Trained nurse, bartender…she does it all

Of the 30,000 bartenders and bar owners in 14 African countries who have been through the Master Bar Academy (MBA), Jane Dorcus Apio has been the only woman to emerge best performer in the competitions held after the trainings. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa.

What you need to know:

THE BEST. Although she is registered nurse, Jane Dorcus Apio found a job as a bar tender and decided to make the most of it becoming the only female ever to top the Master Bar Academy.

Every year, under the Master Bar Academy (MBA), Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) organises training for bartenders and bar owners aimed at up-skilling them in the bar trade.
Since the programme started, over 30,000 bartenders in 14 African countries have been trained on delivering professional services after which a competition is held. The Master Bar Academy has only had one female winner amongst so many males.
Jane Dorcus Apio, 25, is a bartender and mixiologist. The diploma holder in nursing from Mulago School of Nursing graduated in 2014. She, however, chose to be a bartender. She lets us in on how she ended up here.

How did you get into bartending?
In 2013, I had a friend who was working as a waitress at a Camel club in Nakasero while I was at school of nursing. She hooked me up for a gig so I could earn pocket money. I would go to work after the lectures, earning Shs 30,000 for four hours of work. By the time I graduated from nursing school, I had a full time job as a waitress at the club which I did from May 2014 to May 2015.
I was impressed by the bartenders who would mix drinks for clients so I asked to join the bar. I moved to the bar mixing the drinks the way I had seen the bartenders do it.

When the club closed, I joined Riders Club at Acacia Mall in May to October 2015 as a bartender from where my bosses recommended me for the bartending championship and training in early 2016. The competition, held at Kampala Serena Hotel, comprised of written and practical tests and out of the 50 competitors, only five of us emerged winners, I being the only girl.
For the final test among the five, we had to make a drink and explain what it was, which I won. The winning meant great success to me in the male dominated industry. I got a prize of $1,000, a supply of Johnny Walker Red for the place I worked for, an i-pad and a scholarship to train other bartenders in mixology.

What is it mixologists do exactly?
I’m a mixologist and bartender. A mixologist makes you drink something new and you like it. I mix cocktails for people depending on their tastes. It is about asking them what they prefer. However, sometimes clients are undecided so you have to explain to them what you are going to serve them until you reach an agreement. Sometimes, you can look at someone and judge what works best for them especially for those that look stressed and just want to pass the evening.

What makes a good cocktail?
A good cocktail is one that is balanced. Just like anyone can prepare a meal. Everything must be balanced to make it pleasant for everyone. Ladies usually do more of sweet cocktails than men. Men do more of the hard and rough drinks.

Do you think you are paid what you are worth?
In this industry, as long as you know what you are doing, your pay can be equivalent to one’s salary from office work. I realised that this is not a place for men only so the people out there must change their attitudes towards bartending.

Are your parents comfortable with you doing this kind of work?
I had never told my parents that I was working in the bar because most parents think a child is wasted when they work in a bar. I had told them I was making juice at some restaurant but when they watched on television that I had won the mixology competitions, they were cross with me. I had to explain to them and they understood. Now they know what I do and they are okay with it.

What are your basic challenges?
The working hours which require me to sacrifice my sleep, and stubborn and very demanding clients who I have learnt to deal with by simply acting stupid even when I know I’m right. What matters is making more sales.
Serving people is about ensuring equality and acting normal in front of everyone. When a couple comes, the ladies usually feel insecure when they are served by a female bartender but to make them feel at ease, I take the order from her and not the man.

THE FUTURE
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
I have already started training others and two of my trainees got jobs in Kenya. There is another lady working at Acardia Suites. I want to do more training of mixologists and I want to be a brand ambassador. I want to be an example to the ladies that we can do everything. Maybe I will go back to practicing as a nurse when I become a mother.