How To Survive The New Year's Eve Shift

New Year’s Eve is often one of the biggest nights of the year! It is a night when we reflect on the past year and look forward to what's ahead! So how can you prepare for a night to remember? We travelled the globe to talk to some of the world's leading bar staff to find out how they ensure New Year's Eve finishes off the year with a bang!

James Gentile—leading Australian bartender at Bobéche, Perth

On NYE, you have your regular crowd, but you also find a lot of people who venture out for the evening who normally wouldn’t be out in the city. I get a real kick out of these people because everything is a relatively new experience and you have the ability to really shine.

My tips to survive a NYE shift:

• Champagne flutes—you can never have too many!
• Remember: we are here to serve the guests; try not get too carried away with enjoying the party. Saying that, it is important to be part of the fun, just find that balance.

Top tip: Lastly, don’t work New Year’s Day—we deserve a time to celebrate as well!

My NYE Cocktail—Auld Lang Syne

• 1.5 oz. JOHNNIE WALKER Black Label
• .5 oz. green apple liqueur
• 1 oz lemon juice
• .25 oz. Champagne
• 1 dash Peychaud's bitters
• lemon thyme tincture in a spray bottle

METHOD:

In a tin shake the JOHNNIE WALKER Black Label,, apple liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters to a cocktail shaker and shake.

Spray a chilled coupe glass with lemon thyme tincture and add Champagne to the glass.

Double strain the rest into the glass.

Garnish rim of glass with fresh lemon thyme.

Paradee Sahathanasomboon—World Class finalist and bartender at Vesper, Bangkok

NYE is always more busy and you finish later than usual but in my eyes it has a more relaxed atmosphere. and often unusual things happen!

My tips to survive a NYE shift:

• Be ready and make sure you prepare everything thoroughly.
• Ensure you have enough product and glassware and try to adapt the sequence of service to run faster.
  
• Make it a memorable night for your customers! Remember part of your job as a bartender is to entertain.
  

Top tip: Enjoy it!

My NYE cocktail - Italian 75

• 1 oz. TANQUERAY London Dry Gin
• .5 oz. sweet herbal liqueur
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• .25 oz. simple syrup
• Sparkling wine to top up

METHOD:

Shake all ingredients and pour into Champagne glass.

Top with sparkling wine and lemon twist to garnish.

Andrew Joy, leading Maître D At Marion, Melbourne

NYE is a great night to work—people are there for a good time (if they like it or not), they are open to suggestions and they are definitely ready to try new things! People will be interested in any additional drinks you may have so it’s a good time to have a few suggestions on hand.

My tips to survive a NYE shift:

• Get a good sleep the night before.
• Eat a good lunch, and celebrate the last bit of the year before you head into service.
• Have an espresso and lock yourself in for a busy night.
• Be realistic about how busy it will/won’t be; there is nothing more demoralizing to a staff member than working NYE when they didn’t really need to.
• Abundance is the key to the bar setup. A lot of everything will make your bar look abundant.

Top tip: As hospitality professionals, we are all aware that NYE really starts after everyone else has gone home. Your turn at the revelry will come, so just be professional for the night and you will probably enjoy it more.

Misja Vorstermans, one of Amsterdam’s leading bartenders

I always liked working NYE. Some of my most unusual NYE’s have been special events on yachts. One year I was flown to St. Barths to make drinks for the rich and famous. It’s also an occasion where I have seen many wedding proposals at the stroke of midnight!

My tips to survive a NYE shift:

• First you prep, then you prep some more.
• Make sure there’s food for the staff if it’s an all-nighter.
• We tend to create a shorter cocktail list to improve speed and efficiency.
• Make sure you are well rested and drink plenty of water throughout the night.

Top tip: We had a "day after" team so after the shift the staff didn’t need to restock, clean, etc.

• 1 oz. TANQUERAY NO. Ten Gin
• .75 oz. raspberry puree
• .25 oz. lemon juice
• Sparkling wine to top up
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 3 fresh raspberries on stick as garnish

METHOD:

Shake all ingredients except the sparkling wine and strain into a flute glass.

Layer the sparkling wine on top.

Add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper on top of the drink and garnish with the raspberries.

Lynette Marrero—Leading New York bartender, works at Llama Inn Brooklyn.

NYE differs from other holidays for several reasons. Firstly, it is an occasion holiday, it is a night of grand celebration. It can also be a very different experience because many bars close down for special events.

My tips to survive a NYE shift:

• It is going to be a later shift: it will start later, and you will leave later. Come in well rested and eat a good meal beforehand.
• Make sure your drink specials are manageable, you have plenty of sparkling wine and Champagne chilled, and you have a nice moment with the team to talk over service for the evening.
• Set up a well-rounded menu of fun Champagne cocktails, it will help you plan for the evening and give your customers a focus.

Top tip: Wait to celebrate with your team until after the bar closes, and remember to always drink responsibly. New Year’s Day is the best day for the service industry to get a proper rest!

My NYE cocktail—Casa Santo Domingo

• 1 oz. RON ZACAPA XO RUM
• .25 oz. orange liqueur
• 6 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters
• 3 dashes Peychaud bitters
• 2 dashes Orange bitters
• Champagne to top up
• Orange twist for garnish

METHOD:

Combine ZACAPA XO Rum, orange liqueur, Angostura bitters, Peychaud bitters and orange bitters in cocktail shaker.

Stir gently.

Strain contents into cocktail glass.

Top with Champagne.

Garnish with orange twist.

(*One standard drink contains 0.6 fluid ounces of alcohol)