# Should I go to bartending school? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046 "2010-11-01T03:33:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/21 "2010-11-01T22:59:27Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > 30% lists of drinks that no one will ever order Such as? I wouldn’t mind being one of those guys that they have to bring the dusty bottles out for. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/22 "2010-11-02T07:41:55Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Such as? I wouldn’t mind being one of those guys that they have to bring the dusty bottles out for. Order a “cement mixer” ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/23 "2010-11-02T07:44:36Z")
Nah, that’s too evil. I can’t do that to you. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/24 "2010-11-02T08:12:01Z")
For $150 as a lark, go for it. If you decide to pursue bartending as a living or as supplemental income, I shit you not: Do Not Ever Tell Anyone that you went to bartending school. Trust me, just don’t do it. It is not an asset, it’s a liability. People will fuck with you and hold it against you for admitting it, if you even manage to get hired. Do not do it. Not ever. Not even if you get asked if you have any formal training on an interview. Tell them you worked for a caterer and sometimes worked the bar for weddings. Tell them your ex-brother in law owned a bar and you sometimes filled in on weeknights. Tell them anything other than “I went to bartending school.” I swear to god, just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/25 "2010-11-02T08:16:46Z")
None of the bars near me will serve cement mixers any more. Turns out there is a limit to just how much puke they’re willing to clean up. I once stumped a bartender by asking for a sloe gin fizz. Frankly, I don’t think that should happen. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/26 "2010-11-02T08:44:51Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > None of the bars near me will serve cement mixers any more. Turns out there is a limit to just how much puke they’re willing to clean up. I once stumped a bartender by asking for a sloe gin fizz. Frankly, I don’t think that should happen. Yeah, but who the fuck orders a sloe gin anything? You were just fucking with the bartender. 90% of orders will be for bottles/pints of beer or two ingredient drinks like rum & coke, gin & tonic or vodka & anything. Depending on the bar, wine is another 5% For the rare patron who stumped me on an obscure cocktail, I had this: “Teach me how to make one and it’s on the house.” A bit of humility and a free drink goes a long way. Mixing drinks is a small part of the job. Making patrons your friend goes a lot farther than any “mixology” school lessons. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/27 "2010-11-02T11:37:26Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > None of the bars near me will serve cement mixers any more. Turns out there is a limit to just how much puke they’re willing to clean up. I once stumped a bartender by asking for a sloe gin fizz. Frankly, I don’t think that should happen. Maybe I need to dust off that “What drinks are you surprised bartenders don’t know” thread from my massive list of threads I haven’t bothered starting yet. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/28 "2010-11-02T14:37:01Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Yeah, but who the fuck orders a sloe gin anything? You were just fucking with the bartender. ME! I DO! I like sloe gin and I like sloe gin fizzes! Frankly I don’t think it’s obscure at all. Somehow, I feel that if you can make a california cocaine, you should be able to make a sloe gin fizz. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/29 "2010-11-02T15:02:58Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Yeah, but who the fuck orders a sloe gin anything? You were just fucking with the bartender. 90% of orders will be for bottles/pints of beer or two ingredient drinks like rum & coke, gin & tonic or vodka & anything. Depending on the bar, wine is another 5% For the rare patron who stumped me on an obscure cocktail, I had this: > > “Teach me how to make one and it’s on the house.” > > A bit of humility and a free drink goes a long way. Mixing drinks is a small part of the job. Making patrons your friend goes a lot farther than any “mixology” school lessons. Amen. And a copy of the Bartender’s Bible, which every bar I have worked in has already. If you don’t know it, ask the person what is in it. If they don’t know, they shouldn’t be drinking it. If they still want it, ask them what color it is - that tells you a lot about the drink. And finally, if it is a really stupid named drink, first ID the person, then second make whatever you want. If they tell you that’s not what goes into a Sunrise over a Mountain Lake or whatever, look them straight in the eye and tell them it does. They must have had it made wrong before. Your co-bartenders will back you up. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/30 "2010-11-02T15:09:51Z")
I’m not even sure I’d want to go to bartending school for fun. My parents went to a mixology course. My parents were nicknamed “Ward and June Cleaver” by some friends of mine, so straight-edge they were. They were about the least likely people to ever go to a bartending school, and so paradoxically the most likely to learn something because they were just that serious about it. But instead they learned nothing and went straight back to drinking Miller Lite. I still don’t think my dad has ever had a mixed drink. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/31 "2010-11-02T16:18:31Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Nah, that’s too evil. I can’t do that to you. At least you’ve taught me to look up any suggested drink with Google! ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/32 "2010-11-03T01:06:12Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > A friend of mine has a bar, so I asked him this question. He has never hired a graduate of bartending school. He says that, “how their tits look in a tight shirt, or how their cleavage looks in a plunging neckline” is the most important factor. > > Thinking about his bar, I realize he was being honest. Uh…you had to think about it?? Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/33 "2010-11-03T03:25:31Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Amen. And a copy of the Bartender’s Bible, which every bar I have worked in has already. Dude, you can’t open the book! Seriously, I’d rather dime a drink out of my own pocket than open the book. You might as well tell people that you went to bartending school! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/34 "2010-11-03T03:36:54Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > ME! I DO! I like sloe gin and I like sloe gin fizzes! \*\* Frankly I don’t think it’s obscure at all.\*\* Somehow, I feel that if you can make a california cocaine, you should be able to make a sloe gin fizz. I’ve served literally tens of thousands of drinks and never had anyone ask me for a sloe gin anything. In the bars I’ve tended, a Sloe Gin Fizz is not obscure. It’s extinct. To be fair, I don’t know what a California Cocaine is either, if it’s served in any kind of drinking vessel. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/35 "2010-11-03T03:39:56Z")
Every bartender I’ve known has laughed at the notion of bartender school if the subject ever came up. They said just get a job as a barback – a bartender’s assistant – and you’ll learn everytrhing you need to know in a short time. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/36 "2010-11-03T03:43:29Z")
> [@villa](#): > > And finally, if it is a really stupid named drink, first ID the person, then second make whatever you want. If they tell you that’s not what goes into a Sunrise over a Mountain Lake or whatever, look them straight in the eye and tell them it does. They must have had it made wrong before. Your co-bartenders will back you up. To which I would reply, that’s wonderful. Next time make it the way I want. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/37 "2010-11-03T03:49:06Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Seriously, one of the most important hiring criteria for a bartender (especially female bartenders) is being attractive and personable Knowing **OpalCat** in person, I can say that she definitely meets these two criteria! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/38 "2010-11-03T04:16:52Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > To which I would reply, that’s wonderful. Next time make it the way I want. To which I would reply: There’s the door. You’re invited to leave. Mind you, I wouldn’t ask you to leave for ordering a Sloe Gin Fizz, nor would I try to convince you to accept a substitution of my making. I would have asked you to teach me how to make one in exchange for a free drink. Would that be acceptable to you? Would you tell me how to make one now, even though I can’t buy one for you? Totally sincere. Not even a hint of sarcasm. I could look it up, but I’d prefer your directions. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/39 "2010-11-03T04:35:11Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > To which I would reply: There’s the door. You’re invited to leave. Wait, you make up a drink because you can’t be bothered to figure out exactly what they want and when they complain, lie about how it’s made and the customer’s the jerk here? I’m so glad you are a rarity among bartenders. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046/40 "2010-11-03T04:49:05Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Wait, you make up a drink because you can’t be bothered to figure out exactly what they want and when they complain, lie about how it’s made and the customer’s the jerk here? I’m so glad you are a rarity among bartenders. Reading Is Fundemental! Also, you’re required to read ALL of it. I’m not spoiling for a virtual fight, dude. Nor do I spoil for an actual one when I’m behind a bar. Read the rest of my post and respond if you care to. I would sincerely appreciate instructions if you care to give them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-to-bartending-school/559046.md?page=3)