Successful bartenders have certain qualities that take them to higher positions. Daniele Panzanaro, bar manager at The Parrot in London, UK, talks all about bartending.

What is the role of a bartender in your opinion?

The role of the bartender should create a special connection with the guest in front of him/her. We don’t mix spirits, we mix emotions. The bartender should be able to go inside the motion of the guest and understand which cocktail is appropriate for that moment.

What are the qualities of a great bartender?

HUMBLE.  A great bartender should be humble and never stop to be curious.

In this job, we’ll never stop to learn.

Whatever bar manager, head-bartender- bartender- waiter when they fell ‘’arrived’’ Is time to change place.

Everyone has something to teach you, you need just to understand what.

What is a big NO-NO for a bartender?

Be rude. Is not acceptable.

Not just a bartender, but whoever works in this industry need to be kind and generous.

You need to give hospitality even when you don’t work.

Tips to grow your bartender career.

Everything, Knowledge, time management. That one maybe for now is the most difficult thing for me. 

One example of a problem and how a bartender should handle it?

A customer wants more to drink.

1. Option, the bartender reacts in a rude way, taking personally everything that the guest is saying. (Think if is a lady and the guest is quite prepending to offend. If the bartender reacted in a personal way, we all know how that can end)

2. The guest is upset and wants more to drink, the bartender kindly explains to the guest that is not possible and the reason why that won’t happen. The situation will go in a different way. Everything depends in a way how people say the thing.

Your top 5 bars that are top because of their bartenders?

The Savoy.

Love the combination of story/innovation/‘’ packaging’’ that they create, brilliant.

The artesian, how was before. Taste of the cocktail, Internal organisation, knowledge of the floor and bar. Mechanism of Up-selling.

Yellow bird in Clapham Junction. Seams to be out of London for a couple of hours. Layer of the drink not incredible, 10+ location 10+ service.

In the way how the guys on the floor communicate with you is fantastic, so clean but at the same time sophisticated.