Best Online Bartending Schools

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Why We Chose it: BarSmarts is ideal for professionals and enthusiasts and offers full drink history, recipes, and servicing techniques taught by an industry professional.

BarSmarts is an online bartender and spirits education program and claims to be the nation’s leading program. It provides comprehensive online instruction that is also engaging and results-driven. The program was created exclusively for Pernod Ricard USA (the world’s second-largest wine and distillery) by the partners of Beverage Alcohol Resource. The beginner course is good for both industry professionals and people just interested in learning how to make cocktails, serve them, and their history. The company has a solid reputation and customers appreciate the quality instruction. 

The class includes videos, tests, and workbooks, including a drink builder exam at the end where bartenders need to build seven cocktails. The curriculum includes profiles of spirits, cocktail application, guided video tastings, cocktail recipes, and serving techniques. Expert instructors include David Wondrich, a correspondent for Esquire magazine. 

After you register, you have 60 days to complete the online program, and upon completion, a certificate will be mailed to you. After you pass the beginner class, which is only $29, you have the option of taking an advanced class which is an additional $29. In addition, the company offers bar owners staff-certified programs for their entire staff to take. Interested bar owners will need to contact the company for exact pricing for those programs.

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Why We Chose It: Jerry offers five different course levels that you can complete online at your own pace. It also has a cocktail library and beverage database.

Spirits distributor and bar consultancy firm Proof & Company built the Jerry program and named it after Jerry Thomas who is considered to be the godfather of bartending. The course has a great reputation among bar owners and bartenders. You can study online, watch videos, earn Jerry certificates, and apply what you’ve learned by completing real-world activities. 

There are five course levels to choose from starting at beginner and going through advanced levels. Each class is 30 minutes long and there are multiple topics for food and beverage industry professionals. Some topics include the basics of beverage retail, herbal liqueurs, operations basics, ethics, and leadership. You can choose to pay $10 monthly to access all of the courses or $30 per course. Courses are taught by renowned bartenders including James Goggin and Chris Lowder. 

Bar owners use the course for their employees and bartenders who want to take self-paced courses based on their experience level and interests. They can complete as few or as many classes at a time as they want, making it easy to fit into a busy schedule.

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Why We Chose It: A Bar Above is a one-stop-shop for the bartending industry offering many free features and tools as well as a paid certification program.

A Bar Above teaches industry tips and tricks and specializes in craft cocktails. Its goal is to help bar industry professionals thrive and grow in their careers. It was founded as an online hub in 2013 by a husband and wife team with over a decade of hospitality industry experience. The site focuses on bar education, premium bar tools, and consulting services for bar and restaurant owners. It also features a shop where you can buy quality barware. 

You can access the site for free and take advantage of no-cost tips and tricks of the trade, recipes, interviews, educational YouTube videos, Facebook groups, and bar industry podcasts. This is ideal if you want to learn more about bartending before making a monetary investment. 

If you want to further your bartending education, you can opt into the certification program for $147. This includes a lifetime membership and exclusive access to HD courses that can be accessed on your smartphone. Notes, quizzes, and online community mentorship are also included. You will learn about cocktail ingredients, how to get the most out of them, and what to use with what. You will also learn how to balance cocktails and will end the course with an exam.

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Why We Chose It: Hollow Leg is our choice for beginner bartenders because it teaches the science, theory, and principles of making drinks.

Founded in 2014 in Chicago, Hollow Leg started as a place to teach mixology classes online so more people could access them from the comfort of their homes. It focuses on teaching in an interactive, fun, and relatable way while relaying the art and science behind mixology and bartending. It also teaches interactive cocktail classes for public, private, and corporate events and hosts mixology parties including making mocktails (non-alcoholic cocktails). Classes are in-person and offered virtually and all aim to teach with Julia Childs’ methods in mind. 

These classes are more for fun or to share in a group setting and not necessarily for industry professionals, as no certifications are mentioned. They are catered toward beginners and start with the art and science behind the cocktails before actually making them. They also teach in an easy-to-learn method so it’s easy for non-industry types to grasp. 

Classes range in price, but listed prices for public classes are currently $80, and take two hours. This online bartending school has a solid industry reputation and has garnered some positive press and good customer reviews.

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Why We Chose It: MasterClass offers bartenders two world-renowned bar industry veterans as its instructors along with an affordable monthly subscription.

MasterClass was founded in 2014 as an online platform for all skill levels to learn about a variety of industries. Classes are taught by industry pros including celebrities and those at the top of their crafts. With each class, you receive video lessons, course workbooks, and class feedback. In addition to bartending, some topics include writing, sales and persuasion, interior design, voice animation, chess, photography, and more. 

Lynnette Marrero & Ryan Chetiyawardana teach the MasterClass on bartending and they are two of the world’s most respected mixologists and restaurateurs. Lynette is a James Beard honoree and created a female-only bartending competition called Speed Rack. Ryan is the owner of Dandelyan which was voted the world’s best bar. If you want expert instructors, this is your class. 

There are a total of 17 lessons totaling about four and a half hours and these lessons cover everything from cocktail making tips, industry stories, sharpening your palette, remembering classic recipes, to the history of craft cocktails. 

MasterClass charges $15 per month for its classes and you can pay monthly and cancel anytime.