How to Become a Bartender

So, you want to learn how to become a bartender? You have come to the right place. I'm going to lay it down to you. All the common questions will be answered here.

• Is bartending school worth it?
• Is it hard to deal with drunk customers?
• How much can you make in tips?

The fact is that bartending is one of the most classic jobs a young man or woman can ever have (besides becoming psychic). It is certainly a different sort of gig. You get to deal with some real clowns and characters when you work as a bartender, but you will also have a chance to interact with a variety of fun and interesting people.

Here we will also go over some of the subtle politics that are operating in America's seediest bars so that you are well-prepared when you apply for your first position and get accepted as you are working your way up the bar tending ladder..

People are generally quite split on whether someone who wants to learn how to become bartender should go to bartending school. I will tell you my opinion here: only if you have to. It is a very useful thing to do if you are the sort of person who only learns in a school-type setting. If you need a discipline enforced on you from outside then these teachers may be able to help you break into the business.

It will also be useful to go to bartending school if you have tried but failed to get a job tending bar at any of your local pubs. In this case, my opinion is that if you have the money for tuition then you would be better served by learning how to mix drinks (and a lot of them) then by, say... watching TV all day long.

Bartending school does not take place over a long period of time like regular school. Instead, it will usually only last for a couple weeks to a couple months. Remember: all you are really learning is how to mix drinks and some of the scene's culture, although this will help you obtain bartending jobs.

In the end though, the best way to learn how to become a bartender is to actually do it. Even if you have to endure a series of embarassing nights (or even getting fired) this is still a far superior method of learning. (It's called on the job training and it's how most people learned their careers, the value of education aside!)

Here are three drink recipe books. They all give instructions on how to mix drinks, which ingredients to use, and have a helpful compendium of indices to point you toward any specific directions you may need. These are all three classics in the industry. But the number on is definitely The Bartenders Black Book. It is already in its ninth edition, and if I could only have one of them this is the one I would choose to put up on my bookshelf. Many men and women who have gone before you have learned how to become a bartender through the recipes in this spiral-bound tome.

Spending just a couple hours with your nose buried in the Black Book is basically the equivalent of having your bartenders license as far as I'm concerned.

I know that a lot of people knock the "For Dummies" series, but I have found it to be quite helpful. It is no different when it comes to the bartending book. This will answer every question you have and many questions that you don't have, yet. That is what these guys specialize in: providing you with all the basic information on a topic. They are always one step ahead of you. It's like being able to attend bartending classes from the comfort of your own bed.