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Bar
Schools and Training
A while back, I hurt my right hand (I'm right-handed) and was forced to write a grocery list with my left hand. 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 (eventhough 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 biz anyway you can in order to become a really great bartender. 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. 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. Some bartender schools can be helpful, but they’re not the only way to learn about bartending and they cannot guarantee you a job. As a matter of fact, you won’t even be able to put it on your resume or application because managers and real bartenders will roll their eyes. It’s sad for the good bartender schools because the bad ones have given their business a bad name.
The Exceptional Schools
Recently, there has been a rebirth of the appreciation of the cocktail and these three schools offer this training. Understand that they are best used if you are already working as a bartender and want to broaden and improve.
In America, the top names in the bar school game are Jack Tianno, Roger Oldham, Tony Sylvester, John Pifer and a guy named Jeff in California. The top bar school names are: American Bartenders School, Professional Bartending Schools of America, ABC Bartending Schools, The Bartending College, and National Bartenders School. It
goes: 98% of all the bartender schools in America are franchises of the schools above. For the record, I do not have any relationships with any of these schools mentioned. One thing is for sure is that businesses are in business to make money. To attend a school for one week does not make you a successful bartender because there are just too many "on the job" things you need to learn. I talk about this on my How To Become a Bartender page. Other pages you should click through is my 1000+ Q & A's for Bartenders, my Tips & Hints for Bartenders, my Cocktail History page, my FAQ page, heck, you might as well just go to my Bartender's Lounge and check out all the pages.
Online Schools
Offline Schools
Bartender License You don’t need a license, certificate, or any paper to tend bar. Nurses, Doctors, and Architects need a license. Bartending is a blue-collar profession and even uses the basic application you filled out when applying for your first job at 16. However, some states and some establishments say that you have to be certified before you can work as a bartender. This is only about a food & beverage class you and everyone else in the F&B business must take. In these classes you learn basics like proper storage of food, safety, accepted forms of ID's etc. The reason establishment’s make you take the classes is because they get a break on insurance. Sometimes you will have to pay for the class. The most popular nationwide program is TIPS.
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