Jamie Boudreau
canon, Seattle

Before you learn how to bartend, you need to learn how to converse with people. Then you need to learn how to clean and organize. Next learn how to serve. After you’ve mastered that, you are ready to begin learning recipes and techniques. Eventually you’ll be ready to apprentice as a bartender.

If you love bartending, don’t become an owner, as it will be the thing that you now do the least. You’ll be too busy fixing toilets and broken equipment, doing payroll, and dealing with government officials to bartend anywhere near as much as you used to.

Read more advice for bartenders from the experts.