The bar is very important in a hotel or a restaurant because has become a favourite meeting place: it's the place where people enjoy the atmosphere and discreet service for informal meetings. For this reason the choice of a good barman is fondamental. A barman prepares and serves drinks in bars, restaurants hotels and clubs but also needs to have good communication skills and needs to be able to follow instruction. Bartenders must be able to remember orders and cocktail recipes, must know about alcohol and wines and know to prepare and serve a variety of drinks. It's very important to know the liquor licensing regulations and understand how to carry out host responsability. A good barman should be frendly, polite and honest and needs to be able to work well under pressure and confident when dealing with people. Barmen usually work in team and have great deal of contact with customers, they interact with a wide variety of people and spend time with other restaurant or hotel staff. One of the basic qualities of a barman is fantasy and originality in presenting drinks and cocktails. Barmen can be compared with the master of the house, so they receive customers and become a point of reference for them, a sort of friend. Most bartenders learn from others on the job, credits towards a National certificate in hospitality can be gained while working.