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Top Things to Know about Bar Schools
A while back, I hurt my right hand and was forced to write a grocery list with my left hand. My left hand technically knew what it was doing—it just had absolutely no business putting it on a résumé. While writing the list, an analogy came to me about Bartender Schools vs. On-the-Job Training. My right hand is full of training and experience, but my left hand—even though it knows the alphabet—doesn't have the experience to go with it. The proof was in my very elementary writing on the grocery list.
I highly recommend getting into the bar business any way you can
if you want to become a really great bartender.
(Don't leave without checking my Become a Bartender page.) The best bartenders I've ever worked with started out as bussers, servers, and barbacks working their way up. This gives you a better sense and understanding of what the F&B business is all about.
It also teaches you respect and gives you a foundation to build on. Maybe combine this with some training at a reputable bartending school to tweak your knowledge further, and you're on your way to becoming an extraordinary bartender.
But keep in mind that you can find everything learned at a bartending school online.
You can memorize every cocktail recipe ever written, but no textbook can teach you
what to do when the printer is screaming, the bar is three-deep, someone wants eight separate checks, and a guy at the end is waving a twenty-dollar bill at you.
One day in my first bartending job, the bar owner told me she put an ad in the paper for a bartender and that if anyone listed bartender school on his or her resume or application, to throw it away. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but I did later.
American Bartender Schools
American Bartenders School in New York dates to 1969 and is still operating today.
Other long-running names include ABC Bartending Schools, Professional Bartending Schools of America, National Bartenders School, and The Bartending College, along with numerous independent schools around the country.
Some of these names and organizations have crossed paths over the decades.
Tony Sylvester became closely associated with ABC Bartending Schools, while Roger Oldham's Professional Bartending School of Cincinnati developed a curriculum in the 1990s that was eventually used by independently owned bartending schools around the country.
John Pifer has been associated with California bartending-school operations, including The Bartending College.
Today, bartending schools range from independent local operations to schools affiliated with larger networks. Programs can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks and typically teach drink recipes, pouring, bar tools, setup, speed, customer service, responsible alcohol service, and other basic behind-the-bar skills.
For the record, I don't have a relationship with any of these schools. I applaud anyone who wants to learn a new trade, and bartending school can provide a useful foundation and a place to practice.
But spending a week behind a practice bar pouring colored water into glasses doesn't make you a successful bartender.
Bartending school can teach you how to make a drink.
A slammed Saturday night teaches you how to be a bartender.
Beverage Education
A rebirth of cocktail appreciation began around the millennium, broadening and improving the skills of serious-minded bartenders who chose bartending as a career.
Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) in New York City is the very first culinary mixology course. It's not a bartending school, but you can still gain a lot of knowledge. Its graduates are able to mix a balanced Sidecar, distinguish a Speyside malt from a Lowland malt, explain in detail the difference between Bourbon whiskey and Irish whiskey, recognize when a tequila is overpriced, identify a potato vodka by its nose alone, explain the origin of the Manhattan cocktail and why the bitters are an integral part of the drink, in short, do everything that one expects from an educated professional. to educate, guide, and propagate the healthy, enlightened, and responsible use of beverage alcohol products. Top industry experts host the program.
Bar Smarts is the most innovative mixology and service training certification program available. They offer two levels of online education: BarSmarts and BarStarts. Once registered, participants receive instant access to online videos and reading materials. Participants who complete the program will receive a certificate via email. Pernod Ricard USA, BAR LLC, and top industry experts host the program. You can also attend a class in person.
I don't know anything about this bar school, but they make it look fun! European Bartending School has 24 schools in 17 different countries and 4 continents, from Europe to Asia and Australia. It's a 4-week course that costs about $2000.
Bartender License
You Do NOT Need a Bartender License
Despite what some bartending schools may tell you, there is no special bartender license required to become a bartender. Doctors, nurses, attorneys, architects—they need professional licenses. Bartenders need to know where the vodka is.
What you may need after you're hired is a state- or locally required food-and-beverage or alcohol-service certification. Requirements vary by location and may include programs such as ServSafe, food-handler training, or responsible alcohol-service certification. Don't worry about hunting these down before applying. Your employer will tell you exactly what you need and usually when and where to get it.
These short courses cover glamorous subjects like food safety, proper storage, sanitation, checking IDs, recognizing intoxication, and responsible alcohol service. No flair bottles. No flaming orange peels. Just the stuff that keeps customers safe and the health department happy.
Many corporate establishments also require TIPS or another responsible beverage-service certification, sometimes because trained employees can help the company meet insurance or risk-management requirements.
Bottom line: Don't spend money getting a mysterious “bartender license” because someone tells you that you need one to get hired. Get the job first, then get whatever certifications that particular employer and location require.