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Interview Questions — every hospitality role.

Real questions, model answers and pre-shift advice — straight from operators who do the hiring. Pick a role, search anything, or ask the AI coach for an answer to your own question.

Bartender

Cocktail bars, hotel bars, listed venues.

1. Walk me through your spec for a Negroni and defend it.

Equal parts — 30ml London Dry gin, 30ml Campari, 30ml sweet vermouth. Stirred 25–30s over block ice to ~25% dilution, served over a hand-cut rock, orange peel expressed and dropped. I defend equal parts because the bitter/sweet/botanical balance only locks in when no single ingredient leads — sweetening it cheats the structure; offer a Boulevardier or Old Pal instead.

2. How do you cost a cocktail at 22% pour cost?

Sum all ingredient costs at portion (spirit, modifier, juice, garnish, ice, dilution allowance), divide by menu price excl. VAT. Target 18–22%. Levers: bottle selection, batching to reduce loss, using house cordials, garnish discipline, and pricing classics off premium spirits and signatures off house batches.

3. Three IBA classics and the year codified.

Negroni (1919, Florence — Count Negroni), Martinez (proto-Martini, 1880s), Sazerac (New Orleans, mid-1800s; IBA contemporary). Bonus: Daiquiri (1898, Cuba).

4. Dilution math — shaken vs stirred?

Stirred: ~20–25% dilution, 25–30s. Shaken: ~30–40%, 8–12s hard shake. Always taste your build before service and adjust ice/shake length to the day's humidity.

5. How do you run a clean station during a 200-cover Saturday?

Mise en place before doors, speed rail in muscle-memory order, jiggers wiped between builds, dump bin emptied every 20 covers, bar mat changed mid-service. Talk to the back bar, never your phone.

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