Crafting the Perfect Pour

SAMSON GILL, BANQUETS BARTENDER

Behind the bar, no two events are ever quite the same. From intimate gatherings to grand celebrations, our Banquets Bartenders thrive in the energy of each occasion, balancing precision, pace, and genuine hospitality. It’s not simply about what’s poured, but also about The Broadmoor memories created.

Welcome, Samson! Tell us about your duties and responsibilities within your position and how long you’ve worked here.

Sure...I’ve been working here for almost two years, and I started out as a server. I had prior bartending experience from another job, so I was eventually moved over to bartending in Banquets. My duties include setting up the bar, the back bar, cleaning glasses, and making sure everything is set up to our high standards. All of the various glassware has to be positioned correctly, as well as the stocking of all of the beer and liquor that will be used for the event. But my main responsibility is serving drinks and making sure that each guest is getting my attention and feels taken care of. Then, when the event is over, we break everything down and store the alcohol away, making sure we are prepared for the next day.

Do you host mostly open bars for events?

Open bars are more common than cash bars, but we of course work those, too. They are a little bit more challenging for a new team member, especially if a line starts to form, as that adds more pressure if it happens to be a big group. Typically we host one bar for every 100 people, so if it’s a group of say, 1000 people, we will have ten bars in operation. On our team, we have “runners” that work the back bar. So if we run out of something, they can go retrieve it right away for us from the liquor room, etc.

Sounds like a lot going on at all times and attention to detail is important.

Yes! We are slinging drinks all night for so many different people, but we try to memorize drinks for guests. If they come back to the bar, it’s pretty impressive to them if they see that we remember what they had previously ordered. It’s a great way to form a good relationship with someone, and it takes service to another level.

Have you worked at any of the other outlets here on campus, or only as a bartender for the Banquets Team?

No, only the Banquets Team, since we don’t have time to pick up shifts in the restaurants. But if they need help, of course we are happy to step in and make sure they are taken care of.

Tell us about your previous experience bartending before coming to The Broadmoor, and how was it different than working a ‘pop-up’ bar at a Banquets event?

I worked in an Indian restaurant before, serving and bartending for almost four years there. Each shift involved a lot of multi-tasking, and it was a fast paced, busy place. I learned a lot, which helped me when I moved on to bartending here. Plus, I like a high-energy workplace—it’s fun for me! The main difference is that in Banquets, the incoming group has already selected the liquor that is being served according to their budget. Whereas in a restaurant, you have a lot of varieties of liquor at your fingertips, so a patron can say, “Experiment and make me anything!”

Also frequent in Banquets, a guest might ask for a drink made with a different liquor option than what we have available for use. So you have to be able to pivot to create a drink that is similar to what they requested, but still leaves them walking away happy. Another difference is that in a restaurant, you may only have to be responsible for 3 or 4 guests at a time, or have to fill a single drink order. But at the Banquets bar, the people come for drinks nonstop—there really is no down time.

So what does a typical day look like for you?

It all depends on our schedule. If we have less hours bartending compared to the serving side, then we try to pick up more shifts on that side to make our benefits as a full-time employee. So we evaluate our schedule with that in mind, and we may pick up one shift in the morning for breakfast or lunch if needed as a server, but we still get the majority of our hours through bartending. I don’t mind having to wear different hats. I am serving and talking with people regardless of the role, which is something that I really enjoy.

It sounds like you have a lot of options and opportunities available to you.

Yes, we’re lucky here at The Broadmoor. We have the flexibility to work at many different outlets across campus, and we can easily pick up shifts and get more hours if needed. If our manager allows it, we are free to go do that and we manage our schedules accordingly. But in the summertime, we are usually super, super busy. We don’t have time to pick up a shift in a different department.

During the summer, how many shifts do you typically work per week?

If we are working with bigger groups, like for example, 1,500 people, then our schedule is packed solid for five or six days. We are also allowed to take on more shifts, even from the food side if help is needed. But I tend to try to stick to just bartending during that season—I have plenty of hours and I don’t want to kill myself...LOL.

Do you have any tips or tricks that you rely on when bartending during your shifts here?

A good example would be enacting advance preparation for a setup requiring a specific cocktail for a group of 500 guests. We may make a pre-batch of that specialty cocktail— we just mix up everything accordingly—and just sling it right away in the glasses on the bar. Also, sometimes it’s hard to get the cork effortlessly out of a wine bottle, so we may try to open bottles as we see a guest is coming up to the bar. Sometimes they will see us and say they want some since we already opened that bottle! That anticipatory service allows us to pour wine on the spot. And sometimes, we will give the wine directly to the servers during a banquet so that they can serve guests right at the table.

Do you have a signature or specialty drink that you like to make?

I love to make a Smoky Old Fashioned. Here at The Broadmoor, we muddle the cherries, muddle the oranges, then we put in the bourbon or a specialty rye whiskey. And we use the bitters inside and simple syrup. But if you want like a fusion style Old Fashioned, we can make it with mezcal or tequila. We call that a Tequila Old Fashioned.

Do you get to be involved in creating some recipes for new drinks?

Sometimes a guest might request a fruity drink. But perhaps I don’t have a fruit juice or anything. So then I have to make something fruity with my own recipe. So I might start by asking, what’s your taste? If they say, I love tequila, then I can make a tequila drink and be creative. I’ll lean into the liquor they like and whatever mixtures we have to go with it to make the drink. I can create anything in the moment!

At times, you’re serving hundreds, or even thousands of guests during a shift. Has there ever been a situation that has ended up being a little difficult or unpredictable, and how did you handle that?

We all know that here at The Broadmoor we’re not supposed to say “no” to a guest. Sometimes someone will come up to the bar and ask for a specific liquor, and if we don’t have that, we have to delicately offer a suitable alternative. If someone wants an Irish Whiskey, and we only have a Kentucky Whiskey, we offer to let them try that. All we want at the end of the day is for our guests to walk away happy. We always have alternatives lined up at the bar.

If someone were interested in working as a bartender here at the resort, what skills would be beneficial to them?

You have to have knowledge about liquor, and some basic knowledge about preparing drinks. So if you’re standing at the bar, and a guest is requesting a certain drink, it would leave a very bad impression on the guest if you didn’t know how to make it. And if you join our team, it’s important to learn every single thing. Not just bartending, but also you have to learn how to serve, how to talk, how to smile and be welcoming. Also, how to handle situations under pressure—calm and smiling is important if a guest has an issue that you have to deal with.

Does is help to have a bartending license?

In Banquets, it’s not necessary, because we have a collective license for that, but if you are serving alcohol or bartending in one of our restaurants, yes, you must have one. And, we ID everyone that we serve alcohol to.

What is the progression from a bartender here at the resort if one wanted to evolve in the Banquets department?

If I had the opportunity to attain a higher position such as Captain or Lead Captain, then Supervisor, I’d go for it. I do like helping out new team members...teaching them how to make drinks and putting them at ease if they are nervous, etc., but I have to say, I really like where I am at right now. I love talking with guests each day and meeting new people and making drinks for them that make them smile. All of that energizes me!

Finally...if you were stranded on an island and could only have one drink with you, what would it be?

I’d have to say beer...or maybe margaritas... that sounds pretty island-y, doesn’t it?

If you would like to know more about our Banquets Team, feel free to reach out to leadership: Laszlo Bodoczky, Director of Banquets at [email protected], Cynthia Harshaw, Assistant Director of Banquets at [email protected]