Serious Cocktails: Are Bartending Schools a Waste?
Bartending School in Arlington, Virginia. [Flickr: Larry Miller]
Across the country, students ranging from pre-K to post-grad are putting the summer behind them and settling into the school routine, which makes it a good time to talk about bartending education.
There's no shortage of bartending schools out there. Unfortunately, as my blogging bartender friends Darcy O’Neil and Jeffrey Morgenthaler have noted, enrolling in a bartending school is typically a waste of time and money.
Morgenthaler, who has built a small empire of web traffic by posting unintentionally hilarious how-to videos from the American Bartending School on his site, wrote to an aspiring bartender: “You don't become a doctor, lawyer, or architect straight out of school, and the same goes for bartending. It takes training, time, and working your way up the ladder in order to be running the show on a Friday night.”
Until recently, those interested in becoming a bartender—or simply desiring to know how to create, mix and talk about drinks on a better-than-beginner level—had very few options. Increasingly, however, craft bartenders and other mixology professionals have been hosting classes, seminars, and sessions dedicated to filling this void.
Perhaps most notable among these is the program operated by Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR). Created by a heavy-hitter group of industry professionals including former Rainbow Room bartender Dale DeGroff, cocktail historian David Wondrich and spirits expert Paul Pacult, BAR conducts in-depth multi-day sessions in New York for bartenders and others working in the drinks industry, as well as BarSmarts Advanced programs at cities around the country.
While participation in these programs is by invitation-only, another temporary program (based on the BAR content) is currently available on a wider basis to both working bartenders and ardent amateurs. BarSmarts Wired is an online version of the program, in which participants work through a series of course packets, videos, and exams covering everything from the early history of distillation to the contemporary world of molecular mixology.
Enrolling in BarSmarts Wired costs $45, which covers the learning materials and a set of mixing tools that are sent to participants. The program runs through the rest of the month.
As a mostly self-taught mixology aficionado (if you can consider plumbing the internet for information and hitting up bartenders for feedback and suggestions “self-taught”), I’ve found the BarSmarts Wired program pretty useful at filling in the gaps in my understanding. I'm about three-fourths of the way through the program and have picked up a few tidbits along the way.
What about you? If you're an enthusiastic home bartender (or a working bartender, for that matter), how did you find your direction? Through reading and experimenting, or some sort of educational program? Or under the guidance of a patient bartender?
About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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10 Comments:
I trained as a bartender, the good ol' fashioned way, by working my way up through a restaurant. Once I finally started bartending I worked in a service bar so I could make mistakes without a customer seeing. The speed and charm you need, you just can't learn in a class.
JillyPhilly at 6:57PM on 09/09/09
Agreed @ JillyPhilly. It is important to remember that the drink is only half the job, the quality and charm of the service is where you make your best money and develop your faithful regulars. I worked my way up from the "door" to bartender/manager of a popular college restaurant & bar that served an upward of 3000 drinks a night. I can tell you one thing...nothing trains you faster or better than a crowd of impatient, inebriated college kids 5 deep all wanting different cocktails, shooters and the latest trendy drink. BTW...the owner of the bar refused to hire individuals that went to bartending school, contending that they learned too many bad habit that just had to be broken later.
GrimChef at 7:21PM on 09/09/09
Ditto. Started in a club as a floor grunt, worked my way up in various establishments. And I do not understand why anyone would pay for bartending school- maybe Applebee's wants to see the diploma, but I can't imagine any real bar or restaurant that would hire a bartender based on anything but experience and connections.
thatgrrl at 7:22PM on 09/09/09
Ditto to the above. Started as a host, moved to server, then cocktail waitress, then bartender. At a different restaurant now, and have moved on to management. When we hire bartenders, we don't look at whether or not they went to bartending school... we look at their work experience.
madfishgrill at 10:01PM on 09/09/09
I took a bartending class a few years ago. It was a complete and total waste of time and money (I haven't had a single bartending job EVER, and I agree that the only way I know of to become a bartender is to work your way up to it), but it was a blast and I did learn some fun trivia about alcohol. It was nice to have the chance to learn a bit more about an interest of mine. So, if you're interested and have an extra thousand dollars and a couple weeks to spare, go for it! Just know that it won't get you a job.
VerySmallAnna at 10:26PM on 09/09/09
Totally agree with VerySmallAnna. I took a class years ago and it was basically a mixology class. It might teach you a bunch of cocktails and a few techniques (something you could learn from a $15 book), but it's not going to teach you how to tend bar. That's the sort of thing you have to learn by doing.
Cupajo at 9:11AM on 09/10/09
I find the negative comments on this site about bartending school to be a joke. American Bartenders Schools have been training bartenders for over 40 years. During this time we have helped thousands of men and women find bartending jobs in many of the nations best places and we have the data to back this up.
There are some establishments who don't want to hire a graduate of a bartending school, but we have found that they represents a small minority of establishments in the areas where we have schools.
Most of the comments on bartending schools are from people who have never attended a school. These comments reflect a opinion that the only good bartenders are the one that have learned on their own. Certainly, there are many good bartenders who have entered the business the hard way as there are many good bartenders who have entered the business the easy way by attending a school.
jtiano at 12:59PM on 09/10/09
I also learned by working my way up thru the ranks-hostess, waitstaff, and then bartender at a college town nightclub. @grimchef- I totally agree with you!! You're not from Ann Arbor are you? I went on to management but I wish I hadn't. Managing the nightclub sucked - bartending was way more fun! I've told my husband a number of times that I'd love to quit the 'normal' job I have now and go back behind the bar. Unfortunately, I can't stay up past 10 pm any more......
Rottenmom at 1:02PM on 09/10/09
I worked as a bartender for 8 years in both fine dining and dive-bar. Every place that I have worked laughed at people who listed bartending school on their resume. We would allow people who were interested to come behind the bar and train if they were serious enough to show up, most lost interest when they found out it was a job and not a nightly party.
pamstar at 1:23PM on 09/10/09
Module 1: Pass
Now it's time to wait until the last minute and cram in Modules 2-4 before week 4 rolls around.
Rich
JerseyRED at 2:28PM on 09/15/09