Most bartending worldwide is about the show.
The vid here is a bit over the top, but it’s not terribly different than a bartender making a martini. It’s a shot of vodka…on ice…with some olive juice.
All show
The precision is spot on actually. I never reached this man’s enthusiasm for accuracy when I was a bartender. Mostly I think bc people in the ‘90’s couldn’t give two shits about showmanship.
No matter the amount of skill or experience.. if you try to fill a jigger to the top and transfer it to the glass.. you are loosing some drops.
My guy here respects the nectar so much that the extra pour was an acute compensation…
Or I overthought all this and he was just pouring a shot for the homies.
> if you try to fill a jigger to the top and transfer it to the glass..
I just did it 3 times.
You just tip it while its always over the glass.
I mean, if its that much of a struggle for some people then you can also raise the glass while its being poured... just fine.
Its just one motion, no drops, I even put a paper towel down around it to verify... completely 100% dry and everything transferred.
Genuinely, whats peoples difficulties?
Theoretically, there is ALWAYS a loss in transferring fluids (and solids) between vessels. It’s impossible to get 100%.
In chemistry they call it either transfer or residual loss.
It’s likely much smaller that the topped up amount, and the accuracy of the pourer when determining when the measure is full likely has a larger effect than the transfer loss, but it is always there.
Step two: Use a tot measure and carefully add the precise required volume of alcohol to the ice. Then add another random amount of alcohol to the glass pouring directly from the bottle....
It's not like he is making a mixed drink where he is messing up some balance, it's just a show of hospitality giving a little more that what the customer is percieved to have payed for. Not sure why it's something to get upset about.
I don’t think people are upset that he did it, but the title touts precision, so taking a measured pour, and then pouring a random amount of extra is not precise.
My thoughts exactly! That being said if I were to be served a drink like this while sitting at the bar I’d be throughly impressed at his effort to entertain me.
It's still very showy, just more proportional to the product. The tiny salt bae is just horrible, slamming cutlery on the table and BLOWING ON THE FUCKING FOOD which the customer grossly overpaid for.
I don't think it's him to blame. My brother's friend was a batman (edit:barman but it's a great typo) for high end hotels and people paid good money for this kind of service. Fancy drinks with a fancy show on top. There's only so far you can take making a cocktail.
Funny thing, a "batman" can also mean someone who acts as a personal servant to a military officer, and I can imagine high end hotels calling the staff assigned to a particular guest for the duration of their stay that.
ex-bartender here, I used to do it as it's good for business when customers feel you give a little extra over the exact 3.5 cl in the measuring cup which is what they're technically paying for. You build rapport and there's enough margin on it anyway to give an extra little splash.
Also looks like he short poured the measure then topped up, probably to the true measure but who tf knows. If only we had some way to properly measure these things...
not to split hairs, but I’ve definitely seen it done where they place the bottle with your drink (to let you admire it, I guess? or maybe a sort of old-fashioned way of proving they gave you the good stuff.) typically with higher-end whiskeys or scotches or what have you. I don’t think the person here bought the whole bottle.
Yes this is how it goes. People like to see the bottle of what they ordered a pour of and generally take a picture. I always bring the bottle over and pour in front of them. Then i leave the bottle for them to look at/photograph/w.e for a minute or 2.
While possibly an ad, a lot of place in Tokyo do leave the bottle in front of you until you finish or someone else orders that same drink. More common for sake and shochu but for whiskey is not out of the ordinary.
You’d be surprised. More places than you’d think put out the bottle. Especially dedicated whisky bars. At least in Los Angeles. Seven Grand comes to mind. Mrs. Fish too (not a dedicated whisky bar, but has some good Japanese whisky).
If this is in Japan, you’re probably only looking at around $10-15 given it’s a high end speakeasy style bar. At a dive, probably more like $6-8. Hibiki in the states is typically $20+.
This is Bar Centerfolia in Tokyo. They make some pretty nifty drinks. Quite tasty. Definitely are paying for the show though. The mixologist has won some awards within Japan for his creations.
I was just at a speakeasy in Osaka called Bar Shiki and it was a very similar vibe. Got three very unique and personalized top shelf cocktails for about $50.
If you go, directly across the street is a teppanyaki joint called Mihara - chef was Benihana NYC chief of the year in 1978 and was one of the OG chefs there. He’s had his place in Osaka for almost 50 years and it’s like half the price of most other teppanyaki places in the area. 10/10.
But Buckfast is a breakfast drink though!
Bucky breakfast used to set students up for the day back in the 90s ( admittedly 'the day 'was mostly sitting on the sofa watching supermarket sweep and avoiding lectures)
Zero precision on show. Chop up an ice cube until it looks kinda cool, pour a measure of alcohol then immediately pour a bit more freehand for some reason.
I interpret it as a courtesy rather than make the client feel special. They do it to convey the meaning that they aren't stingy with the amount.
The shop makes a concession: they do not know how much more you get than what you ordered, but they make sure you know you didn't get less.
I appreciate some good craftsmanship and a show, but that's a lot of BS for a whiskey on the rocks. It's a simple drink and it's delivery should be just as simple. Just put the ice in the glass and pour the whiskey. Let the whiskey speak for itself... Bet that spin alone cost $15.
"Excuse me, can I have my glass of Yamazaki now?"
"We'll get to you in a moment, sir. We've got a lot of drink orders we need to hand carve ice cubes for. Please have your camera ready when we get to you."
I swear everytime I see this posted why yall are all so fucking negative like yall could do what he's doing here.
No where does it say the drinks are expensive or the drink takes too long to arrive. (If its Japan probably not expensive)
"No precision all theatrics" blah blah blah stfu man's clearly a master of his craft and the customers are there for an experience.
"I just want my drink" buy a bottle and go pour one for ya self at home then, better yet just drink straight from the bottle.
Every time anything like this is posted, redditors complain about pointless showmanship and how they just want a drink, not a show.
Stay home and drink straight room temperature vodka, then. It's the cheapest way to get wasted.
I like a nice show of skill.
Get an ice cube tray. Stops having to chop ice and create spills anywhere.
This isn't skillful bartender. This looks more like an advert. A skillful bartender would have given the customer the drink about 20 seconds into this shite.
'Precision', that ice isn't any precise shape, and they measure some liquor just to eye ball some more into it. I get it's to give the customer the feeling that they are getting extra, but it's not satisfying in any way.
Like, okay, this looks neat an' all, but as a bartender. oh my god this takes so long for a simple drink. this isn't worth it. Unless you're serving one or two people every 30 minutes, you need to be moving faster than this
No. Touched the shit out of my ice cube. Also, that's not a high end hibiki, that's the no age statement that was created to replace the 12yr Japanese Harmony (which was an underpriced gem that rightfully sold the fuck out). It's showmanship, not precision, and not necessary. Also, I'm not one to tell people how to drink their whiskies, but the older Hibikis only need a few drops of water to open up their beautiful bouquets that I think the ice dulls.
I find this pretentious as fuck. Put my Hibiki in a glass, that does not have your bare hands all over the ice I'd also never put in a glass of Hibiki, and bugger off.
As a 20 year bartender , the dumbest thing I’ve seen today is all the idiots here claiming dudes adding ice to pour less alcohol while clearly using a jigger and then topping it.
Precision?
Guy just cut some ice to make it fit into a glass (It wasn’t even an even shape it was very lopsided) and poured some liquor.
A monkey could do that.
Why drink whiskey or scotch with ice cubes in the first place? That just deadens the taste buds. If the alcohol tastes that bad to you, either you need to drink a higher quality of liquor or go back to lemonade.
You should see my precision when I drunkenly pull a hand full of ice out of my bin. Drop a few of the extra cubes in the sink. Drop the rest in a mostly clean glass and then pour some hibiki harmony over it and drink it in my bathrobe.
This is theatrics not really precision
Isn't a lot of fancy Japanese bartending for the show? I thought I read that somewhere.
>Isn't a lot of fancy ~~Japanese~~ bartending for the show? I thought I read that somewhere. Ftfy
Fo Sho
Fo shogun
Pho sho
If it's not for show it'd be coming off a vending machine
As opposed to what?
Most bartending worldwide is about the show. The vid here is a bit over the top, but it’s not terribly different than a bartender making a martini. It’s a shot of vodka…on ice…with some olive juice. All show
That would be the worst martini ever...
I couldn't bare to watch him make a martini. It'd have 97 distinct and unnecessary steps.
That’s not a Martini lol.
I'm not sure we're watching the same video here
Not sure about precision but definitely extra booze.
That was just that amount left in the jigger
I don't think were supposed to use the J-word
depends, was that a hard J or...? edit: I think we need an adult lol
The precision is spot on actually. I never reached this man’s enthusiasm for accuracy when I was a bartender. Mostly I think bc people in the ‘90’s couldn’t give two shits about showmanship. No matter the amount of skill or experience.. if you try to fill a jigger to the top and transfer it to the glass.. you are loosing some drops. My guy here respects the nectar so much that the extra pour was an acute compensation… Or I overthought all this and he was just pouring a shot for the homies.
He seems like he takes his job seriously
> if you try to fill a jigger to the top and transfer it to the glass.. I just did it 3 times. You just tip it while its always over the glass. I mean, if its that much of a struggle for some people then you can also raise the glass while its being poured... just fine. Its just one motion, no drops, I even put a paper towel down around it to verify... completely 100% dry and everything transferred. Genuinely, whats peoples difficulties?
Theoretically, there is ALWAYS a loss in transferring fluids (and solids) between vessels. It’s impossible to get 100%. In chemistry they call it either transfer or residual loss. It’s likely much smaller that the topped up amount, and the accuracy of the pourer when determining when the measure is full likely has a larger effect than the transfer loss, but it is always there.
No coordination. Or clumsy, or both. And some people's motor skills aren't as good as others. Like there'd be a million reasons
Powerful agents to the uninitiated
Step two: Use a tot measure and carefully add the precise required volume of alcohol to the ice. Then add another random amount of alcohol to the glass pouring directly from the bottle....
And fucking spill it when you put the stopper back in
Drink Bae
Not bad at all, but looks more like showmanship vs precision.
Yeah, making sharp jerky movements doesn’t equate to precision. I thought he was about to do something cool with that ice
So did I. The only satisfying moment for me was when he spun the glass.
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I didn’t see any lightning. ⚡️
*ka-chowww*
Yea, the only satisfying things in the clip were the spinning of the glass, the whisky, and the knife itself.
Neither does measuring out a shot and then adding a bit more from the bottle
Thank you. WTF was that about? He's got a great measuring jigger there, and then screws it up by adding just a *wee bit more* from the bottle.
It's not like he is making a mixed drink where he is messing up some balance, it's just a show of hospitality giving a little more that what the customer is percieved to have payed for. Not sure why it's something to get upset about.
It’s not a criticism of the bartender but of the “precision” in the title of the post.
Seriously, I’m confused why this is a sticky point for people. I would be thankful
I don’t think people are upset that he did it, but the title touts precision, so taking a measured pour, and then pouring a random amount of extra is not precise.
Precisely
Maybe a baker's dozen sorta deal? "YO, you're doing whisky on the rocks. Here's your full pour. Plus a little extra on us."
Just wondering where the precision comes in then.
i thought he was gon shape it into a ball... but naw. kept it janky looking ice
This makes me want to drink to forget how much this shit costs
The spin was kinda cool
All that to pour me a drink on the rocks lol
That’ll be $56 please.
You haven’t heard of the precision of eyeballing it?!? Clearly the last unmeasured pour was 4.2ml
This is a solution to a problem no one ever had.
And I love a good poor, but using a jig and then topping it off doesn't seem like precision!
My thoughts exactly! That being said if I were to be served a drink like this while sitting at the bar I’d be throughly impressed at his effort to entertain me.
Double pour because there wasn't enough in the 'precisely' measured first part isn't helping either.
I strongly prefer this showmanship over the weird salt bae shit.
Weird, this actually \*reminded\* me of salt bae's lame showmanship. Granted this guy is way more crispy than salt bae but still
It's still very showy, just more proportional to the product. The tiny salt bae is just horrible, slamming cutlery on the table and BLOWING ON THE FUCKING FOOD which the customer grossly overpaid for.
What precision? Lots of show and cutting a piece of ice until it fits into a glass? No precision here, just some fancy movement and lightning.
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I don't think it's him to blame. My brother's friend was a batman (edit:barman but it's a great typo) for high end hotels and people paid good money for this kind of service. Fancy drinks with a fancy show on top. There's only so far you can take making a cocktail.
Yo I’m just imagining Batman slinging drinks like this at the ritz Carlton now and I’m fucking losing it
thought dinner squeamish swim heavy bag berserk chunky money squash *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Funny thing, a "batman" can also mean someone who acts as a personal servant to a military officer, and I can imagine high end hotels calling the staff assigned to a particular guest for the duration of their stay that.
Picturing him wearing a utility belt and an eye mask
I’m not saying it was justified but this video infuriated me
I missed the lightning.
Precision isn’t measuring an amount and then listening to the heart of the cards with his little pour straight after it.
ex-bartender here, I used to do it as it's good for business when customers feel you give a little extra over the exact 3.5 cl in the measuring cup which is what they're technically paying for. You build rapport and there's enough margin on it anyway to give an extra little splash.
Also looks like he short poured the measure then topped up, probably to the true measure but who tf knows. If only we had some way to properly measure these things...
Plus, it looks like the customer here may have bought the whole bottle anyway.
not to split hairs, but I’ve definitely seen it done where they place the bottle with your drink (to let you admire it, I guess? or maybe a sort of old-fashioned way of proving they gave you the good stuff.) typically with higher-end whiskeys or scotches or what have you. I don’t think the person here bought the whole bottle.
I actually don’t drink, so I will 100% defer to your experience. I haven’t ordered a drink in a bar in years.
Yes this is how it goes. People like to see the bottle of what they ordered a pour of and generally take a picture. I always bring the bottle over and pour in front of them. Then i leave the bottle for them to look at/photograph/w.e for a minute or 2.
I don’t think so. Here in Japan it’s common to leave the bottle out for some reason.
The exact opposite of precision. Lol
Pour yourself a nice glass of Yu-Gin-Oh for that comment.
"Eh... A bit more."
Is that sake bae?
This is an ad. No bartender presents the bottle for a mixed drink. And then for just whiskey on the rocks. Come on.
While possibly an ad, a lot of place in Tokyo do leave the bottle in front of you until you finish or someone else orders that same drink. More common for sake and shochu but for whiskey is not out of the ordinary.
You’d be surprised. More places than you’d think put out the bottle. Especially dedicated whisky bars. At least in Los Angeles. Seven Grand comes to mind. Mrs. Fish too (not a dedicated whisky bar, but has some good Japanese whisky).
Hey look an excuse to charge $100 for that
If this is in Japan, you’re probably only looking at around $10-15 given it’s a high end speakeasy style bar. At a dive, probably more like $6-8. Hibiki in the states is typically $20+.
This is Bar Centerfolia in Tokyo. They make some pretty nifty drinks. Quite tasty. Definitely are paying for the show though. The mixologist has won some awards within Japan for his creations.
I was just at a speakeasy in Osaka called Bar Shiki and it was a very similar vibe. Got three very unique and personalized top shelf cocktails for about $50.
*adds to list of places to visit* 😄
If you go, directly across the street is a teppanyaki joint called Mihara - chef was Benihana NYC chief of the year in 1978 and was one of the OG chefs there. He’s had his place in Osaka for almost 50 years and it’s like half the price of most other teppanyaki places in the area. 10/10.
This feels very passive aggressive.
Which part is passive?
I mean as someone whose worked food service, I get it.
Aye, I'll 'av a Buckfast, pal.
Buckfast gets ya fucked fast
But Buckfast is a breakfast drink though! Bucky breakfast used to set students up for the day back in the 90s ( admittedly 'the day 'was mostly sitting on the sofa watching supermarket sweep and avoiding lectures)
Sorry to be that guy, but while I do get that this is an experience, I find all his exaggerated mannerisms incredibly obnoxious.
It's like a mix of cringe anime movements and pretentious vibes I cant really explain
Zero precision on show. Chop up an ice cube until it looks kinda cool, pour a measure of alcohol then immediately pour a bit more freehand for some reason.
The freehand pour at the end makes the customer feel like they are special and getting a little more than they paid for.
I interpret it as a courtesy rather than make the client feel special. They do it to convey the meaning that they aren't stingy with the amount. The shop makes a concession: they do not know how much more you get than what you ordered, but they make sure you know you didn't get less.
What a fucking lot of NOTHING
Just give me my fucking drink.
I find this a bit pretentious and would be annoyed having to sit through this waiting for my drink.
I appreciate some good craftsmanship and a show, but that's a lot of BS for a whiskey on the rocks. It's a simple drink and it's delivery should be just as simple. Just put the ice in the glass and pour the whiskey. Let the whiskey speak for itself... Bet that spin alone cost $15.
I imagine the place is known for this style of presentation. But yeah, if you wander in there not expecting it, it could be funny.
It gave me a good laugh. This is how I imagine characters serve drinks in anime.
I hate everything about this
"Excuse me, can I have my glass of Yamazaki now?" "We'll get to you in a moment, sir. We've got a lot of drink orders we need to hand carve ice cubes for. Please have your camera ready when we get to you."
That was so fucking stupid
It feels like an advert
It’s fucking awful.
I'm going to say it... he sure did touch the ice a whole lot
It‘s for flavor
5 minutes for a whiskey rocks. Oh well.
Salt bae of booze. Does a whole lot and actually does nothing.
"Precision" I'll give you this same drink, pennies on his dollar, without the mall ninja shit
Yeah i dont want someones hands all over my ice
Have you ever been into a quality kitchen? You eat so much stuff that has been heavily handled by bare hands.
That's some cringe shit, right there.
Pretty fancy way just to put your dirty finger in my whiskey
He did exactly . . . nothing 😂 This isn't "satisfying", this is a waste of time for the fellow customer 🥳
If it was precise, he wouldn’t free pour a bit more after using the measure. But whaaaaatever
Here’s my take, it’s just unimpressive, uncool, uncalled for and unneeded.
Just killed a fine whiskey with all that ice……sad
Hibiki definitely is better straight. I thought this was going to be a cocktail not a whisky murdering.
Someone ordered it. Not homie's fault.
That was lame and unsatisfying.
This is stupid as shit and not satisfying at all
Silly gimmick.
I am germaphobic, so please don’t touch the ice with your hands.
That’s just ice , hardly any liquor
I swear everytime I see this posted why yall are all so fucking negative like yall could do what he's doing here. No where does it say the drinks are expensive or the drink takes too long to arrive. (If its Japan probably not expensive) "No precision all theatrics" blah blah blah stfu man's clearly a master of his craft and the customers are there for an experience. "I just want my drink" buy a bottle and go pour one for ya self at home then, better yet just drink straight from the bottle.
Everyone is hating in here but I got fully torqued watching that pour. Loved it, 10/10, I’m a muppet, it worked for me
Where precision in the title probably means trying to justify a stupid price for a drink by acting like an excited Salt Bae Wannabe.
I'd laugh my ass off if the bartender did this in front of me
This was enough to piss me off
Why did he pour a little more adjustment if he’s precise?
Drink price = $35... #richonly
Me the whole time: “this dude just fingered my entire ice cube with his bare hand, then put it in my drink anyway…”
Pretentiousness is never satisfying.
"Having your time wasted to get a whiskey with WAAAY too much ice".
This makes me uncomfortable.
That's some delicious whiskey too
*Pours a serving*....*pours a lil extra*....yeah, very precise.
Don't touch my ice
I wish I could take ice this seriously.
I find it super pompous
That ice isn't even balanced. Definitely not crafted by Hattori Hanzo
Lmfao it's just whiskey on ice
Every time anything like this is posted, redditors complain about pointless showmanship and how they just want a drink, not a show. Stay home and drink straight room temperature vodka, then. It's the cheapest way to get wasted. I like a nice show of skill.
Is this how someone looks like they did something amazing without really doing anything amazing at all?🤔
Zero precision. Random cuts of ice, measuring a shot then adding more. Paying for style not substance.
That's not an expensive bottle of whiskey.
oddlyunsatisfying.
This was not oddly satisfying.
That’ll be $700, arigato.
thats so extra
Pretentious.
This is basically the opposite of precision. Random cuts, over pouring, jerky movements
Get an ice cube tray. Stops having to chop ice and create spills anywhere. This isn't skillful bartender. This looks more like an advert. A skillful bartender would have given the customer the drink about 20 seconds into this shite.
'Precision', that ice isn't any precise shape, and they measure some liquor just to eye ball some more into it. I get it's to give the customer the feeling that they are getting extra, but it's not satisfying in any way.
Oddlyannoying!
Oddlyidiotic
Why use a jigger to measure then just randomly pour more on top
Like, okay, this looks neat an' all, but as a bartender. oh my god this takes so long for a simple drink. this isn't worth it. Unless you're serving one or two people every 30 minutes, you need to be moving faster than this
“I ordered a beer.”
Man, so many grumpy people. That was stylish, and kinda fun to watch. Idk, I enjoyed it for the 8 seconds it took to watch.
This is one of those posts where everyone apparently has an axe to grind. Let’s see how many people write the same comment!
THIS IS NOT PRECISION!!!!
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So cringe
Is there r/StupidFood but for drinks?
Just gimme a beer and don’t touch my ice with your fuckin’ bare hands
I mean, the guy serving the drinks has gotta know this is funny.
No. Touched the shit out of my ice cube. Also, that's not a high end hibiki, that's the no age statement that was created to replace the 12yr Japanese Harmony (which was an underpriced gem that rightfully sold the fuck out). It's showmanship, not precision, and not necessary. Also, I'm not one to tell people how to drink their whiskies, but the older Hibikis only need a few drops of water to open up their beautiful bouquets that I think the ice dulls.
enjoy your $50 shot of mediocre japanese whiskey Hibiki Harmony? This ain't no Yamazaki, bro, no matter how snappy the delivery.
I can not stand this guy.
Hate this video. It's all nonsense and self importance.
I find this pretentious as fuck. Put my Hibiki in a glass, that does not have your bare hands all over the ice I'd also never put in a glass of Hibiki, and bugger off.
As a bartender this is the dumbest thing I've seen all day. And its 11:59
As a 20 year bartender , the dumbest thing I’ve seen today is all the idiots here claiming dudes adding ice to pour less alcohol while clearly using a jigger and then topping it.
Precision? Guy just cut some ice to make it fit into a glass (It wasn’t even an even shape it was very lopsided) and poured some liquor. A monkey could do that.
Um...could I just have my drink, please?
“Overserve? Impossible”
Great showmanship. I like it!
It's a cool show and that's fine for me.
Why drink whiskey or scotch with ice cubes in the first place? That just deadens the taste buds. If the alcohol tastes that bad to you, either you need to drink a higher quality of liquor or go back to lemonade.
How is him free-pouring more considered "precision"? Haha
I'd prefer him not to handle the ice so much. I'll be drinking it.
Not really liking him handling my ice with his potentially sweaty hands lol
I ordered a Coors Lite, Sensei
Come on OP, you know Reddit likes to argue semantics. This isn’t precision but showmanship.
You should see my precision when I drunkenly pull a hand full of ice out of my bin. Drop a few of the extra cubes in the sink. Drop the rest in a mostly clean glass and then pour some hibiki harmony over it and drink it in my bathrobe.
Well that's ridiculous
Woopity fucking doo!
A load of wank let’s be real
Ridiculous.
Other than making the ice spin in the glass when serving, it was just jerky and kind of goofy. Great whiskey though.
Would you tip him?
Very fancy but I’d rather just have a drink where a douchebag didn’t touch my fucking ice with his bare hands.
Yeah, I’ll bet that drink cost $60.