Bartender’s Union Local 165 Bar Apprentice Training Program Curriculum

Objectives: To educate Apprentice Bartenders, Bartenders and Beverage Managers in all aspects of the Craft including:

• Various laws and health regulations as they pertain to bartending in Las Vegas, as well as the relevance of policies and procedures to our craft.
• Customer service skills.
• Proper handling, storage, and serving techniques, with practice in pouring various measures of the product.
• Memorizing approximately 300 drink recipes from the Union Drink Book.
• Product knowledge including the “ground-to-glass” history and production methods of beverage alcohol.
• History of and current trends/issues related to our Craft.
• Understanding the equipment and procedures utilized in the Craft.
• Instilling and nurturing the passion for and understanding of the mastery of the Craft, which is a lifetime endeavor.

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Course Structure:

Trainees register for a specific class session, which meets two consecutive days per week, for a total of twenty weeks. Each class is three hours, for a total of six hours per week. Upon completion of the course, a Written Final Craft Examination will be administered. The Written Final Craft Exam must be passed, or the Trainee is required to repeat the entire course. If you register and drop out or get pointed out by attendance policy, you MUST wait one class cycle before you can register again.

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Methods: Each class consists of a combination of lectures, reading, practice drills, demonstrations, films, and discussions. In addition, visits to a local brewery, distillery, and wine school are included.

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The course is divided into four Units:
1. Bartending and Cocktails – 5 weeks
2. Spirits/Product Knowledge – 5 weeks
3. Beer – 4 weeks
4. Wine – 6 weeks

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Each Unit is followed by a Unit Practice Test.

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Materials:

Course Manual: includes course regulations, schedule, and various informational packets augmented during the course.

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