Beverage Quality Checklist

Pull the bar par sheet and refill any well brand below the par line. Rotate FIFO — older bottles to the front of the speed rail. Note any 86s on the pre-shift board so the front bartender doesn't sell what isn't there.

Taste each by-the-glass red and white opened more than 48 hours ago. Vacuvin or Coravin extends life but doesn't replace tasting. Pour off any flat or vinegar-noted bottle before guests are seated.

Pull a 2-oz pour from every tap. Watch for excess foam (warm line, dirty line, or low CO2), short pours (kicked keg), or off aromas (line cleaner residue, infected line). Foam over 1 inch on a fresh pour means investigate before service.

Tag the failing tap with a written 86 card so no bartender pulls it. Notify the beverage director and schedule a beer-line cleaning (typical interval is every 14 days; longer triggers infection). Photograph the tap handle marker so the closing manager confirms it's still flagged at end-of-night.

Test 1.5-oz pour with a measured jigger; replace any speed pourer pouring over 1.6 oz or under 1.4 oz. Pour-cost variance traces back here more often than to theft.

Bin should be drained, scoop stored handle-up outside the ice (never buried). Bare-hand contact with ice is a critical violation in most jurisdictions.

Run a finger around every rim. Any chip — even hairline — pulls the glass. Hold rocks and coupe glasses to the light for lipstick or detergent film; rewash, don't polish through.

Lemon twists, lime wheels, orange peels, olives, cherries, mint. Use the dedicated garnish board and tongs — no bare-hand contact. Stage in chilled garnish caddy with lids; uncovered citrus oxidizes within 2 hours.

Bar manager builds and tastes the day's feature against the spec card. Confirm balance — sweet, sour, bitter, dilution. If a batch is pre-built (punch, large-format), check ABV-by-volume math so the printed menu matches what's poured.

If the spec was changed, write the new build on the spec card and initial. Notify all bartenders before doors. Inconsistent specs across shifts is the #1 source of guest complaints on cocktails.

Negroni in a rocks glass with orange peel, not a coupe with a cherry. Spec card hangs at the bar; cross-check the day's features.

Each bartender tastes the new BTG wine and any new beer on tap. They can't sell what they haven't tasted. Note any descriptors for the floor — useful when servers field guest questions.

State ABC license must be visible at the bar. Check expiration — most states renew annually or every two years. Expired = immediate suspension on inspection.

Every bartender and server pouring or serving alcohol needs a current responsible-beverage-service cert (TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol, or state equivalent). Pull the binder; flag anyone within 30 days of expiration for re-cert.

Pull the staff member off alcohol service until the new cert is on file. Book the next available course (Learn2Serve and TIPS both have online options). Document the date scheduled in the staff binder.

Anyone appearing under 30 — ID required, no exceptions. Vertical IDs are under 21 in most states. Refusal-of-service language: polite, firm, manager backs the call. Selling to a minor is a license-level violation.

Test strip the sanitizer bay — quat 200-400 ppm or chlorine 50-100 ppm depending on the chemical. Log reading. Bar glassware run through the underbar dish machine still needs the three-bay backup for hand-wash items.

Pull POS report for ticket time on the bar — first drink should hit the table within 5 minutes of order. Bar backups during peak push this past 10; that's where complaints originate. Note staffing or station-layout fixes for the post-shift debrief.

Skim Yelp, Google, OpenTable, and Resy reviews from the last 7 days for cocktail or wine mentions. Comp/void report from the POS — any drink comped flag and why. Pattern beats one-off; three guests calling the same cocktail too sweet means re-spec.

Bar manager signature closes the log. Any open items — failed tap not yet serviced, missing cert, sanitizer out of range — get carried to tomorrow's pre-shift board.