The Basic Things You Need to Know If You Want to Be a Professional Bartender
Serving alcoholic drinks may look like a job that everyone can do. But it is a big responsibility because you have to know what’s the proper way to serve alcohol according to the law. Underage drinking, drunk driving, and intoxication are the three offenses that can happen at a bar or club. If you, as a bartender, allow them to happen, you will be liable for the legal consequences.
Therefore, before you advance your dream to be a bartender further, observe these general rules:
Pay Attention to the Age Requirement
You are allowed to enter the bartending business if you are 18 or 21 years old. In New York, the age limit is 18, but in California, it is 21. Therefore, please observe your local law before you proceed.
Where Are You Going to Work?
Different states have different rules regarding bartending qualification. In Washington, you need to attend and complete an alcohol-serving course before you can work there as a professional. In Canada, a similar training exists, but you can take it online. In Australia, the program is called RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol). But a license issued in one state won’t be valid elsewhere.If you want to work in New South Wales, you need to attend another course.
Do You Need to Attend a Bartending School?
Bartending is a practical skill that you can learn as you do the job. Therefore, you don’t have to attend a formal bartending school to be a good bartender. However, there is a catch. The main drawback of learning about bartending as an autodidact is that the knowledge you gain is often not well structured. For instance, there are many different techniques of pouring, shaking, and mixing in order to create a perfect cocktail. If you learn them by yourself, you probably need to do countless trials and errors before you can achieve the standard. But by attending a school, you will learn how to make a cocktail like the pros in the business do. Moreover, a certificate from a renown bartending school will surely help you to land a job.
It is true that bartending schools or courses can be costly. For a 40-hour course from the New York Bartending School, you will need to prepare around $595. Online courses cost you around $200. This step needs money, but it will be a worthy investment to advance your career later on.