Male and female bartenders behind a full set up bar | Party Shakers professional bartender tips

Professional bartender tips. If you made up your mind, and a regular profession is not what you want to do anymore. However, instead you want a bartender for hire type profession. It’s important for you to know that even when you don’t need to have any formal education, you need to learn a lot of important skills.

These tips will prove to be very helpful in the long run.

Of course, other careers mentioned above, such as medicine, law or architecture. They require years of study and another number of years of professional practice. On the contrary, the profession of bartender does not require academic preparation. Although there are specific courses for all those who wish to take them and learn a little more.

However, if the bartending profession is similar to the others, is in the practice. Since although you may not take a course where they teach you about liquor mixes and other basic bartending things. The truth is that in these cases, “practice makes perfect” which means that the more you practice the different types of cocktails. In addition, everything related to the bar, its elements and the way in which you should conduct yourself when working as a bartender. The more you do this, the more experienced and professional you will be.

We are going to give you 5 tips that will help start your bartending learning process.

Always ask questions and learn everything about the bar

One of the first steps is to know the bar, and understand how it works. It is important that you arrive early the day before you start. In order to get to know where everything is. Also, you will probably work for a while with a more experienced bartender. When you do, it is highly suggested to ask as many questions as possible if you do not know something

There is nothing wrong with asking anything related to bartending to a more experienced bartender. The more knowledge you have and the more you learn from the professionals will matter. You can be sure that in a short time you will have mastered everything related to the profession. So always ask, inquire, and learn everything you can from other colleagues.

Be ready to work behind a bar

If it is your first time working behind a bar, your first experience could be a little overwhelming. Because you find yourself learning new lingo, recipes, and techniques in just one night. Plus your body will start to adapt to stay late at night. Therefore, readiness is key in order to deal with those situations. This is very common in bartending services for hire Los Angeles.

Although this first experience is always going to be a bit difficult. It will be realization that over time everything will become routine and sooner rather than late. You will find yourself mastering all the aspects that bartending work entails. However, for this, you will have to work several times behind the bar, to gain enough experience.

Try to collect orders first, then serve the customers:

You will make rookie common mistakes when you start trying to serve drinks one by one. The best thing you can do is to take the orders from everyone at the bar. Never forget these professional bartender tips.

At the beginning, it is normal for the new bartender to try to start making each cocktail or drink that is requested. This can lead to a large number of customers crowded around the bar. Which can bring tension and stress to the bartender but at the same time, your customers can get annoyed.

Never stop learning professional bartender tips

The world of bartending is always innovating, and changing. You can find new cocktails bar recipes, and many other innovations that will keep you busy learning new skills all the time. Therefore, it is important that you keep yourself informed about all the new trends. Also news about the industry by reading magazines, blogs, or publications. Keeping yourself informed will help with what others are doing.

When you think that you are already an expert bartender and that you have nothing else to learn. Think again, since the truth is that as in any profession, you never stop learning. There are always better ways of doing things. There is always a bartender who has a new technique that allows to do processes more efficiently, for example, the service process at the bar.

Also, every year, new cocktails, liquors and drinks emerge. Therefore, generate new cocktails and mixes that any bartender must learn how to prepare, especially if this drink becomes popular among your customers.

Things that you don’t have to forget about Professional bartender tips

Don’t ever drink while you are working, and never give free drinks to your family, or friends. Remember that you are a professional, and that you need to act like one. A professional learns all the classics, and basics of the business duties. Always get some research done on the different drinks you can make. Remember to maintain your work area clean, and to put all your equipment in order. Finally, pay attention to what you are wearing, and also how you look in general. This is great for anyone who is in the interest of a bartender for hire.

But in addition to these basic tips that any new bartender should know, there are other 6 things a that should be taken into account when you decide that what you really want to be is a bartender, such as:

The customer is always right

Or at least that is what we always say, however, the truth is that all the bartender’s work revolves around the client, who is the epicenter of everything and who in the end will give good tips if he feels satisfied but at the same time, it is also not going to give them if the service isn’t satisfactory. These professional bartender tips will always help.

All customers require different services:

Some customers only go to the bar to order a drink and leave, others even sit down to have several drinks at the bar and in many cases, they prefer to sit down and have a conversation with the bartender, in each scenario, it is important that the bartender adapt their style of service according to each of your customers needs.

There is always something to do when you are behind the bar.

If the night is quiet and there isn’t a lot of action, do not stand still waiting for customers to arrive, there is always something to do at your workstation, from ordering the bottles and ingredients, cleaning the bar, organizing the glasses, jugs and utensils until practicing a new cocktail that is being requested by several customers and that is trending. That is why it is recommended that you never stop moving and working during your shift.

Paying attention and taking care of guests or customers is something that should always be a priority.

It is important to be aware of everyone who is at the bar you have to pay attention to everyone and if they have their glasses full, also that everyone is being served, it is even important to know what they are drinking and what is their favorite drink or cocktail. From time to time if possible, exchange some conversation with them. Remember that in the end, the tips that customers leave you depends a lot on the quality of your good service.

The bar is basically a stage

Which means that everyone who comes to the bar will always have their eyes on you; which is why every bartender must know how to handle themselves while they are at the bar, always be smiling, be respectful and courteous but also be agile and maintain the bar neat, since is important to remember that everything enters through the eyes.

There are two important things that you have to know how to handle: Time and money.

When we talk about time, the bartender must be as fast as possible, but also, as each drink has different ingredients and therefore, a specific preparation time, it is important to measure the time. When it comes to money, sometimes the bartender is serving more than 5 or 6 customers at the same time so he cannot always go to the cash register to deliver the money that the customers are paying, that is why it is important that they not only know how to make drinks properly, but to be good at math and also have good memory.

Questions and Answers

How can you know if this profession is for you?

There are many things to consider before deciding if this is the ideal profession for you, the important thing is first at least to spend several nights observing how everything works and if this really is the ideal job, you need to have the experience and then determine if this is for you.

What basic things any beginner bartender needs to know while they are behind the bar?

Beyond being an expert in liquors, drinks, mixes, and cocktails, it is important to develop other knowledge related to the bar, its elements, how it works, where all the glasses, and ingredients are, among others.

How important is to learn from more expert bartenders?

At the beginning it is essential that you receive training from an expert bartender who has years of experience and who can teach you the most important things about the job and how it should be done; it is important that you watch and pay attention to everything they do, as eventually you will have to do everything yourself.

Why practice in bartending profession is so important?

Although it is true, you can read books and articles that explain how to make a cocktail or the elements that cannot be missing in a bar, the truth is that the bartender will really learn everything he needs to know with constant practice.

Final Thoughts

If you follow these simple tips, you will be on your way to becoming a great bartender. If you want to watch professional bartenders at work to learn a trick or two, you can hire party shakers for your next event. We have the best in the business and we encourage people who want to become part of this great profession. Never forget these professional bartender tips.