In theory, bartending is simple.
You learn some recipes.
You pour drinks.
You talk to guests.
In reality, it’s a skilled trade, yet like many trades, it suffers from an uneven playing field-a reality I’ve navigated firsthand over a decade of being a professional bartender.
If you’ re a woman or someone from an underrepresented background, you quickly notice something others don’t:
You’re often questioned before you’re trusted.
Before you even make your first drink.
”Do you know how to make that?”
”Is there a ‘real’ bartender?”
”Can you handle a busy bar?”
Meanwhile, less experienced people who look the part are assumed to be competent.
That’s bias, and it’s common in the bar culture.
You can’t control its existence.
But you can control something else:
Your craft.
And knowing bartending as a craft is power.
Bartending credibility is built on skill, not personality
A lot of beginner training focuses on being friendly, bubbly, or ”good with people”.
That’s helpful, but it’s not what earns respect behind the bar.
Respect comes from competence.
It’s how you:
- move with speed and precision
- handle five orders at once
- shake and stir without hesitation
- remember specs without looking
- fix problem calmly
- stay compose during chaos
These signals tell everyone around you- guests, coworkers, managers:
”This person knows what they’re doing”.
And once that’s clear, most bias loses its grip.
Because skills is hard to argue with.
Why women and underrepresented bartenders get tested more
There’s an unspoken reality in many bar environments:
Some people get to be ”new”.
Others are expected to prove themselves immediately.
If you don’t fit the traditional image of a bartender, you often get:
- more scrutiny
- more corrections
- more second-guessing
- fewer chances to make mistakes
You don’t get the luxury of winging it.
Which means solid fundamentals aren’t optional, they are protection.
Knowing your craft deeply gives you:
- faster reactions
- fewer errors
- less visible uncertainty
- more authority
And authority changes how people treat you.
Craft creates confidence – and confidence changes dynamics
There’s a big difference between:
”I hope I’m doing this right”
and
”I know exactly what I’m doing”
Guest’s can feel it instantly.
So can coworkers.
When your hands move automatically – when you know the build, the ratio, the glassware, the workflow – you stop shrinking yourself.
You stop asking permission.
You take up space.
You own the bar.
Confidence isn’t personality. It’s preparation.
And preparation comes from mastering the craft.
Cocktail knowledge is more than recipes
People often reduce the ”craft of cocktail making” to memorizing recipes.
But real craft is operational fluency.
It’s understanding:
- balancing ( sweet/sour/strong/bitter )
- why drinks are built in a certain way
- how dilution changes flavor
- how to batch without ruining texture
- how to substitute when you run out
- how to adjust on the fly
Because during service, there are possibilities of things going wrong.
You run out of limes.
A bottle breaks.
A guest asks for something off-menu.
You’re suddenly 20 tickets deep.
If you only memorized recipes, you freeze.
If you understand the craft, you adapt.
Adaptability is what makes someone look professional.
And looking professional reduces how often people question you.
Craft is independence
There’s another reason this matters.
When you truly know your craft as a bartender, you’re not dependent on one employer or one space.
You can:
- work events
- freelance
- pick up shift anywhere
- run private parties
- travel and find work
- work on a cruise ship
- create your own opportunities
That independence is especially powerful for people who haven’t always been welcomed into the traditional hospitality spaces.
Skills become leverage.
You don’t have to wait to be chosen.
You are hirable anywhere.
Representation matters – but competence keeps the door open
It’s important to create more inclusive spaces.
It’s important to support each other.
It’s important to challenge bias.
But inside the shift, during service, what protects you most is simple:
Knowing your job cold.
Because once guests and teams see you perform at a high level, the conversation changes from:
”Can they do it”
to
”We need them on this shift.”
That’s the goal.
Not just entry, but the ultimate imperative.
Why I focused on fundamentals first
This is why I teach bartending differently.
Not as aesthetics.
Not as fancy mixology.
Not as Instagram drinks.
But as:
- system
- workflow
- speed
- practical techniques
- real-world readiness
Because when you know the craft deeply, you don’t just learn how to make drinks.
You learn how to stand your ground.
How to move with authority.
How to work into any bar and belong there.
And for many of us, that isn’t just professional.
It’s personal.