The 3 Biggest Lies of Bartending

By Jeremy Sherk

In my time as a bartender, I’ve come across what I like to call “the 3 biggest lies of bartending”.

When starting out in this industry, I was convinced by others that the following were requirements in order to become a successful bartender. Well, I’ve had great success in this industry and I got there without any of the so called “requirements” listed below, and you can too.

So here they are…

Bartending Lie #1

You need to know hundreds of drink recipes to be a great bartender.

Nothing could be further from the truth! I make the same twenty drinks every night at the nightclub I currently work.

Sure, there are drinks other than those twenty that get requested once in awhile, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. If I get stumped, I’ll ask the bartender I’m working with, look it up in the recipe guide, or ask the customer.

Yeah, that’s right, if all else fails, ASK THE CUSTOMER how to make it. There’s no need to have an ego around this. If the customer doesn’t know, I’ll try and narrow down the colour/flavour and make them one of my specialties, which they often end up liking better anyway.

No matter what type of establishment you want to work at, they’ll have a base of twenty or so drinks that are asked for, not hundreds.

Sure, it’s nice to have a some killer drink recipes up your sleeve when a customer says, “make me something good”. But you don’t have to know hundreds of drinks before you step behind the wood. There’s no need to numb your brain studying recipe books in order to become a money-making bartender.

Bartending Lie #2

You need a bartending “certificate” or “license” to tend bar.

Yes, legally the establishment you’re working for must be licensed to serve alcohol. But there is absolutely NO LAW that requires you to have a license or certificate to bartend.

While many states and provinces require an alcohol awareness certification to ensure responsible service, realize this is required by all service staff in the industry and is issued for a small fee by the government.

Bartending schools are an excellent way to get your foot in the door and increase your confidence behind a bar. But their “certificates” aren’t required in order to gain employment as a bartender.

Bartending Lie #3

You need to “pay your dues” and work as a barback for years in order to work at a hot spot raking in the big bucks.

This is absolute bull! I know so many bartenders that got behind the bar faster than you can imagine.

If you think it takes years, it’ll take you years. If you believe there’s a better and faster way, you’ll find one. Either way, you’ll prove yourself right.

What I’m attempting to communicate here is that you can become a bartender faster than you probably think. It just takes some creativity and knowing the right way to go about it.

While knowing a wide variety of drink recipes, attending a bartending school, and having experience working as a barback are all assets that would assist you in your job search, realize they’re not mandatory and you certainly shouldn’t allow NOT having them hold you back from you goal of becoming a bartender.

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