Tips for Better Bartending

Bartending is a really tough job, but it can be extremely rewarding as well. Here are some tips for getting started, getting better and taking your bartending skills and career to the next level.

Beginner Bartending

For Home Bartenders: Make Great Cocktails at Home (50% off Link)
When to Shake vs. Stir a Cocktail
How to Shake a Cocktail – and Two Cocktails at Once
How to Stir a Cocktail
The First Cocktail you Should Master – the Sour
Intro to Cocktail Strainers

Better Bartending

Lemons vs. Limes Behind the Bar
Using Egg Whites in Cocktails
Pro Tips for Jigger Pouring
Pre-Batching Cocktails
How to Set up a Speed Rack / Well
Make your own Cocktail Stencils
Seasonality & Species: Adjusting for Citrus Variability in Cocktails
Building Regulars and Making More Money

Formal Bar Education

The internet is filled with questionable websites promising a long and lucrative bartending career. I can’t speak to the quality of most bartender education programs, but I can wholeheartedly recommend these:

• BarSmarts Wired: This inexpensive web-based program will teach you the basics of classic cocktails, their history, and making them behind the bar.
• BarSmarts Advanced: BarSmarts Advanced is an all-day in-person workshop. The curriculum is like an advanced version of BarSmarts Wired.
• The Mixology Certification: This is our very own program, and as far as I know it’s the only course available on the web to teach cocktail design. You’ll finish this course designing unique, creative and balanced cocktails faster than ever – and with less time and product wasted along the way.