18 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Bartender

From Cosmopolitan

While working in the world of nightlife can be lucrative—some bartenders take home hefty six-figure salaries!—it isn’t always glamorous. Signing up for the most profitable shifts may cost you nights-out with friends, and you never know when a customer will leave you a stingy tip. Like any other industry, you’ve got to hustle your way up the ladder, and even though there aren’t any technical requirements to become a Master of Booze, not everyone’s cut out for it. You’ve got to be able to think on your feet, be a self-starter and, most importantly, a team player.

We spoke with industry vets Lynnette Marrero and Pamela Wiznitzer, who’ve each tended bar for over a decade. Lynnette Marrero is a bartender, mixologist, and a co-founder of the world’s first all-female speed bartending competition, “Speed Rack.” She’s currently the beverage director at Brooklyn’s Llama Inn. Pamela Wiznitzer is a beverage consultant based in New York City. She was formerly a bartender at The Dead Rabbit. Here, a guide to everything you need to know about becoming a bartender.

Expect to start as a bar-back and work your way up.

Before you earn your spot behind the bar, you have to pay your dues—as in, cleaning the counters, restocking liquor bottles, and taking the crappy shifts. Marrero started her career as a waitress and cocktail server at Flatiron Lounge in New York, helping behind the bar only when the bartenders got really busy. When her coworkers realized she'd learned all the recipes on her own, she was hired to make drinks. "Hard work goes a long way in this industry, but it's on you to learn the tricks of the trade," explains Marrero.

Bartending courses can be useful, but they won't replace experience.

To develop the skills, you really need on-the-job training. "If you have to choose between spending money on a bartending course and making money working a shift as a bar-back or a cocktail server, choose to work," recommends Marrero. Certain classes, like the Beverage Alcohol Resource (a well-respected accreditation that teaches you all about spirits), are valuable, but they still aren't the same as real-life practice.

A lot of people believe you need to have a bartending license to be a bartender, but it's not true. There are specific states, like Oregon, where you need to take a course called TIPS in order to serve alcohol. And even in states like New York, where TIPS certification isn't mandatory, certain bars and restaurants may still require you to get certified. A single TIPS course costs $40, and your training must be completed within 30 days of starting employment.

You will have to make one up-front investment, though: Your time. "If you want to get good at what you're doing, it involves a lot of learning," says Wiznitzer. If you're looking to broaden your skills, consider signing up for the Bar 5-Day, a comprehensive mixology program complete with a final exam and blind taste-testing—heads up, though, it costs almost $4,000. More affordable options exist at the Columbia Bartending Academy, where classes start at just $250.

The job is extremely physical, so invest in a pair of comfortable shoes.

Injuries like tennis elbow, tendinitis, and carpal tunnel are all fairly common in bartenders, thanks to mixing heavy shakers above your head all night. Unsurprisingly, it's exhausting to work 10-hour shifts on your feet, and your back will ache from frequently bending down to grab ingredients under the bar. "Small adjustments—like wearing comfortable shoes, taking breaks to stretch your muscles, and practicing proper cocktail-shaking form—will help your body in the long run," advises Marrero.

But really, sensible footwear is no joke. "A lot of people swear by Crocs," says Wiznitzer. "I don't, I think they're clunky. I need things that I can move in a more agile way." Wiznitzer is a huge fan of Aerosoles shoes, but says Vans make a great slip-resistant shoe and Cat offers a large range of footwear from boots to slip-ons that are suited for hard-hitting work.

You'll always be working while your friends are out having fun.

You're going to miss out on parties, Saturday night hangs, and having a normal dating life, since most people schedule plans at the same time you're grinding away. Marrero is married to a "daywalker" (what bartenders call people with regular day-time jobs), and says that in the beginning of their relationship, it was very difficult to find time for each other. "Sometimes, you'll have to give up your best shifts to go to someone's wedding, and sometimes you'll have to miss out on something important because you can't take off work," warns Marrero.

Giving out too many free drinks is an amateur mistake.

As a bartender, there's nothing more glam than comping your friends' drinks, but try not to make it a habit. "You have to account for those drinks (they get charged to a "comp tab"), and it also shows that you don't view the bar as a place of business," says Marrero. Of course, it's okay to buy a drink for a return customer to build up a rapport, but the buy-back is not a right—it's a compliment to people who visit you regularly.

There's a big difference between bartending at a restaurant and bartending at a bar.

But neither environment is necessarily better. At a restaurant, you need to be an excellent multi-tasker since people will be eating and drinking at the bar. "You have to crank out drinks quickly, serve food, and keep an eye on the timing," says Marrero. "But if you're bartending in a cocktail bar, it's more like banging out tickets, which can be more intense but more focused." Restaurant bartenders typically make more money, since they can collect tips on a full meal, while bar customers tend to be a tad less generous.

The best part of your shift is when it gets super busy.

At a certain point in the night, the bar gets crazy packed and there's a deep line of people waiting to order drinks. This is when Marrero t-h-r-i-v-e-s:

Speaking of $$$, bartending is more lucrative than you think.

"Sometimes, you might even make more money than your friends who sit at their computers five days a week," says Wiznitzer. It's important to note, though, that how much you make varies shift to shift. According to Wiznitzer, it can literally range from $50 to $400 per shift. "You'll meet bartenders in Las Vegas working on the strip who make a clear six figures in a year," she says.

That's the thing, your take-home pay totally depends on where you work—a club, a high-volume restaurant, or your neighborhood spot. It's always a bit of a gamble when you work in bars, but the sub-minimum wage ensures that if you don't make enough tips to earn $15 an hour, your bar has to make it up to you.

On Glassdoor, the average annual salary for bartenders is around $20K, but if you include tips, your yearly take-home pay may double. But the sh*tty reality is, if someone doesn't tip well—or worse, doesn't tip at all—there's not much you can do about it. You just gotta suck it up.

Save about 30 percent of your cash tips, 'cause you have to pay taxes on them.

Sorry, it's the law! Marrero says she always hears new bartenders complain that they owe so much money on their taxes, but that's because they didn't plan ahead and save money from their tips. Rough.

Expect to structure your life as an independent worker.

Bartending is an open marketplace, so make sure you're ready to take on that type of financial commitment. Plenty of organizations are designed specifically to help you plan. For instance, Financial Gym "focuses on the independent worker, and helping them get their finances back in place in a very non-threatening, encouraging manner,” says Wiznitzer. You can speak to them on the phone or in person, if you're located in NYC. Another thing to keep in mind: Most bartending venues don’t offer health insurance, so Wiznitzer suggests looking into Medicare.

If you want to be a bar manager, take a business class.

"I always say there should be a Business for Bartenders class," says Marrero. "Bars are like any business, so if you want to run it, you need to be knowledgeable about how to price your drinks, how to manage profits and loss, how to secure funding, and so on. Knowing how to make a delicious drink is only part of the equation."

There's a huge drinking culture among bartenders.

Bartenders tend to be pretty divided about whether or not it's okay to drink on the job. Some people are staunchly against it, while others down a shot every now and then when the shift gets stressful. That said, everyone tends to tip back a few drinks together after closing. If it's been a good night, you might have a glass of wine after your shift; if it's been a bad night, you might have a couple. "Recently, I've met more bartenders who have consciously chosen to stop drinking (other than sampling the drinks they make), and they're still really wonderful bartenders," explains Marrero.

Unfortunately, yeah, expect some unwanted flirting.

Customers will leave their number on the receipt, ask you out, or make unwelcome comments about all the ~shaking~ required to make a drink. (Yuck.) You can nip the bad behavior in the bud however you please, but a polite "I'm not interested" will probably do. "That said, I married a guy who picked me up as a cocktail waitress, so…" laughs Marrero.

But when it comes to sexual harassment, health, and safety, there are resources available.

In New York, there’s a company called OutSmart NYC that offers violence prevention and bystander intervention training specifically for people who work in the bar/restaurant/nightlife industries. There’s also a program located in Washington, D.C. called Safe Bars, and once you complete their bystander intervention training, you can bring the program to bars, restaurants, and clubs in your community.

It's really tempting to sleep until the late afternoon.

If you work in a city like New York, where bars stay open until 4 a.m., you might not get home until 6 a.m. It's easy to live your life like a vampire. But you'll miss so many opportunities—e.g. the chance to work a high-paying gig, like a private party—if you don't at least set an alarm and check your phone once before snoozing until the P.M. hours.

Making great drinks requires a pretty deep understanding of the chemistry of flavors.

Most of the time, bartenders are working with classic drinks and a set menu, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be prepared for a "dealer's choice" type of request. Marrero says this is one of the most fun parts of bartending—creating a new, custom drink for a patron based on what they like. "I like to recommend The Joy of Mixology and The Flavor Bible. Both books help to break down all the classic drinks into fundamental combinations, which can teach you how to build new flavor combinations that work together," says Marrero.

It could be your forever job, but it might not be.

Listen to your body, and to your mental health. "You have to assess what is it that you want to do," says Wiznitzer, "Do you want to be a bartender, or do you actually want to be a bar manager?" Working as a bartender can open doors to the entire hospitality scene, meaning your job can shift and grow just like any other career path.

"We all have roles that we play, and there's nothing more important or less important," says Wiznitzer. "For those who look down on people working in hospitality, especially bartenders, there's a whole army of individuals dismantling that mindset, which is really exciting."

Not everyone should be a bartender.

"Know yourself," says Wiznitzer. If you don't like people, don't like taking orders, and don't like being up until the strange hours of the night, this is probably not the job for you. Bartending isn't a solo endeavor. You have to work with all parts of the front-of-house, which can include hosts, bar-backs, and your general manager. Being a team player is an absolute must. Lastly, bartending isn't for those who wait around to take instruction. It's vital to be a self-starter and a quick thinker. "If you see the ice is low and your bar-back's not around, you go get ice," says Wiznitzer. "If you see someone's too drunk, you take the initiative to put water down and cut them off and give them a check."

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