Keys to Success with this course

In order to maximize the full impact of this manual and to increase your potential for success we have highlighted some key areas that will help you learn more effectively and efficiently.

Tip #1. TREAT THIS COURSE LIKE A JOB! Set a schedule for yourself and stick to it. Just like any job in the service industry, showing up 15 minutes before a shift is a great habit. Employers and managers like keen workers. 

Tip #2. BE EAGER. Watch these lessons multiple times. Also use the web as a resource to find additional tips. Being an eager student means you should be looking for additional sources of information all the time. We address many of the basics in this course, but the answers to your specific questions are at your fingertips.

Tip #3. ACT LIKE A BARTENDER. Treat practice time as if you were working behind a real bar. Treat it like a drill. Think about how much money would be lost with a messed up drink order or broken glassware.  You want to master both speed and efficiency while maintaining accuracy. Confidence comes from practice.

Tip #4. LEARN IN STEPS. This course is split into modules that are used as a lesson plan for each section of the course. Each section covers basics that build a foundation for the following modules. It is important that each section be studied, memorized, and understood before proceeding to the next section.

Tip #5. COMPLETE THE REVIEW EXERCISES. At the end of each module there are review exercises to help you remember and reinforce what was covered. Complete as much as you can from each review from memory before flipping back through the pages for answers.

Tip #6. MAKE FLASHCARDS. Spend the time to create flash cards for the drink recipes that you learn in each section. Find some index cards. Write the recipe of each drink onto one side of the card and the name of the drink on the opposite side. You can sort the flashcards into piles of common ingredients, or by glass type. 

Tip #7. VISUALIZE EACH DRINK. When you learn all of the drinks from a section, put away your flashcards and visualize each drink. Think about how each drink was taught by the instructor. See in your mind how each drink comes together.

Tip #8. PRACTICE YOUR COCKTAILS. Practice making each cocktail. Get used to the speed spout on your bottles. Build up the muscle memory around pouring ounces. With time this will all become second nature.

Tip #9. DON’T GET FRUSTRATED. At first there might seem to be an overwhelming amount of information, however by the end of the course, some of the things that you thought were hard the first couple of days become the easiest.

Tip #10. HAVE FUN! Enjoy this time! The skills and knowledge that you will learn through this course will last you a lifetime!