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”
Nah, that’s too evil. I can’t do that to you.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
At least you’ve taught me to look up any suggested drink with Google!
Uh…you had to think about it??
Best wishes,
hh
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! 
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.
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.
To which I would reply, that’s wonderful. Next time make it the way I want.
Knowing OpalCat in person, I can say that she definitely meets these two criteria! 
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.
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.