I completed the ABC Bartending class on 02/28/14 and it was awesome! The class was Monday - Friday from 9:30am-1:00pm for two weeks. (They also have a night class.). The first half of each class was a lecture from the instructor, Dan, who has been a bartender for 30+ years. Topics include how much you can expect to make at different types of bars (nightclub, lounge, country clubs, etc), money handling, liquor laws, and how to best go about getting a job in the industry, to name a few. The second half of each class was instruction on 10-12 different drink recipes, and each day we would learn a new category. For example, one day we learned about martinis & manhattans, next day was tropical drinks, next day was shots and shooters, etc etc. We were behind a real bar set up learning how to mix drinks, the only difference is that the bottles we were using were filled with colored water, since it wouldn't make sense to use actual liquor with all the practicing we were doing. We were required to memorize 120 recipes in order for the final exam which was on the last day of class. The instructor hands each student a drink order with multiple cocktails and you're required to make them from memory. Overall, I found the class very informative, I learned a lot, and had a blast while taking it. If ABC offered a ""Part 2"" or an advanced mixology class, I would already be signed up for it.
more