Bartenders have to be chemists, artists, psychologists, entertainers, cops and business people - all at the same time. It's good to know that there's a support group that furnishes advice, training and general information for this demanding profession. Bartender Magazine is part of that network.

Issued quarterly by the Foley Publishing Corporation in Livingston, New Jersey, the magazine is one of a number of services for the bartending and on-premise industry offered by Ray and Jackie Foley. They also operate a website with still more drink recipes, bartending job ads and instruction (for a fee) on all sorts of matters of interest, such as "Recognizing Club Drugs," "Improving Your Tips," and securing a seller/server license in each of the states.

Ray is the author of several books, including Bartending for Dummies, Running a Bar for Dummies and The Ultimate Little Martini Book. That last title features more than 1,000 martini recipes!

Bartender Magazine, which has been around since 1978, is surprisingly light reading. I was expecting articles on how to manage a bar, tips on maximizing profits, explorations of how smoking bans have been impacting the tavern business. But the magazine seems to be designed for weary bartenders to leaf through during quiet moments behind the bar: dozens of recipes for cocktails, shooters and martinis, a page on obscure facts that I suppose the bartender could use in conversations with customers (7% of American women dyed their hair in 1950; 75% dye their hair today), and a centerfold listing 100 websites of interest to bartenders, most of which are beer and spirits companies. You'll also find several pages of bar-oriented jokes and cartoons.

The recent issue I've been reading had three short but informative feature articles about spirits, on bourbon, vodka and pink champagne, as well as a "Bartender of the Month" feature. Shouldn't that be "Bartender of the Quarter"?

The ads in Bartender make for interesting reading. The spirits industry has gone way beyond your basic bourbon, vodka and gin; I found ads for pomegranate-flavored vodka and Teton Glacier Potato Vodka ("made in America from selected Idaho potatoes").

There's also an eye-catching poster for sale called "The Urinals of Ireland." The ad announces that it was "created by Buddy Doyle, urinist and photographer, whilst traveling throughout The Emerald Isle." The poster has 45 photos of urinals, several shown in use.