I was looking up Colorado bartending licenses online last night and just got confused in it all. I'm just confused as to what I need, what would be beneficial in order to be hired, and what people are using just to get money. Any other tips would be great too. Thanks|||DON"T go to bartending school, a total and complete waste of time and money, and all it really does is give you a worthless piece of paper that FALSELY proclaims that you're now a qualified bartender, which these graduates are anything but. And I am endlessly stunned by the haughtiness and holier-than-thou attitude displayed by your average bartending school graduate. HELLO!!! It's not like you've earned a college degree here! It's not like you're now intellectually on par with a rocket scientist. I can't count the number of times I've watched a "graduate" get behind the bar for the first time, and wind up getting totally smoked and snuffed by the patrons and onslaught of a moderate sized crowd, all while begging me for answers to "how do you make this drink" or "how do you make that drink"?. Stop wasting my time dammit. First, get a job as a barback and look, listen, and learn. Or, for a female, cocktail waitressing is another easy way to gain experience, especially if your bartender is willing to teach you a bit, plus, as a barback or cocktail waitress, instead of wasting your money on a completely worthless certificate whose value is only one grade up from toilet paper, you'll be earning a decent income as you learn. While on the job, absorb as much information as you can from the bartenders you are working for, and ask questions, as time allows. Get a few good bartending books, read and try to memorize the more commonly requested cocktails in your area, and also the classic types. Beware--for lots of drinks, 10 different bartending books will give you 10 different cocktail recipes (try looking up Mai Tai in a few and you'll see what I mean)--so don't freak out. Another weird thing, I was bartending in the FL Keys for 20 years, and I dealt with a lot of international tourists and tourists from all over the U.S., and (don't freak out here either) the same drink with the same name will be made completely differently where they (the tourist) is coming from. For instance, a european martini is far different than an american martini, so if I was asked for a martini by someone with a european accent, I'd have to stop and clarify it with them (60 to 100 years ago, the american and eurpoean martinis were exactly the same, not so anymore). A hick coming outta South Dakota will insist that his Tom Collins is red and has grenadine in it, and yes, that is in fact what you get when you order a Tom Collins in SD. I now call that one a Sven & Ole Collins (because a Tom Collins it surely isn't). And that's just the tip of that iceberg. Bartending is far and away more art than science, there are very few 'right' answers--some right answers, but not a lot. Get used to that. Bartending school will try to teach you the science, little of the art. And bartending school graduates will of course tell you how great the experiance was for them, and how much better of a bartender they are versus the non-schooled bartender (that holier-than-thou thing I mentioned earlier, simply because they cannot intellectually digest the fact that they have flushed $500 to $1000 of their money down the toilet. And you'd better be a people person, someone that people want to talk too, and you HAVE to talk to them, whether you want to or not. And patience--you MUST have a well of patience 100 feet deep or more. In summary, artending schools are a waste. Get yourself a job as a barback, buy a coupla good bartending books (yes, they same drink will have different ingredients in different books--don't freak out), learn the standard drinks, learn your regional favorites (they vary greatly), and do it yourself. It ain't rocket science. Here's a little secret: real bartenders snicker and laugh behind the backs of bartending school graduates. I mean puh-leeze, get a life. . Also, don't just learn at work. DO YOUR HOMEWORK, which of course happens at HOME.|||Start out at a small bar and work your way up. Let me add to that, a small bar that is SLOW. I never went to bartending school but I'm a bartender at a pretty busy place and I started working there on slow days until I could handle the busier days :) Um, are you a chick? Just asking because it's SUPER easy to get good tips if you're a chick. Especially if you're a cute chick, just wear a v-neck shirt or a tank top, something to show a little (you don't have to show it all!) and some tight jeans, if you look good customers usually try harder to strike up a conversation. Just go to a bar and fill out an app, tell the manager/owner that you've never worked at a bar but you're a hard worker and willing to learn. It helped that I had experience in sales (it's the bartender's job to suggest shots or other drinks that the person may want or like). Basically just be friendly and get to know the regulars' names and drink preference. This will help you out a lot. When you start working you should make a "cheat sheet" write down any popular shots and write down prices. The bar I work at writes the price right on the bottle to make it easier, but if that's not the case you should memorize the popular premium and top drink prices. Hope that helped a little.|||Some people will tell you that bartending school is the way to go, and they're not always wrong. It really depends on the kind of place you want to work, and on whether or not there are specific local/state requirements. Basically, it breaks down like this: the bonus of going to bartending school, is that most good ones offer not only the training, but certification as well. These certificates are especially helpful if you want to work in a hotel, on a cruise ship, catering company, and many corporate bars (i.e.-Applebees, Bennigans, TGIFridays, etc) Also, you do learn quite a few drinks, general liquor familiarization, and how to pour free hand. On the down side, a lot of beer and shot places, sports bars, clubs, and the like tend to look down on those who opt for that route. And for good reason. No matter what else, the best teacher will always be experience. The key is to find a place that you like, and a competent bartender to show you the ropes. Remember though, whatever you decide to do, it's far easier to start at a fancy place (martinis, wine service, etc), and move down to less formal places (beer and shot joints). The beer and shot places are good because they teach you speed, but the higher end place will teach you good drink making.

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