re: Bartender School

Don’t waste money on bartending school... like someone said, watch YouTube videos. Buy quality ingredients, and not just the spirits. A great cocktail is one where all ingredients are quality, not just the spirit. Fresh juices, herbs, not shite vermouth, etc. Start with something you like to drink. Watch videos to learn to make it yourself. I always tell people, approach drinks like food. If you like to cook, you have an idea of how flavors work together. Take a cocktail you like and think of flavors you’re familiar with that would add new depth or characteristics to the cocktail. Go to local bars and ask the bartenders to make a twist on the drink and see what they do. An easy thing for home bartenders are simple syrups. Do some googling on how to make different syrups to add different elements to drinks. You can literally make a syrup easily out of anything you have at home. Get a jigger and keep track of what you put into drinks to where you can adjust recipes based off what you like and don’t like. Just have fun. Make drinks. Drink them. Make more drinks.

If you do want to bartend, don’t go to bartending school and apply for barback jobs.

If you want to learn to make cosmos, go to bartending school.