The Importance of Downtime for the Creative Bartender

Hello Team,

This blog post serves as a reminder to me as much as it does a word of warning to an up-and-comer with a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for success in the industry. Hospitality as an industry, is a relentless one. It is emotionally and physically demanding, and depending on your venue, creatively too.

At the time of writing this, Tyler Zielinski (@bon_vivantito on Instagram) posted the 4 ways to maximise your potential as a bartender (reading, tasting, traveling, and creating more). While this information is valuable, I have seen too many a talented bartender try to juggle these 4 practices while working their scheduled service/prep hours, inevitably leading to burnout.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way; coming to the end of my term at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, I was helping work on their new menu update while spinning multiple other plates in unison. The result, my drink submissions were subpar, none were chosen for the next menu, and the rest of the projects I was working on felt below my standard too.

To my workaholic dismay, the solution was in fact, a week off. Allowing my body and brain to relax and reset before starting in a new venue with another new menu to develop. This week off allowed me to explore (both internally, and externally) and look at life around me for inspiration, which in turn allowed me to create inspired drinks for a new menu in a new venue using ingredients I was already familiar with, but with a completely new approach to fit the venue I had just started working in.

One cannot expect inspiration to hit if they spend every waking hour being behind the bar or thinking about being behind the bar. To be a true creative, one must be a well-rounded individual with a keen passion for what they do, accompanied by a wide range of hobbies outside of their line of work.

Inspiration rarely ever strikes me on a Friday night mid-drink-slinging but often when I am out with friends enjoying a good meal, film, or walk. If you get a bit bar-home-sick, you can even go to a bar you love and see what the team there is doing for inspiration! For those who have watched, S2E3 of The Bear, the quote “No, I’m not sending you home. I’m sending us out, for inspiration” rang very true with me. Going to good bars to see what good practices I may be missing out on, and even going to bad ones to see which bad habits me and my team may need to drop is a vital part of my learning process.

As I enjoy my week off before I get stuck back in for new menu development, I will enjoy time with my partner, family, friends, and self, reading books, watching new films and shows, and to put quite simply, enjoy myself.

I recommend to anyone whose work is as much of a creative outlet as it is a means to an end, to regularly take breaks – and not take your work with you on those breaks. Being concious of your breaks is a practice I try to employ as well, if I am at a bar I love trying a new drink – or even an old favourite – I try to do so wholeheartedly. Not just focusing on the flavour of the drink itself but the whole atmosphere surrounding it – music, lights, volume, and overall ambience.

Take the time to enjoy life around you, as one who has no downtime, experiences nothing but the world of their work, and hence never gains the worldly experiences that act as catalysts for inspiration.

Thank you for reading 🙏🏽