Bartender, Bartender...

... what's the difference between a barista who makes espresso-based coffees, and a mixologist in a booze joint? This question came up during some chats about HR training design, specifically about how to answer particular questions from customers.

My elevator speech response so far is roughly:

A booze mixologist spends most of their time being an encyclopedic decanter - a lot of time is spent pouring things to particular measurements. An espresso barista actually has to grind and cook... stuff that wilts in a minute, which is also sensitive to environmental humidity, to be cooked in very small quantities, at 9 atmospheric pressures, in 30 seconds. That, to me, is the main difference.

The point was raised to me at some point in my readings of Sprudge.