How Many Drinks Should a Bartender Know?

Importance of Learning Drinks as a Bartender

Bartending is a job that should be taken seriously. By following the bartender rule, customers will be kept safe. It is important for bartenders to have a broad knowledge of drinks. This allows them to create cocktails and provide good service. Measuring cocktails requires precise measurements. Like baking, cocktailing is similar. Most bars have a set menu. Most customers only order popular drinks. Learning every drink would waste time.

Bartender’s Efficiency in Making Drinks

Bartenders have to make many drinks quickly. In a 240-seat restaurant with three bartenders, that’s a lot of drinks. It takes 15 seconds to pour one pint. So you can only make four pints per minute. How fast a bartender works depends on their experience. Bartenders make around 138 drinks per busy hour. If drinks cost $5, sales per hour are $690. Preparing garnishes ahead saves time.

Do Bartenders Need to Memorize Drinks?

The International Bartenders Association has an official list of 77 drinks. As long as the bartender knows the ingredients for each drink and can create them to order, they don’t need to memorize every drink on the menu. However, the more drinks they memorize, the better their craft.

18 Essential Cocktails for Every Bartender

  1. Margarita
  2. Manhattan
  3. Martini
  4. Whiskey Sour
  5. Moscow Mule
  6. Mojito
  7. Bloody Mary
  8. Cosmopolitan
  9. Negroni
  10. Old Fashioned
  11. Mimosa
  12. Irish Coffee
  13. Long Island Iced Tea
  14. Piña Colada
  15. Daiquiri
  16. Mint Julep
  17. Sidecar
  18. French 75

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