Beverage Knowledge and Service
This domain covers the drinks you will be asked to describe, sell and serve: categories, glassware, temperatures, measures and the etiquette of opening and pouring.
Categories
- Non-alcoholic: water, tea, coffee, juices, squashes, mocktails.
- Fermented: beer, wine, cider.
- Distilled: whisky, gin, vodka, rum, brandy, tequila.
- Compounded: liqueurs, bitters, vermouth and other aromatised wines.
Wine is further split into red, white, rosé, sparkling and fortified. Kenya's own production is best known for highland tea - both CTC and orthodox - and for coffee, so you should be able to describe and serve both correctly.
Service rules
- Present the bottle to the host, label facing them, and confirm it matches the order.
- Open at the table, wipe the neck, pour a small taste for the host, then serve guests clockwise, ladies first, host last.
- Fill wine glasses to about two-thirds; red slightly less so it can breathe.
- Serve sparkling at 6-8 °C, white 8-12 °C, red 16-18 °C, beer 4-8 °C.
- Hold glasses by the stem or base, never the bowl. Use a measure for spirits; free pouring risks short measures and destroys cost control.
Cocktail anatomy
A cocktail has a base spirit, a modifier (vermouth, liqueur, syrup, citrus) and a mixer (soda, tonic, juice), finished with a garnish that signals the flavour. Build or shake to the recipe and always use fresh ice.
Worked example. A guest orders a dry white wine with grilled fish. Reasoning: confirm the style, bring a chilled bottle and a white-wine glass, present the label, pour a taste for the host, then serve the rest - the wine's acidity cuts the oiliness of the fish, which justifies the pairing if you are asked.
Traps
Filling glasses to the brim; pouring the host's taste without showing the label first; serving red wine ice-cold or white wine warm; confusing a liqueur with a spirit; free-pouring spirits.