Craftsmanship In The Wild

I was out dining today and had an experience I simply had to share. It was a moderately expensive restaurant and they had cocktails as part of their menu. As my after dinner cocktail, I chose a Mojito, which is actually a fairly difficult cocktail to make properly - at least if you want it to be as strong as it ought to be, while still masking the taste with the proper levels of sugar and mint.

I watched as the bartender mixed the drink - he didn't measure, but he was focused on the task at hand - he even tasted the drink elegantly with a straw to check its quality. The Mojito was extraordinary - perfect - it was so good that I felt like I really needed to order another one. However, this time, a girl, clearly an apprentice bartender wanted to make my next drink. She used the same ingredients but her focus was all around, she didn't sample the drink, just mixed everything approximately as she had been told. Watching the process, I wasn't surprised when the drink was a disappointment - it was too sweet and kind of watery.

As I asked for the bill, at the first bartender, I complimented his craftsmanship and mentioned that the second Mojito had not quite been what his had been - he immediately cut the cost of the second drink in half. He didn't even blink.

What kind of bartender do you want to be?