Showing Some Flair at the Barstylez World Final

Barstylez, a bartending school in Singapore, held its “World Bartending Championship” about a month ago. What are they judging, you ask? Who makes the best Old Fashioned or invented the tastiest new cocktail this year? Not quite.

Check out champion Luca Valentin, from Romania. He may look like he’s more of a juggler than a bartender, but it’s actually a whole style called “flair bartending” (you can find lots of how-tos on Youtube.) Any bartender knows that being a good bartender is as much about your personality and presentation as it is about mixing good drinks. These guys just take that a step further.

If most of us tried this we’d just end up with a lot of broken bottles and impatient customers—but there’s no denying it’s an impressive trick that probably gets a lot of tips if you use it with some restraint. Is there anything from Valentin’s routine you’d consider toning down and using yourself? How do you try to keep your presentation fresh and fun?

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How Much Do Bartenders Make?

Lots of people get into bartending because they hear a lot about star bartenders making some serious bank—you may have even heard stories about bartenders pulling six-figure incomes. Some people do make that kind of money, but if you feel a little skeptical about that figure, you’re partly right. Most people don’t make that much bartending–but you can make some very solid money, and more importantly, you can take action yourself to make more. So how much do bartenders usually make?

Median hourly income: $8.30/hour

Median hourly tips: $15/hour

Source: https://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2012/12/04/jobs-tips/4.html

First of all, it’s hard to say exactly. There isn’t much data out there about exactly how much bartenders make because most of their income is in tips—which should be reported to the government but sometimes, ahem, aren’t. The internet makes it pretty easy to gather informal information from bartenders on the ground, though.

And based on that, the answer is, it varies a lot. Most of your income will be in tips, and how much you make each night depends on three main factors: how many drinks you serve, how expensive they are, and how much your customers can or want to give. All those things are higher in places with a higher cost of living—so if you’re in the south or the middle of the country.

According to a study by TippingResearch.com which interviewed 1,000 service workers.ay men and couples are the best tippers! The worst? Foreigners and teenagers. This data was collected through the responses of over 1,000 service workers! Here are the best and worst tippers:

Expect $30,000-$70,000 Per Year Including Tips

A typical salary at a decent bar will be in the neighborhood of $30,000 per year working full-time, the coasts will take you up the $45,000 or so, and cities will usually be higher than towns.

The highest salaries are around $70,000, but yes, some folks make $100,000.

No matter where in the country you are, where you fall in that $30,000-$70,000 range is going to depend a lot on the kind of bar you’re at.

Sports bars, for instance, will usually have pretty low prices, but get tons of traffic when there’s a big game on. Upscale restaurants will make you lots of tips per drink but get less traffic, and campus bars will get high traffic on Friday and Saturday night but the customers will tend to tip less. Hotels and country clubs make up for low traffic by offering their bartenders better hourly wages and benefits for their specialized attention to each customer. Basically, start out wherever you can get a job, and then look for somewhere that’s either high-volume or high-cost as you get better at your job and move up.

Those people making six figures are working in very particular kinds of places. High-end resorts, cocktail bars in places like Manhattan and San Francisco, exclusive nightclubs, and so on, are where you can pull in $1,000 in tips per night—places where the ultra-rich congregate. Of course, competition for those jobs is stiff, but you can work your way up to them.

What do you do to get those jobs? The same things you do to make more tips anywhere you work: upselling where you can (“You like bourbon, don’t you? Want to try our new bourbon cocktail?”), serving promptly, being friendly and personable, and making your customers feel special and valued. Remember their names, their favorite drinks, ask about their lives, tell them a joke: all customers are going to tip you better, and push your salary up, when they feel like you’re providing them the valuable service of a friendly face and attentive ear.

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State-by-State Requirements to Be a Bartender in New England

Bar owners like to stay in business, and staying in business means making sure you’re following local liquor laws and protecting yourself from being sued if someone has an accident after drinking at your business. Some states require, and other states recommend, certifications for anyone who serves alcohol to help with that. The courses usually take 2-6 hours to do, and go over things like how to tell when someone’s intoxicated, how and when to cut someone off, and how to diffuse tense situations. Here’s a breakdown of what laws apply where in New England, and what certifications you can get to comply with them and get serving.

Connecticut

Connecticut is pretty easy—they don’t have any legally required server training. Your employer may still want you to get some kind of training for their insurance, though. Talk to potential employers about what course they want you to have, or go with a widely recognized option like T.I.P.S. or ServSafe.

Maine

You’re required to have a certification to tend bar in Maine, but they’re pretty flexible about where you get it from. You can take a look at a list of accredited courses here—it includes commonly available courses like T.I.P.S. and ServeSafe. While it does accept a lot of certifications, Maine may not accept the online versions of them, so it’s worth looking up an upcoming in-person training in your area.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts doesn’t require you to have a certification, but does require your employer to have liability insurance… which usually requires you to have a certification. What programs will work depends on your employer’s insurance, but some of the most commonly accepted are T.I.P.S., ServSafe, and T.A.M. All of them can be taken online or in a class—you can look up upcoming class times and locations on their websites.

New Hampshire

Servers don’t need any special training in New Hampshire (owners and managers do, though—they need to take a state-run certification called MTS.) It’s still possible that a bar owner may want you to take a course for their insurance, but like in Massachusetts, what they accept will depend on the insurance.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island requires servers to have a certification, and like Maine, it accepts a lot of widely available courses. The bad news is their website listing what courses are approved it currently being updated, so there’s no published list of what certifications they’ll accept. T.I.P.S., ServSafe, S.M.A.R.T., and A.S.A.P. have all been accepted in the past, though, so you should be safe with one of them.

Vermont

Vermont is the strictest state in New England as far as certification—you need to take a special course offered by the state. You can take it for free online, for $25 as a seminar, or your employer may offer it in-house. You can register for it through Vermont’s liquor control board website.

You may notice when you look at these that (except for Vermont) T.I.P.S. will either meet the state requirement or meet most bar owners’ insurance needs. You can usually take it after you start working somewhere, but it doesn’t hurt to get it ahead of time, either. Local Bartending offers T.I.P.S. training online or in a class to help you get started on your bartending career—legally, responsibly, and safely.

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How to Become a Bartender

So you want to become a bartender? Maybe you’ve heard about the solid money you can make or maybe you’re just passionate about liquor, but either way you’re next step is landing that first job. Breaking into the industry isn’t always easy, but it’s absolutely doable with a little knowledge and patience. Here’s a run-down of the things you’ll need to do to become a bartender.

Know what it takes. If you like making cocktails at home, bartending may seem like an easy way to make serious money—but working in a bar takes a lot more than just cocktail mixing skills. Learn what a bartender actually does. You’ll need to be ready and able to put on the charm even when you don’t feel like it, deal calmly with drunk and disorderly customers, work odd hours, and multi-task like a beast, just to name a few.
Learn the trade. Top bartending jobs are competitive, and you’ll need to know your stuff backwards and forwards. Bartending classes can be a great way to learn about both the world of liquor—from how to mix cocktails to the difference between an IPA and an APA—and about the less happy parts of bartending, like ID laws, how to tell if someone is intoxicated, and legal liabilities.
Keep up to date. Don’t let your education stop with classes, though. Follow cocktail blogs, read books, talk to other bartenders, and generally keep your finger on the pulse of drink culture. It will help set you apart from the competition at those desirable bars, and help you move up from other positions faster.
Get certified. Your employer, state, or city may require you to get a certification (different from a bartending course) before you can serve alcohol—the most commonly required ones are TIPS and ServeSafe. Do some research about what you need in your area. There’s usually a grace period to get the certification after you start working, but at least knowing what you need will help you seem professional and prepared in interviews.
Job interview skills! Just like with any other job, practice good job interview skills as you apply places. From your employer’s perspective, your ultimate job as a bartender is to increase sales—so be professional, charming, and get a sense of the customers, specialties, and overall vibe of each place you apply. All those things will help convince them you’ll be able to get customers buying.
Work your connections. It’s much, much easier to get your first job in any industry if you know someone. Don’t be afraid to let anyone you know in the restaurant or bar industry know you’re looking to get your foot in the door—even a mild personal recommendation may be the thing that sets you apart from the stack of resumes.
Be willing to start small. Most bars hire from within, and that means that bartending course or not, you’re probably going to have to start small. That could mean taking a job as a bar back or server, working at a less-than-ideal place, or taking the less lucrative daytime or event gigs—whatever it is, think of it as a stepping stone as you work your way up. With some patience, hard work, and knowledge, you’ll soon move up the ladder to the bartending job of your dreams.

Minimum ages to bartend

Alabama 21
Alaska 21
Arizona 19
Arkansas 21
California 21
Colorado 18*
Connecticut 18
Delaware 21
District of Columbia 21
Florida 18
Georgia 18
Hawaii 18
Idaho 19

Illinois 18**
Indiana 21
Iowa 18
Kansas 21
Kentucky 20
Louisiana 18
Maine 18
Maryland 21
Massachusetts 18
Michigan 18
Minnesota 18
Mississippi 21
Missouri 21

Montana 18
Nebraska 19
Nevada 21
New Hampshire 18
New Jersey 18
New Mexico 21
New York 18
North Carolina 21
North Dakota 21
Ohio 21
Oklahoma 21
Oregon 21
Pennsylvania 18

Rhode Island 18
South Carolina 21
South Dakota 21
Tennessee 18
Texas 18
Utah 21
Vermont 18
Virginia 21
Washington 21
West Virginia 18*
Wisconsin 18
Wyoming 21

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Bar Consulting & Staffing

Local Bartending School knows how complicated owning a bar can be. That’s because it’s team has dozens of years in the industry. Our expertise will simplify your operations.

We can help your company with the following:

-Hiring proper staff/Job placement
-Over-pouring
-Reducing insurance premiums
-Developing company policies
-Enforcing a “comp policy”
-State of the art point of sale systems
-Using the right alcohols
-Getting your team trained and certified
-Profitability

Consultation Types:

-In-person training
-Phone and Skype consultations

Package training and certification discounts are offered for bar owners from 20% off.

Being a bar owner can be fun and rewarding. By investing a small amount into training, you can maximize your return on investment. One consultation could make you an additional $2,000-5,000+ per month in profits. (Income disclaimer: Your income is based on how well you put our ideas into action.

We offer package deals as well as hourly consulting. You can choose to consult with either a bar owner, or nightclub owner both with incredibly valuable experience.

Inquire here or call us!

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Experienced certified bartenders will make your event unforgettable.
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Mixed Drinks Training

WELL, CALL or TOP SHELF (Upselling)

A well drink or rail drink is an alcoholic beverage served using the lower-cost liquors stored within easy reach of the bartender in the counter ‘speed rail’ or well. Rail drinks differ from “call” drinks in that the former is offered when a customer does not specify a particular brand of liquor when ordering a mixed drink. The terms “well drink” and “rail drink” comes from the name for a bartender’s workspace, known as either the well or the rail. In any given establishment, the rail/well liquors available may be known as the “house pours” or “house brands”.

The actual liquors used by a drinking establishment will vary. A bartender’s well may include at least one variety of gin, rum, whiskey, vodka, bourbon, tequila,triple sec, and vermouth. Some establishments that cater to higher-end clientele or wish to project an aura of luxury choose premium brands to be their well liquors (thus offering a “premium well”).

Rail/well vs. Call vs. Top-Shelf

A rail or well drink is usually served when a customer does not specify that a particular brand of liquor be used. For example, a customer order for a “Scotch and soda” would lead the bartender to use a rail/well Scotch whisky and would be priced as a rail drink, whereas ordering “Glenfiddich and soda” would be a call drink.

Call liquors are known as such because the customer “calls” or requests a particular brand of liquor. Certain expensive brand-name liquors are not considered or priced as call, but are instead known as “top-shelf” liquors, both from their placement on the shelves and from their price relative to the other liquors available.

Drinks using the ‘Well’ liquors are the lowest priced drinks.

Drinks using the ‘Call’ liquors are charged at a higher rate.

Drinks using ‘Top shelf’ liquors are the highest priced drinks.

Drinks using several liquors are charged at a higher rate.

EACH establishment has its own price structure, but the following may give you an idea:

Top Shelf VODKAS frequently include: Grey Goose, Kettel On, Belvedeire

Call VODKAS frequently include: Stolichnaya, Finlandia, Skyy, Absolut, Smirnoff

Top Shelf GINS frequently include: Bombay Saphire, Tanqueray Silver

Call GINS frequently include: Beefeater, Bombay, Boodle, Tanqueray

Top Shelf RUMS frequently include: Bacardi 151, Mount Gay

Call RUMS frequently include: Bacardi Superior, Captain Morgan, Meyers, Malibu

Top Shelf TEQUILAS frequently include: Patron, Cuervo Reservo, Cuervo 1800

Call TEQUILAS frequently include: Cuervo Gold, José Cuervo, Cortez

Top Shelf WHISKEYS frequently include: Crown Royal, Crown Royal Special Reserve,

Call WHISKEYS frequently include: Seagrams, Four Rose, Jack Daniels, Canadian Club, Canadian Mist

Top Shelf BOURBONS frequently include: Old Grandad, Wild Turkey, Makers Mark, Knob Creek

Call BOURBONS frequently include: Jim Beam

Top Shelf SCOTCHES frequently include: Johnnie Walker Black, Chivas Regal, Glen Fiddich

Call SCOTCHES frequently include: Johnnie Walker Red, Dewars, J&B, Cutty Sark

Below are some drinks you can plan on that will likely be ordered. Unfortunately, their name doesn’t tell you the ingredients. So, over time, you need to learn them. Until that time, keep a file handy that you can refer to in an emergency.

Alabama Slammer

Amaretto Sour

Appletini

B-52

Bay Breeze

Bellini

Black Russian

Bloody Mary

Buttery Nipple

Cosmopolitan

Cuba Libre (rum & coke)

Daquiri

Fuzzy Navel

Gimlet

Irish Coffee

Kamikaze

Lemon Drop

Long Island Ice Tea

Madras

Maitai

Malibu Bay Breeze

Manhattan

Margarita

Martini

Melon Ball

Mimosa

Mojito

Mudslide

Old Fashioned

Piña Colada

Red Headed Slut

Rob Roy

Screwdriver

Sea Breeze

Seven & Seven

Strawberry Daquiri

Tequila Sunrise

Tom Collins

Whiskey Sour

White Russian