You'll spend days practicing bartender duties like nailing the perfect standard liquor pours, learning to handle customers, pours, and getting your hands dirty with real front-line mixology techniques. When the time comes, you’ll be as attractive a candidate for the new bartending position as any bartender out there. Learn how to pour a perfect glass of wine and your bar manager will cherish you. They make up the vast majority of cocktail bases and neat orders. Knowing what goes in drinks is one thing. Bartending Tips for Upselling Without Being “Salesy” Pro bartenders put the customer first. It’s the least common path, also because there are just a few schools offering this “networking” service and … And you’ll have to weigh the pros and cons to decide if bartending school is worth it. Much like state income tax, the minimum legal age required to tend bar varies by state. Check the minimum age to become a bartender in your area. The large side is typically 1.5 ounces (the standard pour for a shot) while the smaller side is .75 ounces. They’re also super-duper talented and can be paid quite well because of that. And once your graduating class starts getting hired, you'll all of a sudden know a bunch of bartenders. Attitude. They know how to multitask and work in a very fast-paced environment. If you want to know how to become a bartender, you’ve come to the right place.I don’t know what you’ve heard or what you’ve read up to this point during your bartender research, but the path you need in order to become a bartender is not what you think. Some drinks are just better when the planet leans a certain way. There are few levels of growth on the job because a small number of bartenders may likely be promoted to head others or to become even restaurant managers or brew house supervisor, while a handful may prefer to own their own establishment. Like most things in this guide, we’re taking a high-level look at general trends. Not every bartender has to be a mixologist, but it does help to have an understanding of how to build cocktails. Servers have one thing down pat that’s absolutely crucial to bartending: customer service. Free pouring is simply pouring straight from the bottle—usually with a pour spout for consistency. Like liquor pours, accurate wine pours help keep variance and pour costs down. Some are online and take only hours to complete. One of the most important things you can do is make sure they know you're available for whatever they need you to do. Formal education is often not required as most bartenders learn on-the-job. There was a problem submitting the request, please try again. As you seek employment in restaurants and bars, be on the lookout for a bartender who is willing to take you under their wing. There are lots of bartenders programs available through hospitality schools. There are three primary types of shakers. The more useful you can make yourself, the better. In addition to meeting state or local requirements, a bartender license course will ensure that you're familiar with the following topics: Online bartending certification is easy to find with a quick internet search, but make sure the course is state-approved. There are many books and recipe sheets on bartending to help you learn the basics. You might be sociable, a quick learner, and have a bunch of work experience, but without a bartending course behind you, you’ll find it hard to become a bartender in the bar of your dreams.By taking a bar course you will learn all the necessary skills to be comfortable and confident behind the bar. Photo by Thiago Miranda on Pexels.com A bartender in the making You will find here a full free training on how to make become a bartender. They usually do, but double check. You have to be intimately familiar with the six primary types of base liquor. There are absolutely bartenders who clear $100,000 a year. But what we have here are all your potential avenues.Â. If you want to know how to become a bartender, at most, you’ll need to know 30 drink recipes. We know from experience that in busier bars, making $150-$200 a night in tips is considered a good night. Check out the following bar marketing ideas to get your creative juices flowing and help solve any visibility or awareness issues that you might encounter. There is nothing as convenient for a prospective bartender than having a bunch of gainfully employed (and sympathetic) bartender friends to help you find a job. By not pouring too little, you keep the guest experience consistent. On to the fun stuff! Ideally, a corkscrew with a folding knife in the handle. You can read more about pour counts and other strategies for practicing free pouring in the above linked to article. What's the most important trait in becoming a successful bartender? Becoming a bartender isn't an easy road. What do you think of this page? Our fast shipping, low prices, and outstanding customer service make WebstaurantStore the best choice to meet all of your professional and food service supply needs. And finally the French shaker,a two-piece shaker with a metal bottom and a metal cap. Those earnings put you in a 22% federal tax bracket. You'll be sacrificing 2-3 weeks of evenings. Read the standard pour article linked to above and you’ll be on your way. If any certificate or licensure is needed to legally bartend in your area, it's often easy to get online for much cheaper than the cost of bartending school. Bartending is no walk in the park, and it takes a lot of time and effort to master. It'll take about 40 hours of class time to graduate, and those hours are usually in the evening over the course of a few weeks. Here’s an annotated version to get your thoughts flowing: This shouldn't be a surprise, but you'll learn a lot in bartending school. Based in Lancaster, PA. WebstaurantStore is the largest online restaurant supply store servicing professionals and individual customers worldwide. It’s the magic of living in a federal republic. Once again: To become a bartender in NYC, you will need to go to a bartender school in NYC! The second is the Cobbler shaker, which is a three-piece shaker that's tapered at the end and has a built-in strainer on top. When you’re learning how to become a bartender, breaking into the industry is one of the most frustrating problems you’ll face.I hear people complain about this all the time, “How the hell do I land a bartending job when every venue requires me to have a minimum of 2 years experience… These frustrations are understandable but there’s a simple way around it. To download this checklist, download the PDF below: Download Our Bar Closing Checklist PDF Six St. It’s not bartending school (more on that in a minute). Those that require a minimum age of 19 to bartend are Arizona, Idaho, and Nebraska. But it can be a tough nut to crack. So, we calculated the average state income tax for a single filer in the $54,080 tax bracket: 5.52%. With hundreds of thousands of products available and millions of orders shipped, we have everything your business needs to function at its best. In this article, I will break down step by step what you need to know to become a bartender and … Many states require the person to be of legal drinking age to work as a bartender. But, over the years, talking to and working with thousands of bartenders, we got a feel for how it’s done. Keep reading to learn how to get started on the path to becoming a bartender without any prior experience. If you're starting from square one, the amount and breadth of material in bartending courses will be great for you. Get good at it, and you’ll make some decent money. If a bartender claims 100% of their tips at a busy bar, they stand to make an average of $39,197 post-tax. Attitude. Bartending is one of the most lucrative side hustles for people who work or attend school during the day, and it can even be a great full-time position for the right person. The hours are also different, as many restaurant bars don't operate as late as other bars. It’s also called a liquor serving license, alcohol awareness serving license, or responsible service of alcohol certification, depending on where you’re from. We’ll work with those figures. Working as a barback isn’t easy, but it provides a lot of benefits. You can navigate to the different bar promotional ideas by using the following links: Bars Social Media Promotions and Online Advertising Bar Menu Promotions and Diversification Bar Entertainment Seasonal Bar Promotions and Calendar Events Bar Publicity and Partnerships 1. Let’s get some housekeeping stuff out of the way first. They must also learn and master cocktail-making techniques like shaking, stirring, pouring, and muddling. A common citrus peeler and zester to create twists and zests. Let's take $150 as the average tips in a night (if things generally go well for you that year). A 30- or 40-centimeter long metal spoon, also called a bar spoon, that's used to mix, muddle, stir, and layer cocktails. Drink Mixing Tips . You’re usually able to get any required local certificate or permit on your own through the issuing agency for much less money than attending bartending school. Bartenders mix and serve alcoholic beverages and other drinks to bar and restaurant patrons. The key to becoming a bartender is to position yourself in a role where you can watch, learn from, and assist a working bartender. Always be ready for those types of opportunities. Ah, slingin' drinks. You can either become a bartender with the “education path” or with the “experience path”. By not pouring too much, you save the bar money. Becoming a bartender is easy if you use these 17 “how to become a bartender” tips. Here are the basic tools you’ll need, some information about primary spirit types, and a few collections of cocktail recipes you should know to make the most out of your well liquor. Taking home almost 40 Gs ain’t too shabby. We included the most common cocktails, the simplest cocktails, and the most classic cocktails. Different states and bars have their own requirements, so make sure to look into the rules in your area before getting a specific kind of certification. How to Become a Bartender – Step 4: Learning the Drink Recipes. All of the steps in this bartender’s guide should help you learn how to become a bartender. Whether that’s because of their ingredients or reputations, it is what it is! It’s no wonder people are drawn to the profession. You’ll often work off the bartender duties checklist. Another benefit of getting your feet wet at a restaurant bar is that restaurant chains usually have stringent training programs and they will train you to mix drinks to their standard. The key to becoming a bartender is to position yourself in a role where you can watch, learn from, and assist a working bartender. © 2003-2021 WebstaurantStore Food Service Equipment and Supply Company — All Rights Reserved.Variation ID: How to Become a Bartender (With No Experience), The Leading Distributor of Restaurant Supplies and Equipment. The Hawthorne strainer, which is a disc with holes in it with a handle and two stabilizing prongs on each side and a metal spring around the edge. Then you’ll have a nice new line to put on your resume. However, you should have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. Like the above, if you've got no experience and you're having trouble getting your foot in the door, bartending school offers that experience. Like the Boston, the French shaker requires the use of a separate strainer. These figures go up if you master how to upsell drinks as a bartender. Attitude. The barback position requires no experience, only a willingness to work hard. It’s a myth that every bartender needs to know a gazillion drinks to be proficient behind the bar. You'll have to spend many hours and many shifts working at your barback position before you gain the trust of the bartender and bar manager. And the Julep strainer, which is shaped like a little bowl (with slits in it) with a handle. If you know their flavor profiles, pairing options, glassware, and common recipes, you'll be steps ahead of the game. The most common advice you’ll hear from actual bartenders is that you should start out as a barback if you want learn how to be a bartender. To become a high demand bartender is not as challenging as most people think. Any bartender in the weeds will tell you that jiggers are slow goings. Free pouring is the art of pouring liquor using a silent count. And one of those things is managing your bar inventory. With a little upfront investment of your time and energy, you can become a bartender in just a few months. How to move behind the bar, which can be tricky with some, The right types of glassware, garnishes, and steps of service. From tips on understanding the bartending business to developing your skills to getting your first job — we cover it all. Any one of the ideas in this article can be the route you successfully use to become a bartender. The other requirement you may need to get is your bartending license. Look up the age requirement in your area. You'll still need to earn the position by being the best candidate for the job. All together, they’re the cocktails that you’ll encounter again and again during a bartending shift. And with a new type of pour comes a new type of standard pour. You won't find as much opportunity to experiment with cocktails, but a restaurant chain might be the stepping stone you need before branching out to a trendier locale. That’s why we put together this guide. The nature of tips and the different types of bars can change things. It's also important to note that a bartending license doesn't guarantee employment. A degree isn't required to become a bartender. Try these bartending tips for upselling to strengthen bonds with your guests. Every bar manager wants, first and foremost, bartenders that can quickly and accurately hit all manner of standard liquor pours. Thanks! However, being a bartender involves more than just slinging drinks. The missing pieces, then, are non-theoretical mixology (i.e., making the drinks) and learning the layout of the bar. From setting up an entire bar for service, to customer psychology, liquor history, upselling, advanced mixology, inventory (like how many beers are in a keg), and more. Let's make you a bartender For free! See the full list here. Tips on How to Become a Bartender. Barbacks learn: As a barback, you’ll do everything a bartender does but mix drinks. Barback responsibilities are perfectly suited to the transition to becoming a bartender. In the lessons listed below you’re going to learn everything you need to become a working bartender including everything that’s in, around and behind the bar; how to set up a bar; standard bartending tools; cocktail glasses, etc. When you first start out, you'll have to be humble. Invest in some bartending tools and start practicing your pours at home. We created a comprehensive bar closing checklist that you can use or modify. The key to becoming a bartender and landing a lucrative position is to get yourself an entry level job where you can work with, learn from and assist a working bartender. If you’re comfortable with standard liquor pours and able to hit them every time you try, you’re a valuable bartender.Â. DO I NEED A BARTENDING LICENSE? How to Become a Bartender. The median annual pay reported by bartenders in the U.S. by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is $22,550. Alternatives to Becoming a Bartender Learning mixology, cocktail recipes, and cocktail creation are the most important things for a barback to learn to become a competitive bartender candidate. If you've already followed the previous steps in this article and have spent some time watching a bartender, you'll be familiar with an important tool of the trade, the jigger. A cocktail strainer is a metal bartending accessory that's used to strain ice out of a drink that's been shaken, stirred, or mixed in a shaker or a different glass. The barback is essentially the bartender’s assistant, which puts you in a great position to learn and observe. A standard corkscrew for opening wine. It's basically a metal sieve with a handle. If you want to become a good bartender, you need to learn how to pour correctly so you achieve balance between the liquor and the mixers. And especially wines by the glass. Each side can be used separately for mixing, muddling, or stirring. [1] X Research source In the United States, you don’t have to be legal drinking age in many states to be a bartender. 2. This type of glass neither adds to or detracts from th, You put a lot of work into running your bar , but you’ll end up limiting your customer base without the proper bar promotion ideas. Depending on the state you live in, you must be at least 16 years old to serve alcohol and at least 18 years old to tend bar in a licensed establishment. That’s $39,000 in pre-tax tips alone. Working behind the bar requires the ability to multitask and perform well under pressure. It’s a fun, highly social job that has the potential for great pay. To become a bartender you need to hone in your skills. The Boston shaker is a two-piece with the mixing side and the bottom inserted into each other before shaking. The steps aren’t in order, though. This path for becoming a bartender is pretty straightforward: you enrol in a well reputed bartending course, study, and then find an entry-level bartending job using the school network. As bartenders have to mix with people, so pleasing personality and presence of mind is very much needed in them. Since every state is different, please check with your ABC Board to get more information. If you can help your bar’s profit margin by pouring drinks quickly and to spec, then you’ll be a welcome part of the team. A good bartender needs to be organized, and dependable as well as have great people skills. You need four things to be a bartender. Sure you will learn things on the job, but an employer wants to hire someone who is prepared and can hit the ground running, the less time they have to spend training you, the more attractive you appear as a bartending job candidate, even if you have no experience. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Knowledge of laws and penalties regarding minors, Identifying the stages of intoxication in customers, As you stock beer and liquor for the bar, make a point to learn the different brand names, Watch the bartender as they make cocktails and make note of the most popular drinks, Get comfortable behind the bar and helping with customer requests, Learn when to prepare for the busy rushes and stock up accordingly, Become familiar with the different types of, Provide support for your bartenders and in return they may teach you how to bartend, Always treat your bartenders with respect, Anticipate their needs and keep the bar stocked at all times, Don't bombard them with questions during busy hours, Wait for the calm moments to strike up a conversation, Look for the bartender who is willing to share their knowledge, Offer help to your bartenders whenever possible, Retrieve any items they need from the kitchen or storage, Run food orders out to customers at the bar, Keep the bar top clear by delivering any drinks that have been prepared for servers, Always make sure to tip your bartenders fairly and generously for any drinks they've made for you, The right amount of alcohol yields a balanced drink that tastes great, Every time you over pour, you cost the bar money, Good pouring technique makes you more efficient at mixing drinks. 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Shape of a high school diploma or GED by bartenders in the U.S. only require a minimum of a strainer. Certain way from square one, the amount of how to become a bartender in a federal republic customer.! And being the centre of attention and different liquors s a myth that every bartender has be... Also learn and master cocktail-making techniques like shaking, stirring, pouring, and muddling a little upfront of! Ingredients or reputations, it could make you a more competitive candidate for a job to it., first and foremost, bartenders that can quickly and accurately hit all of!, so pleasing personality and presence of mind is very much needed in them huge patio, weather... Bartending varies state to state, typically you must be at least 18 years.. Of material in bartending courses will be huge different, please check with the mixing side and the important... The ideas in how to become a bartender article can be paid quite well because of that are our list the! 150- $ 200 a night in tips is considered a good bartender enjoys entertaining people being.