Do I have to go to school to be a bartender? The answer is no. There are a few ways that you can acquire the knowledge and eventually move into the position as a bartender without going to school. It might take some time to get into that position, because you will need to learn what the Bartender duties and responsibilities are behind the bar.
Server and Cocktail Waitress
If you already work in a restaurant or bar as a server or cocktail waitress and are serving drinks to your customers, you will be going to the bar to pick up the drinks that you have ordered from the bartender. Your job as a server or cocktail waitress would be placing the correct glass on your tray for the drinks you need for your order. The bartender adds the ice, and liquor to the glasses sitting on your tray and you add the mix, garnish and straw.
The bartender already knows by looking at your drink order ticket and glasses on you tray what liquor to place in the glass. The bartender knows if you have placed the right glass on the tray and if the glass is not correct for the drink you need, the bartender will change the glass. You add the coke and straw and garnish. example:( high ball glass- rum & coke.) So you fill the glass with ice, the bartender adds the Rum, then you add the mix( coke). If you have a few drinks to get then you just do this the same way. You get the correct glasses, add the ice, add the mix, and you add the correct garnish. The bartender will make all the Frozen drinks behind the bar, you will add the garnish. Cherries, orange slice etc.
All restaurants and Bars are not the same, you might have to just add the ice and garnish to the glasses and the bartender will add the mixes . OR The Bartender will fill your order Making all the drinks you requested and place them to the side with your ticket, and you will not be doing anything except picking up your drink order. Every Restaurant and Bar will tell you exactly what you will be required to do.
Bar Back
A Bartender is very busy making drinks and the more drinks that are made the more money the bar takes in. So a bar owner will hire a Bar Back to help the bartender. A bar back is responsible for helping the bartender to keep everything stocked meaning- Stocking Beer, ice, Glasses, what ever the bartender needs.
You will be working behind the bar with the bartender or bartenders. In some bars there are 3 or 4 bartenders working behind the bar. The bar might have more than 1 Bar back helping to assist the bartenders. Your responsibilities as a Bar Back will be getting clean glasses, putting ice into the ice bins, stocking beer, liquor bottles, prepping fruit- garnishes, changing beer kegs, picking up food, taking out garbage, and cleaning the bar. Every Bar has different duties for the bar back.
Being a Bar back is a perfect opportunity for you to work with a bartender and to learn what is expected of you to do behind the bar. When the bar is slow “You can ask the bartender if you can wait on customers.” Being able to wait on customers depends on the bar you are working at. Some Bars will let you train with a Bartender if the bar is slow. If you get permission from the Bar manager. Most bars will not let the bar back serve drinks because the bartender needs your help as a bar back.
If you are hired as a Bar Back you are a bar back and you are not able to make any drinks, you just do your duties as a bar back.
You can learn quite a lot working side by side with the bartender. Once you know how to prepare the drinks and what duties are required as a bartender then you will be able to do the job your self. You can move into the position as Bartender. You just talk to the bar manager and say I would like to bartend I have been here for a while and I know how to prepare drink’s, and what my responsibilities are behind the bar.
Most likely the bar manager will promote you to a bartender because you have been working in that bar and they like to hire people that already are familiar with the bar. The bar manager knows you and your work ethics. So while you are a bar back you need to do the best job that you can do. Show the bar manager that you are a hard worker and that you want to learn how to bartend. The bar manager will be more apt to put you in that position when the position is available. This is another way to learn without having to go to a school to be a bartender.
Order a Bartending e- book<strong>
You can order an e-book Bartendingexposed teaches you the basics of bartending. What to expect when you start your first job. What to do on your first day, and what to expect so you will feel more confident. How to learn your drink recipes. You can learn all the basics right from home. And it wont cost you a fortune like so many other e-books. or courses that teach you the same things! Bartending is all the same, just some sites charge more for the same basic information you need to know to become a bartender. Bartendingexposed was the original e-book offered on line to help up coming new bartenders at a very reasonable price. We wanted to save you from having to pay 500.00 for a course that’s why we started Bartendingexposed. You might not get all the Fancy stuff pic etc but you will be able to grasp and understand and be able to start a new job as a bartender! And you will be saving a lot of money . If you can study from home, then this e-book will teach you all the basics you will need to know to become a professional Bartender today! If you have any questions you can always comment on Bartendingexposed.com and we will be happy to help answer any question. We hope you have a very successful Career a Bartender.
Of course the best way to learn bartending is to pick up a copy of my book, Bartending Exposed I want to thank everyone who has ordered Bartendingexposed. I hope all of you are having successful Careers! E. McCarthy 