The crush hits when the dice go hot and comps start flying. In 2 minutes, 30 tickets can spit out: double vodka sodas, three lemon drops, two old-fashioneds. Slots hum behind me, valet radio in my ear, and I’ve got to move fast without getting sloppy. My fix is staging and a strict left-to-right flow.
During heater runs I keep a small squeeze bottle of bitters+simple for old-fashioneds and a caddy of pre-skewered cherries/orange — turns them into a 10-second build. I Sharpie the ticket number on the coaster under each glass so my barback can grab and run while I’m already on the next three count-pours.
Left-to-right saves me too; when it’s 30 tickets in 2 minutes I pre-ice a Collins rail for the double vodka sodas and stack sugar-rimmed tins for lemon drops. I also keep a small OF syrup (bitters + simple) so the two old-fashioneds don’t jam the well.