Back in the dark ages — when I was a bartender in the 70s and 80s — my job seemed pretty simple. There were maybe 30 or so different cocktails I would have to learn, make and serve. You had your basic two-or-three ingredient drinks, like rum and coke, whiskey and ginger, vodka/gin and tonic, Manhattans and martinis (up or on the rocks?), black Russian, white Russian, Tom or John Collins, some sours (whiskey, bourbon — or maybe my first legal drink, an apricot sour with my Mom sitting beside me), Rusty Nail, Old Fashioned, gimlets, Bloody Mary, screwdriver, margaritas … and then the frozen drink craze came along – strawberry daiquiris and Pina Coladas being the most requested.

And, of course, reaching into the cooler or grabbing the tap for serving a cold beer was always part of the job.

Should a customer order a drink we did not know how to make, we kept a handy copy of “Old Mr. Boston Deluxe Official Bartender's Guide” within reach to try to please the customer.

After leaving the profession after 12 or so years, it seemed the recipes and the amount of different liquors and craft beers kept multiplying — check the local distributing stores to see their stock. You didn’t really see that variety back in the 70s.

Many establishments now offer signature drinks made with special ingredients and special glassware.

Selecting a drink before, during, or after dinner has certainly changed in 50 years!