Bartenders' Manual. Harry Johnson

provision should be made for it. When expecting to do a fair business, the liquor box should be large enough to hold the principal liquor bottles that are supposed to be kept cool. For instance, at each end of the box there should be sufficient room for two or three bottles of whiskey – the 15-cent as well as the 10-cent grade – two bottles of gin (Old Tom and Holland), two bottles of sherry and Rhine wine, a couple of bottles of siphon seltzer as well as a bottle or two of imported seltzer. The box should be made of sufficient depth that the bottles will fit in the tubes, so that only the necks will appear to sight. The proprietor must know when he gives the order to the cabinet-maker, whether he wants the box to contain eight, ten or twelve bottles. The ice-box containing the broken or shaved ice should also have an extra bottom made of wood, in order that neither the true bottom nor the icepick should be injured by contact with one another. The wood bottom should be perforated, so that the drainage and lees may run off readily. All the bottles in use should always be kept closed with good corks and covered with nickel or sliver-plated mountings. The face of the bench should be decorated with good cabinet-work, in order to cover the rough material which is generally used, and, furthermore, the legs or supports should be “turned”, instead of the wide boards generally seen, for the reason that more room is obtained, cleaning is easier and the effect is naturally more pleasing to both the eyes of proprietor and customer. The floor underneath the working bench should be kept scrupulously clean, nothing being placed there except a fancy waste pail for each station. A handsome box of the same material as the cabinet work, lined with copper or other proper metal, is to be placed on the floor underneath the bench, for the purpose of placing empty bottles in it. The box-lining will save much labor and prevent accumulations of “leavings”. Additionally, every bar systematically arranged should have a couple of boxes made of the same material as the cabinet work, to be placed on the floor under the bench as a receptacle for the corks. Every bench should have the tubes in the liquor box and exact measurements should be taken, allowing for the width of the bottles as well as the space occupied by each tube. For instance, if the liquor box is to contain ten bottles of four inches diameter each, the box must necessarily be more than forty inches in length. Formerly, the tubes were made of wood which, continually damp, would, in the course of time, give out a bad odor. I have, therefore, invented these metal tubes, which should also be perforated, as this condition will more naturally admit the cool air to the bottle, keep it from sweating and have the liquor in a proper temperature for instant use.

      No bartender should expectorate or throw bits of paper or other refuse into any of these tubes. By refraining from so doing, absolute cleanliness is assured. Expense should not be spared in making a handsome and convenient working bench, as far as one’s finances will allow, for it is the chief feature of the place and it should be the proprietor’s pride to have this part of his establishment a source of gratification to both him and the public. Again, in a bar-room where the working bench has not sufficient natural light, artificial means should be used. The small expense of lighting up a dark bench will be saved in the prevention of breaking bottles and glassware. It is also to be remembered that the bench should be large enough to allow the placing of bottles between the bench and the top of the counter. The apertures – from eight to twelve in number – for the bottles, which are usually from 3 ½ to 4 inches wide, should be made so that the end ones will come exactly to the edge of the board and not leave room for the possible accumulation of refuse. Have the sugar box or bowl arranged so that it can be conveniently reached, thus losing neither time nor steps. The floor behind the bar should be clean and kept perfectly dry. This will likewise be beneficial to the health of the man doing work behind the bar. The edge of the bench should be covered with a strip of metal 1 ½ inches wide, and this, when polished, will “show off” the bench to advantage.

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