by Bartending is an incredibly exciting profession that includes a huge set of opportunities for places to get settled and high earnings. This job is also quite fun, regardless of where you pour the drinks. You will find it interesting to spend time everywhere: from a small pub on an inconspicuous street to a cool club.
You can also find a job with a convenient schedule and show your creative nature. It takes some time to get into this business, but it’s worth it. So, how to become a bartender?
Who is a bartender?
In order to master the profession of a bartender, you will need a set of certain skills. Your personal traits are also important. For example, you should be friendly to communicate with customers and have a good memory. You must keep your cool in any, even the most critical situation. You should be able to guess from a person’s face what cocktail to offer them today.
But this is not enough. You need to acquire a large number of skills if you want to work as a bartender. You must learn how to mix cocktails correctly, how to dispense drinks correctly, how to handle the cash register, and how to maintain order in the bar. You will have to count money, create a cozy or dynamic atmosphere, and follow the trends in bartending and the appearance of new cocktails.
But how to become a bartender from a professional point of view? We will also talk about this today.
How to become a certified bartender
To become a certified bartender, it is not necessary to study for a long time. It is enough to take forty-hour courses in any training center. The price for them is low, varies within 200 dollars.
These training centers give their students very useful skills. You will visit the practice to present the bar will be mixing cocktails and working the cash register. You will learn how to divide the bar into different sectors, use all the bar equipment, and learn how to work with a bunch of tools.
You will learn how to quickly prepare the right drinks, accurately measure the right amount, and talk to any customers, even those who are in conflict. You will be trained by professionals who have been in mixology for years.
Let’s delve into the subject and step by step describe how to become a licensed bartender on the example of the state of Texas.
Video: How to become a bartender
Watch in this video how to become a bartender in 21 days if there is no experience or even any idea where to start.
How to become a bartender at 18?
So, you are at least 18 years old and you want to become a bartender. Let’s talk about how to become a bartender in Texas.
You should take the following steps.
- You have already made the first of them: you have reached the age of majority. This is enough for many establishments in Texas. Why not for everyone? According to the law of this state, the minimum age of its employees depends on what license the institution has acquired and what permits it has at its disposal. In particular, for bars and restaurants, this age is 18 years. Up to 18 years of age, you can also sell alcohol, but only outside the premises in grocery stores.
- Next, you need to get a TABC certificate. Such certification is not required by law in most institutions, but many employers are unlikely to hire you without it. This will help you get a job as quickly as possible. With this course, you will acquire all the necessary skills, including the law:
- You will learn all the details of the correct sale of alcohol under the law in Texas.
- How to communicate with minors and refuse their request to sell alcohol.
- You will learn to communicate with people who are in a state of alcoholic intoxication.
- You will be able to distinguish real documents from fake ones.
- You will learn what to say when a person has had enough drink.
- Then you should gain experience in the service industry. Many bars simply won’t hire you without experience. You can temporarily apply for any job in the service industry related to the subtleties of your profession. This way you can observe the work of other bartenders and learn from their movements and experience.
- If you are hired as an assistant, ask the management to occasionally provide a little help around the bar. You can try to become a mess. Barback helps the bartender with the storage of ingredients and their preparation. This way you can easily understand how the bar works. If you are rejected, offer to help with your monthly inventory. This is a boring job, but you will learn a lot about the types of alcohol and their cost. This will be a great start to your career and show your superiors that you want to be behind the bar in the future.
- After that, learn how to speak correctly. The bartender must take care of the customer. Guests of your establishment should feel comfortable, know that they can talk to you because the bartender can always tell a story from life. Hospitality is a very important trait, and you need to develop it to the highest possible level. You must be able to communicate with any guests, find the key to any conversation, and know all the preferences of your regular customers.
- Don’t just rely on your taste. Remember that people have different tastes, and what you don’t like may well suit others. Therefore, you should learn to remember the tastes of your guests, and if there is a new drink with a similar taste, advise them.
- Don’t forget to improve your technique. You must not only handle the shaker well but also understand what is going on inside at this time. If you understand the mixing process correctly, you can easily calculate the time of shaking the cocktail. Many cocktails are quite complex, so start training with something easy, gradually increasing the complexity of the prepared drinks.
As you can see, becoming a bartender is quite simple, the main thing is to show interest in this business. Obtaining a license does not take much time, but training in the subtleties and wisdom is given to everyone in different ways. Do you want to know how to become a bartender in NYC?
The main thing to remember is that a bartender must learn and improve all his career paths. Stick to this rule and everything will work out for you. Learn new drinks, keep up a conversation with your guests, store, and mix ingredients correctly, and you will easily achieve success in your business.
Today you learned how long does it take to become a bartender, what steps you should take to do this, and what skills you should acquire. We wish you good luck on your way!
