I am thinking about becoming a bartender at some nice hotel in Miami.?

Question

I'm a full time student (19 years old, will be 20 in a few months), so I would probably only want to work on weekends. Is there some sort of bartending school that i would need to go to? or is there a kind of license i need? where should i begin? i really have no idea where to even start with this!

Answer 1

I was a bartender for 2 years ( from 20 - 22 ) and I never went to a bartending school. I was a server at the time, and our bartender quit without any notice, and the managers thought I had the right personality and work ethic to become a bartender. I said yes because as a server I was making $2.13 an hour plus tips, but if I moved up to bartending I would be making $7.00 an hour plus tips. I was trained behind the bar by a guy I worked with, Patrick, who had been either a server or a bartender for the last 30+ years. I asked him if I should go to bartending school and he said no. He knew a lot of people over the years who had went to bartending school, and they all thought it was a waste of time. Basically, you learn everything you need to know once you actaully get behind the bar and start making drinks. Patrick told me the best thing about going to bartending school is learning about the alcohol. They will teach you how to make drinks, but remember that every restaurant is different, and therefore will have a different way of making drinks. Some drinks are the same everywhere you go, for example, a Rum and Coke is always going to be 1 1/4 ounce of rum, pack the glass with ice, and fill with coke. I'm assuming that you've been to several different restaurants, and have looked through the books they have on the tables. For instance, Chilis book probably has 5 or 6 pages of speciality drinks, as does Outback and all the rest.
You don't have to go to school or obtain a liscense to become a bartender, all you need is to be at least 18, and have a friendly personality. I've heard of people being hired that didn't go to a school before someone else that did, because they had a great personality. Managers want to hire a bartender that can keep customers at the bar drinking. The more you talk to them, the more they're going to drink, and the more likely they are to come back to see you, and become a regular customer. This is good for the restaurnat ( $$ ) and good for you because your regualrs tip the best.
The only reason I think you might benefit from going to a school is because it doesn't sound like you have ever worked in a restaurnat before. Usually managers like to hire people who have experience, and as a server you would know how the restaurant business works, and you would know about alcohol from serving drinks to your tables. For instance, what kind of liquor is Bacardi? What about Jack Daniels? If a customer said to you, I want a J&B on the rocks would you have any idea what he was talking about? What if someone ordered a dry martini straight up? These are the kinds of things they teach you at school, so because you don't have ANY expereince I suggest you go...... it will definetly increase your chances of getting hired, if you have a friendly, outgoing personality.
Bacardi = Rum
J&B = Scotch
Dry Martini = Vodka with ONE drop of dry vermouth, over lots of ice, strained into a martini glass.
You can find a school in the phone book, I've heard the class is around 6-8 weeks and costs about $600. Working at a nice hotel should be good money..... good luck!
P.S. The harderst thing about being a batender is having to cut someone off who's had too much to drink.... and make sure you do, because if someone leaves your bar tanked out of their mind, and gets into an accident, they CAN sue you and the restaurant. Also, if there is ANY doubt about someones age, ask for I.D. You can get into a lot of trouble for serving a minor.

Answer 2

there is actually a website that you can visit which displays various bartending schools within different cities and states. i however would not be able to supply you with a lot of personal info on the subject at hand seeing as how i, myself am not completely bartender competent. you however have a pretty face and i would like to know where you are from (at least).
my name is gabe and i am currently stationed at Holloman AFB, NM.
hope this information was of some assistance to you.
either piece of info, that is.
(oh and by the way that GQ interview with Victoria Secret model Adriana Lima was an eye opener and i do believe that ms. lima is still an untainted petite youthful vixen; "easy on the eyes" is an understatement)

Answer 3

bar tending school is a waste of time and wont get you a job. Employers want experience. I suggest getting a job in a restaurant with a bar and cross training on the bar. Do that for a while and keep putting applications at bars you would like to work at.