Care Matters

This past weekend I made a trip to my favorite local old-timey cocktail bar – you know the kind of place that prides itself on making all those fancy pre-prohibition concoctions that you read about in The Great Gatsby or see in the movies. At some point during the evening, I got to wondering why I enjoyed the place so much – the drinks are really good, but took a long time, they’re pretty expensive and it can be hard to find a seat in the place sometimes. Yet, this place is still my favorite for cocktails, bar-none.

As I watched the bartender make my drink, the care with which he executed every step of the process struck me. Precisely measuring each ingredient, giving just the right number of shakes, waiting until the drink is being made before cutting any fruit for garnish or flavor purposes – all of these things significantly increase the time it takes to get the drink, but also increase the quality dramatically. It’s not just the quality of the drinks, though. It’s the care itself that the bartenders take when crafting each drink that impresses me. It is indicative of the attention the managers and owners put into all the aspects of the business.

This brings me to my larger point. Care matters. Whether you’re crafting cocktails, writing a blog, building a house or formulating marketing strategies, it is important that you put care into the thing that you do. It matters because the result is important to your customer. Customers will notice when their vendor/manufacturer/bartender cares enough to do the job right. So be the one who takes care and craft something truly worthwhile.