrs. Cocktail – wow! Talk about phonies.

I do not want to sound like a complainer, but I love this business and I love real bartenders. It seems like a lot of people who never tended bar are in this business just to use and take advantage of OUR industry.

That goes for those rating systems, too. Send them your signature drink cocktail and $495, and you can be in the Ultimate Cocktail Challenge, and their experts will evaluate your signature cocktail. Hold it – your customers will do that, and pay you! Come on, Paul Pacult – get a real job. Why do Regan and Degroff even endorse this? Oh, I’m sorry – they get paid.

PAY YOUR BARTENDERS. You make money on these shows – pay the bartender!!

Let’s get down to business: Remember, we have been BARTENDER Magazine for 31 years, before most of these phonies were drinking.

THANK YOU!

Thank you all for your loyal support: The bartenders, managers, owners, and liquor suppliers.

As you know there have been many clones throughout the world. Australian Bartender is the closest to cloning BARTENDER Magazine, right down to its logo and title. Never have they admitted to this. Class act! Australia does not recognize USA copyright laws.

We wish them all the best. We were first and you cannot lie about that. We are always looking to help another company – if they do the right thing!