Phoenix bartender heads to T.G.I. Friday's World Bartender Championship finals in Vegas

Brett Packard at T.G.I. Friday's (Credit: Courtesy of Brett Packard)

To many who have never bartended before, the job doesn't seem too complicated.

Mix a rum and Coke here, a Cosmopolitan there. Make sure the draft beer isn't too foamy. Put up with wasted college kids and stingy tippers.

But for 29-year-old Brett Packard, bartending is intense work. The Phoenix resident has been working at the northeast Phoenix T.G.I. Friday's since 2002 and has been a bartender for five years.

Not only does he need to know the basics, but he has to memorize the recipe for every cocktail imaginable, learn how to "flair-tend" and work on the speed of doing his job. He is tested, not just by his bosses and customers, but also in the annual World Bartender Championship, where every Friday's bartender (more than 8,000 around the world) is required to compete.

His superb bartending skills have earned him a spot in the division finals, where he will compete with eight other bartenders from around the country in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Dec. 15. We chatted with Packard about the craft of bartending.

Question: What does getting into the division finals mean for you?

Answer: I'm definitely excited because I really didn't think I would make it this far.

Q: What were you tested on and what gave you the upper hand?

A: Fifty percent of the judging was for flair-tending and the other half was for knowledge, speed and pouring skills. I practice everyday … It takes a lot of hard work and studying, having to have recipe knowledge and stuff like that.

Q: What's one of the hardest tricks you can perform?

A: I don't know the name for it, but it's basically a behind-the-back flip, where you try to catch the glass in the mixing tin. I've broken a lot of glasses and can't even count how many.

Q: Would you say you know more than the average bartender?

A: Yeah, Friday's is pretty thorough. They trained Tom Cruise in "Cocktail."

Q: What do you notice a lot of other bartenders don't know?

A: How to make old-school, classic drinks. When people go and ask for drinks like an old-fashioned Manhattan, a lot of times they don't know how to make them or make it right.

Q: What's your signature drink?

A: A White Gummy Bear Martini. It's made with raspberry vodka, peach schnapps, fresh lime juice and Sprite. Tastes just like a white Gummy Bear!

Q: What's your favorite drink?

A: I usually like to drink beer (laughs). Modelo is my favorite.

Q: What's your favorite watering hole?

A: Other than Friday's, I end up at places around my work in Desert Ridge Marketplace, like San Felipes and Yard House.

Q: What is the biggest myth about bartenders?

A: That it's easy work, because it's not. It looks fun, but there is a lot of hard work behind it, too.