It’s an understatement to say that we, as a society, are drawn to fire. Americans light five hundred billion matches each year, as we’re constantly surrounded by candles, fireplaces, and bonfires. One huge trend on the bar scene is the addition of flaming drinks. While you may itch to try these out the next time you bartend, safety is paramount with flaming drinks. Follow these tips on how to safely make and serve flaming drinks to take your bar to the next level.
Making Them
We all know how cool flaming drinks look when they’re served, but it all starts with proper preparation. Making these drinks can be potentially dangerous, so follow these pointers to keep fires under wraps.
Keep the ingredients nearby
Once the fire making process begins, it’s not going to stop. Rather than scrambling around for ingredients, make sure you have everything you need within arm’s reach. Keep the liquor, garnishes, matchbox matches, and any other necessities nearby. To make sure it’s truly safe, make the cocktail without the fire as a trial run beforehand—that way you know just how accessible those ingredients really are.
Remove anything flammable
Before you even think about touching a flame, remove anything that could inadvertently catch fire. This means you should tie your hair back if it’s long, tuck your clothing in, and keep napkins and other flammable items far away. When it comes to safely making and serving flaming drinks, it’s all about the preventative measures you take.
Serving Them
Once you’ve created your concoction, it’s time to show it off. Serving a flaming drink is a jaw-dropping spectacle, but safety is still your number one priority. Here are some pointers on how to serve your flaming drink safely.
Bring the extinguisher
No matter how well you prepare, fire is unpredictable, and things can go wrong. Always have your establishment’s fire extinguisher close at hand in case something goes awry. Bars are often crowded, which means a fire can be disastrous, so keep that fire extinguisher close enough so you can grab it easily.
Don’t let the drink travel
While most of the time you’ll bring a customer’s drink to them, when it comes to flaming drinks, you need to make sure it stays put. When you’re moving the drink around, it becomes much more likely for something else to catch fire or for you to bump into it. If patrons order it at the bar, prepare and serve it to them right there. If they order from a table, bring what you need to make it back there with you. That way, it’s both a stunning spectacle and a safe way to prepare the drink.
Flaming drinks are a fantastic way to drum up excitement and interest in your bar—there’s nothing better than standing out for all the right reasons. No matter how exciting it may be, though, you need to keep safety at the forefront of your preparation. Follow the right precautions, and both you and your patrons will have a great time with these drinks.