Bartending 101: Learn to Become a Bartender

Are you interested in becoming a bartender but not sure where to start?

This article is exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Whether you're just starting out or you’re looking to level up your existing bartending knowledge, this guide will walk you through the core skills and techniques you need to get started in this exciting field.

Step-By-Step Guide to Learning Bartending

Bartending is largely something you can learn on the job, but if you’re stressed about how to get a bartending job without prior experience, here’s a roadmap to getting your first gig.

Step 1: Do Your Homework

Here’s the good news – you’ve already started Step 1! Just by searching for bartending tips online, you’re already ahead of the game.

There are a few things you need to look into before you start looking for a bartending job, including:

• What is the minimum serving age for your jurisdiction? There’s no point in applying if you’re not old enough!
• Does your jurisdiction require a bartending license? Typically, this involves bartender certification training, but sometimes permits are also issued by the county or state. It’s also worth asking whether local employers expect you to get this credential before you apply or whether it can wait until you get hired.
• Read up on bartender liability and find out the potential consequences of illegal sales where you live. A lot of new bartenders don’t realize how seriously they need to take avoiding sales to minors and intoxicated persons.
• Find out the allowed hours of sale for alcohol where you are and look at what time bars close. Are you willing to work up to an hour after that? Understanding likely shift patterns will mean you walk into the job with the right expectations.

It’s not necessary to study cocktail recipes and beer styles before you start applying. The idea behind doing prep work is to give hiring managers the impression that you understand what you’re getting into and you’re taking a potential bartending job seriously.

Step 2: Prepare a Resume and Cover Letter

This might sound like overkill for a bartending job, but most establishments expect you to have a resume, at least one that will give you a chance to reflect on relevant experience.

The trick to getting hired as a bartender with no experience is being able to articulate your “transferable skills.” This just means talking about the abilities you’ve gained in other parts of your life that show you have what it takes to succeed when you become a bartender.

If you’ve ever worked in any kind of customer service, you have a treasure trove of transferable skills. You’ve learned how to communicate with the public, provide good customer service, handle customer complaints, and work in a hectic environment.

If your work history is in some other area, think about the skills you developed or demonstrated that will help you as a new bartender. If you’ve never held a job, reach for skills you’ve demonstrated through clubs, volunteer work, community organizations, or hobbies.

Step 3: Apply Strategically

Some job markets are tighter than others, so where you live will make a difference in how high you can set your sights.

In most cases, it’s probably not practical to expect your first bartending gig to be in a swanky bar with big tippers. You probably need experience before you’ll be hired by a high-end establishment. Unless you have personal connections, strike those off the list.

Next, don’t just apply based on how well you like a bar. This may sound obvious, but look for bars that are actively seeking applicants. If they have help wanted signs, they’re probably hurting for additional staff – that makes it more likely they’ll give you a chance despite your lack of experience.

Step 4: Put Your Best Food Forward

When you find a bar willing to give you a shot, take the opportunity seriously. Show up on time, listen to all instructions, and do your best. They won’t expect you to know how to do everything right away, but they’ll want to see that you’re putting an effort into your bartender training.

It’s also a good idea to prioritize the basics. Instead of getting lost in learning how to make fancy drinks or remember everyone’s life story, you first need to master fundamentally important skills like the ones listed below.

Bartending Skills Every Beginner Should Know

Bartending requires a lot of different skills, but many of them will take care of themselves as you gain experience. You’ll learn the best ways to interact with customers, and you’ll get the hang of cleaning and stocking when you have the downtime. As long as you keep your job, you’ll pick up bartending tips along the way to improve your success.

There are a few areas, though, where early mistakes can cost you a job. No bar owner wants to lose their liquor license due to a careless employee, so you should pay extra attention to a few areas of bartender training.

Verifying ID

Learning how to recognize a forged, altered, or borrowed ID is a crucial part of obeying local alcohol laws. Both you and the bar that employs you can get in big trouble if you serve alcohol to a minor, so verifying everyone’s ID properly is one of the first skills you should learn.

Recognizing Signs of Intoxication

Many states allow people to sue bars and bartenders for overserving a patron who later causes damages, and a pattern of overserving is a great way for the business to have its liquor license suspended.

That’s why learning to recognize someone’s level of intoxication is important. Slowing down service – or cutting them off entirely – can save someone’s life, as well as your livelihood.

Pouring Appropriate Portions

Learning how to pour appropriate and consistent portions of alcoholic beverages can be important for a few reasons.

One is a safety and legal concern. If you pour too heavily, you make it harder for the patron to monitor their own alcohol intake. This can lead to public intoxication or drunk driving – both risky outcomes for bars and bartenders. There’s a reason most bars have a policy of using standard drink measurements as portion sizes.

Another is inventory and profit. If you’re regularly under or overpouring, you’ll use up alcohol inventory at a different rate than expected. This affects future supplies – you might run out of a popular drink on a busy night or end up with inconvenient surpluses. Since drink prices are calculated based on standard volume, over- or underpouring can also affect the business’s bottom line.

For all these reasons, it’s important for new bartenders to measure as they pour, even if it takes a little longer.

Learn Bartending Basics Online

TIPS is widely recognized as one of the best online bartending courses for beginners. It covers fundamental concepts and provides skills-based bartender training for the most important part of your job – obeying the law.

With our online courses, you’ll learn how the body processes alcohol and the misconceptions many people have about sobering up. We’ll teach you practical skills for avoiding illegal sales and refusing service with minimal conflict.

Our courses meet alcohol server training requirements in many jurisdictions. If you’re looking to train an entire staff, TIPS Passports will give you compliance coverage for the best value.

Get started on your bartender certification today!