Hey Bartender…

Our class is the most informative bartending course in the world. Bartenders craft cocktails, meet people, make money, and have fun.

C’mon, let’s mix!

Young woman bartending at a beach bar.

Bartenders Enjoy:

💰 Earning a lot of money

😎 Meeting fun new people

✈️ Bar jobs and freelance bartending event work available all over the country and much of the world

🎓 Bartending training being paid off in a shift or two of work

📆 Flexible hours (jobs that fit into a schedule, full or part-time work, weekends, days or nights, summers, etc.)

🍹 Mixing mouth-watering craft cocktails for friends

📈 A valuable “recession-proof” skill that looks great on resumes

🌎 Working at any type of bar (🎸 live music venue, 🍺 craft brewpub, 🪩 dance club, 🏈 sports bar, 🥂 rooftop lounge, 🏜️ saloon, 🏝️ tiki beach bar, 🛳️ cruise ship, 🤫 speakeasy, ⛳️ country club, ☘️ Irish pub, 🏔️ mountain resort, etc.)

🚀 Working at any type of freelance bartending event near home or when traveling (🎂 birthdays, 💍 weddings, 🎄 winter holidays, 🌻 festivals, 🪇 Cinco de Mayo, 🎨 art shows, 🎃 Halloween, 🎈 office parties, 🎉 New Year’s, etc.)

Mixology + Hospitality + $$$ + Fun = Bartending!

At Twisty Bar School we feel that bartending is one of the most fun jobs out there, and once the skill is properly learned it can be done almost anywhere in the country and in much of the world. We teach our students the most thorough bartending education possible, and we cover every aspect of the profession to make sure that they’re ready to work at any type of bar or freelance bartending event once they finish our course.

Our Job Platform

We set up our graduates with the Twisty Bar Crew job platform so they can connect with bars who are hiring and events that need bartenders to work. This gives our graduates access to everything they need to pick up shifts, including their Twisty Bar Card (Bartender Certificate Card), TIPS Alcohol Safety Certification (required in many states), inexpensive alcohol liability insurance for freelance bartending events, a great bartender tool kit, and assistance with basic legal forms such as contracts and filings so they are fully covered in all manners and ready to work right away.

The Cash Flow

Bartenders are often in demand in many places throughout the country and in much of the world (even in economic downturns). Most bartenders who are starting out can usually expect to earn between $150 to $350+ per shift at busy bars, and sometimes much more at freelance bartending events. Pay varies depending on which shift is taken (such as a slow Tuesday afternoon versus a Friday night rush) but with a bit of experience, many bartenders consistently bring in hundreds of dollars each time they work. Some high-end bartending jobs and freelance bartender events can even offer between $350 to well over $1,000 per shift, making this a very lucrative profession to embark on.

A Classic Craft

Bartending is also a very enjoyable profession to become a part of, as you get to meet many interesting people, create all kinds of delicious cocktails, use your skills to pick up bartending gigs when traveling, and be able to work in fun and unique environments almost anywhere in the country along with much of the world. It’s true that bartending is a wonderful skill to acquire, and for many people it’s the perfect job to do at some point in their life.

Bartending Course with Twisty Kit and TIPS Alcohol Safety Training
$279.00

Full Bartending Course with Online Videos, the Bartender Student Manual, Twisty Kit, Interactive Mixing Session, Bar Card, TIPS Alcohol Safety Training, and Access to the Twisty Bar Crew

A Note from our Travel-Loving Founder about the Professional Bartender Experience

“The professional bartender lifestyle can be so much fun. We are able to work at any type of bar or event, we can be very creative with what we offer, we can meet so many new friends, and we can often set our own schedule with picking up lucrative shifts that are available in lots of really interesting and unique places. If this type of thing seems to be calling you too, then we sincerely hope to see you out there. Cheers.”

- Ray Larkin, Founder of Twisty Bar School

A bartender making delicious craft cocktails.
A woman with having fun pouring a beer while bartending.
A bartender practicing mixology skills.
Two people learning how to mix craft cocktails.

The Topics we Teach:

🍸 Beginner and advanced “hands-on” mixology techniques for crafting all types of cocktails (including over 150 recipes in the manual)

🍷 Beer, wine, spirit, and liqueur knowledge

🍋‍🟩 Bartending tools, terms, glassware, mixers, syrups, ice, garnishes, pouring methods, non-alcoholic “mocktails”, flair, and bar layouts

🍶 Customer service, cash management, cocktail theory, up-selling, and how to work quickly and effectively in all types of establishments

🥃 Opening and closing the bar, along with on-shift bar operations

🏰 The history of bartending and cocktails

🍾 Freelance bartending and event bartending

🛟 TIPS Alcohol Safety Training (required in several states)

🍻 Lots of other stuff (pretty much everything about the profession)

Cosmopolitan cocktail.

“Teaching about Spirits with Spirit”

Two glasses of grapefruit cocktails with lime and grapefruit slices, salted rims, and ice, on a wooden surface with grapefruit halves in the background.

About The Class

Building a strong foundation of knowledge is important for pursuing any profession, especially a time-honored craft such as bartending. Learning things like proper mixology techniques, customer service skills, cocktail building speed, how to efficiently operate the bar, and all of the countless “little things that make a big difference” are essential for someone who truly wants to bartend at their best.

Our program is designed go over all aspects of the profession so that students get a very thorough and well-rounded understanding of everything. We also discuss how to work at all kinds of establishments, as each type of bar has its own distinct set of situations to encounter. The class starts with the basics and then goes over just about every bartending topic in-depth so that everything is covered, leaving students with a complete and all-encompassing educational experience.

How the Class Works

The online course videos are broken up into separate sections and students follow along with their student manual in order to take notes for future reference. Then after completing the videos, students can join an interactive mixing session with a live instructor. This is the part of class when they can use their Twisty Kit (bartender tool kit) to practice “hands-on” mixing techniques and build all of the different types of cocktails - which is a lot of fun too! Lastly, we teach TIPS Alcohol Safety Training so that all students fully understand how to serve alcohol in the most responsible manner possible.

Our Instructors

Our instructors are among some of the most qualified bartenders in the industry and they each have years of experience working in many types of bartending establishments. They are passionate about their craft and love passing along their knowledge onto students who are becoming the newest inductees into this very storied profession.

Four glasses of beer on a wooden paddle, with different colors from dark to light, against a dark background.

Our Company

It all started in Amherst at the University of Massachusetts when the school’s founder, Ray Larkin, was living in the dorms there and came up with a crazy idea to start a bartending school business. At first he rented some space next to a local pizza shop that was right by the campus. Then he and his friend Chris built a makeshift bar with some old furniture they found nearby. They wound up teaching about 30 students that spring semester and then Ray brought the operation to several other locations throughout the northeast in the years after.

From that first college-inspired idea some years back the company has grown and this new school has emerged. At this point our program has gone through several phases of productive development with having taught thousands of students how to be top-notch bartenders. As we’ve gone along, teaching approaches have consistently been tweaked to make the course an ever improving project, so now we’re extremely proud of the program we have to offer. Our class is basically a compilation of several years of experience, valuable input from countless professionals, material learned from dozens of bartending books and other instructional courses, and loads of passionate work. Teaching the bartending craft has been quite the journey so far, and we’re surely excited for what’s to come next.

The Twisty Philosophy

Bartending has so many aspects to it, but at the heart of this profession are both mixology and hospitality. A great bartender needs to know how to make outstanding drinks while also showing their guests a truly exceptional time.

Mixology

Crafting delectable cocktails is both an art and a science that calls for a certain flair and an attention to detail. The balance of ingredients, the mixing techniques, and the bartender’s own spirit and style all come together to create unique flavor profiles for cocktails that can feel appealing to all of our senses.

Hospitality

A bartender plays a large role in setting the mood for their bar, so focusing on the customer’s experience is key. Few other jobs are quite as social. Bartenders must be knowledgeable, responsible, fast with their hands, composed during challenging situations, clean and organized while working, and ready to make any kind of drink at any kind of bar for any kind of person who’s ordering.

All-Encompassing Courses

We strive to develop incredibly capable and well-rounded bartenders who have learned about all aspects of the profession. Each bartender we train represents our company so we need them to be on point and performing at a very high level. That is why we teach our class information so thoroughly. Bartending is one of the most special crafts out there, and we love providing the greatest bartending education that we can so that our students can bartend at their best when they graduate and become professional bartenders. This is the Twisty way.

As our school’s founder, Ray Larkin has said, “From selling a tall to yelling last call, Twisty Bar School teaches it all.”

Three tequila shots with salted rims on a wooden tray, sliced lemon, and a halved lemon in the background sunlight on a white surface.
A glass of red wine with blurred bottles in the background.
Bartending Course with Twisty Kit and TIPS Alcohol Safety Training
$279.00

Full Bartending Course with Online Videos, the Bartender Student Manual, Twisty Kit, Interactive Mixing Session, Bar Card, TIPS Alcohol Safety Training, and Access to the Twisty Bar Crew

Two women at a bar pouring beer from taps, smiling and having a great time.
A yellow cocktail garnished with a lime wedge on a fancy glass in the foreground of a bar scene. A bartender is blurred in the background, holding a shaker. The bar has bottles of liquor and warm lighting.
People having a great time at a bar as the bartender serves cocktails.

Our Class Includes Everything Listed Below

Students just need a device with an internet connection (such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet) to watch the online course videos, along with some ice, water, and a few non-alcoholic mixing ingredients to practice mixing, which generally cost under $30 to pick up.

Our Class Includes:

1. Online course videos that cover everything about bartending

2. The Twisty Kit (a bartender tool kit that’s the student’s to keep)

3. The Student Manual (one of the best bartending guides available) and a pen for note-taking

4. The Twisty Bar Card (Bartender Certificate Card) that shows the class was fully completed (it never expires)

5. TIPS Alcohol Safety Training (required in many states and valid for 3 years, at which point it can be retaken with our school)

6. Live and interactive online “hands-on” cocktail mixing sessions with experienced instructors

7. Access to the Twisty Bar Crew job platform where students can connect with hiring bars and freelance event gigs

8. Use of our mobile bartender app (coming soon)

Close-up of a glass of margarita with a salted rim and lime wedge garnishment, filled with ice and pale yellow liquid, on a wooden surface.

How the Class Works:

Step 1. Watch the 7 hours of self-paced online course videos on your own time with our Student Manual

Step 2. Join any of our interactive mixing sessions with your Twisty Kit and a few non-alcohol mixers (which generally cost under $30) to practice cocktail making techniques with a live instructor

Step 3. Complete the TIPS Alcohol Safety Training to receive your TIPS Certification (included in the class)

Step 4. Pass the skills test and receive your Twisty Bar Card (Bartender Certificate Card) to show that you’ve fully learned the course material and have successfully finished the program

Step 5. Use our Twisty Bar Crew job platform for help connecting with bars and freelance bartending events

Live Interactive Mixing Session Schedule

Each second Thursday evening and last Thursday evening of the month from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time (holidays excluded)

Students can watch our 7 hour online course video series on their own time, and once it’s finished they can join any of our interactive online mixing sessions to practice “hands-on” mixing techniques with a live instructor.

Ready, Set, Mix! ⏰🍸🏆🍹💨

You can practice mixing with as little as ice, water, and a few non-alcoholic mixing ingredients (no alcohol is needed). A full list of required ingredients (such as ice, juice, fruit, margarita salt, sour mix, and soda) is provided with the online course, and together everything generally costs under $30 to pick up.

The live interactive mixing sessions are a lot of fun as we learn all about mixing techniques and try exercises like timed cocktail speed challenges, pouring accuracy methods, taking multiple drink orders, recipe recollection, and creative cocktail development. This is the final part of the bartending class, so students should be prepared to learn a lot and to also have a really great time!

Liquor bottles at a bar.
Bartending Course with Twisty Kit and TIPS Alcohol Safety Training
$279.00

Full Bartending Course with Online Videos, the Bartender Student Manual, Twisty Kit, Interactive Mixing Session, Bar Card, TIPS Alcohol Safety Training, and Access to the Twisty Bar Crew

A row of beer taps in a craft brewpub.

The Twisty Bar Crew Job Platform

After completing the bartending class, students get access to our online job platform where they can connect with places that are hiring both for short-term and long-term work. This is an excellent way to professionally promote yourself, develop network connections, and become hired at bars or freelance bartending events.

There are two main types of bartending jobs. These are “freelance bartenders”, which are self-employed independent contractors who often get booked for single events or one-time shifts, and there are “standard bartenders”, who usually get hired for long-term work at any type of bartending establishment. Freelance bartenders generally need to have their own bartending tools and alcohol liability insurance when they’re working one-time events, while standard bartenders typically don’t need their own tools or insurance as they can use the tools of their bar and usually be covered under their bar’s insurance as well. We teach about both of these two types of bartending jobs so that our graduates are covered for whichever path they choose to pursue.

Get Creative with Freelance Bartender Service Offerings!

When working freelance events, bartenders can often have their own custom offerings that can help increase their event revenue. This can include things like bartenders offering their own signature drinks, or wearing stylish attire or festive outfits, or setting up themed bars with decorations for holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day (think Guinness and green shamrocks) or Cinco de Mayo (think Margaritas and sombreros). Bartenders can bring decorative props to make a tropical tiki beach bar, or a spooky Halloween setup, or a patriotic Independence Day bar for a summer barbecue. How about a winter wonderland scene to get into the holiday spirit? Would anyone care for a cinnamon eggnog martini?

Some bartenders create their own freelance bartending businesses and offer things like tastefully designed portable bars, or musical playlists to get the party dancing, or interactive cocktail mixology stations that feature artisan mixing ingredients. They could provide a mobile photo booth for capturing classic memories, have some fun by supplying backyard games, help clients celebrate with champagne toasts, or offer many other creative ideas that they want to bring into their service. Bartenders can also link together in teams in order to work large events as well. There are a lot of opportunities to create your own unique freelance bartender offerings, and clients love a bartending service that has a bit of flair.

All that a Bartender Needs to Thrive

The Twisty Bar Crew sets graduates up with access to all of the things needed to work at any type of long-term bar shift or short-term freelance event, such as nationwide alcohol liability insurance (which only costs about $30 to $50 per month for unlimited events), all of the necessary bartender tools with our optional “Twisty Kit - Freelance Edition” tool kit, basic legal form assistance, and everything else so that graduates are ready to work right away for anyone who wants to hire them.

Being a professional bartender is a special experience that can be both a lot of fun and earn oneself a lot of money. The industry is an ambitious, adventurous, and friendly community of people to become a part of. Each bartending gig is unique to itself, and bartenders often walk away from their shifts with some very classic stories to tell. If this bartending lifestyle seems to be calling you too, then it could be a good match, and if so then we really hope that you will join our crew!

The craft cocktail mix. 🥁

Close-up of green hop cones hanging from a vine, with sunlight filtering through leaves in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bartender making a cocktail with a lime garnish.

Twisty Bar School Courses

Bartending Course with Twisty Kit and TIPS Alcohol Safety Training

$279.00

Full Bartending Course with Online Videos, the Bartender Student Manual, Twisty Kit, Interactive Mixing Session, Bar Card, TIPS Alcohol Safety Training, and Access to the Twisty Bar Crew

Bartending Course with Twisty Kit and TIPS Alcohol Safety Training
$279.00

Full Bartending Course with Online Videos, the Bartender Student Manual, Twisty Kit, Interactive Mixing Session, Bar Card, TIPS Alcohol Safety Training, and Access to the Twisty Bar Crew

Bar Management Course

$249.00

Bar Management Course with Online Videos and the Bar Management Student Manual

COMING SOON!

Cocktail Party Workshop

$149.00

Fun Cocktail Building Workshop with Online Videos, a Mixology Tool Kit, and Cocktail Recipe Booklet

COMING SOON!

Scoop up some sweet Twisty merch!

Bartend in style with some new threads or gear.

Twisty Bar School “Magenta Dot” Snapback Trucker Hat

$24.00

Navy Bill and Mesh with White Panel Front

Trucker Hat - Seascape
$24.00
Whoa, now that's a good lookin' cap.

• 100% polyester front
• 100% polyester mesh back
• Thicker and heavier fabric, laminated with high-density, non-toxic foam
• Structured, 5-panel cap, high-profile
• 8 rows of stitching on a pre-curved visor
• Seamless foam front panel with lining
• Matching fabric undervisor
• Matching color braid and sweatband
• Adjustable plastic snap
• One size fits most
• Blank product sourced from China or Myanmar

Twisty Bar School “Seascape” Snapback Trucker Hat

$24.00

Navy Bill and Mesh with White Panel Front

Trucker Hat - Magenta Dot
$24.00

Ooh-wee! Lookin’ good bartender!

• 100% polyester front
• 100% polyester mesh back
• Thick and heavy fabric, laminated with high-density, non-toxic foam
• Structured, 5-panel cap, high-profile
• 8 rows of stitching on a pre-curved visor
• Seamless foam front panel with lining
• Matching fabric undervisor
• Matching color braid and sweatband
• Adjustable plastic snap
• One size fits most
• Blank product sourced from China or Myanmar

Twisty Kit - Freelance Edition (Event Bartender Tool Kit)

$149.00

All of the High-Quality Advanced Tools Needed to Work Freelance Bartending Events

COMING SOON!

“This class was very informative. The instructor was amazing and I would recommend this class to anyone!”

— Nikki L.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Awesome! Thank you so much - you’re a great teacher and I can’t wait to start.”

— Sam S.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“One of the best classes ever! Keep it up!”

— Greg R.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The class was a blast! It was very interesting and well taught. Thank you!”

— Sarah T.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I had a wonderful time and learned a ton. Thanks!”

— Leasa S.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Great class. The setup for learning drinks is well done. I feel well prepared to begin bartending.”

— Hana H.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Twisty Program

In the first part of this video our school’s founder, Ray Larkin, explains how different parts of the Twisty Bar School course works. Then in the last part of the video he talks about how the Twisty Bar Crew job platform can help graduates find work with bars and events.

Cheers!

A smiling bartender cleaning the bar counter in a dimly lit bar with beer tap handles in the background.
The emblem of the United States Bartenders' Guild with a navy blue circular border, gold laurel leaves, and a central design featuring a red map of the United States with a cocktail glass. The text reads 'United States Bartenders' Guild' and 'I.B.A.'
The word 'TIPS' in black text with two purple dots above the letters 'T' and 'I'.

Contact Us

In order to reach us just give us a call, send us an email, or use the contact form below. We reply swiftly to all messages as soon as we can, so someone from our team will be in touch very soon. Cheers!

Phone: 844-FUN-TIPS (844-386-8477)

Email: mix@twistybarschool.com

Blurred image of a bartender behind a bar with colorful bottles in the background.

🍸

4. Have Fun

🍺

3. Earn Tips

🍹

2. Host Guests

🍷

1. Mix Drinks

🍸 4. Have Fun 🍺 3. Earn Tips 🍹 2. Host Guests 🍷 1. Mix Drinks