The classic Blood and Sand, a 1920s-style Scotch whiskey cocktail, is one of the hundreds of alcoholic drinks Jeremiah Cox can whip up with gusto. It’s his favorite.
Cox is a master mixologist who imparts his wisdom to bartenders-to-be at the Lexington Bartending School he runs with Kasey Darling. One can become a bartender in this state known for its fine bourbon simply through work experience with another bartender. But Cox thinks it is better to get the gamut of training a bartender needs at a school like his, which is in a small building off Old Virginia Avenue near downtown Lexington.
“You see too many inconsistencies in the trade when you don’t see universal training,” Cox said. “Those inconsistencies can lead to friction on the job.”
The Lexington Bartending School, which opened in 1994, trains about 200 bartenders a year. It is licensed by the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education.
Most of the school’s students are in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Kentucky law requires a bartender to be at least 20 years old, although the Lexington school will accept students as young as 18 in its classes.
Persons with two or more alcohol convictions or two or more felony convictions in the last 24 months cannot work as a bartender in Kentucky.
Each class has 12 students, with two different classes a day. Classes meet Monday-Thursday, from noon-4 p.m. or from 6-10 p.m. Practice time is available from 4-6 p.m.
A typical student finishes training in three weeks to get a certificate. The current discounted price, Cox said, is $495.
Students must attend all classes to graduate. Make-up classes can be scheduled with an instructor. Any student failing to meet the minimum requirements for graduation is required to repeat as much of the class as necessary to gain the requisite skills. There is no additional charge for the extra time.
A good bartender can make $40-$60 an hour working part time, Cox said, and a master mixologist with more training and experience can make six figures a year.
The school offers a job placement program for graduates. This assistance is free and available for as long as the student wants to work as a bartender.
Training at the 1,350-square-foot Lexington Bartending School is done at a 12-seat bar with about 300 real bottles filled with colored water.
The student is expected to memorize how to correctly mix and garnish more than 200 cocktails and to use correct procedures in following health codes.
The first class deals with highballs—drinks consisting of whiskey and a mixer such as soda or ginger ale, served with ice in a tall glass. Students write the recipes on index cards.
Sixty credit hours must be accumulated for course completion. Classes include bar setup and breakdown, bar equipment, job prospecting and interviewing, health and sanitation, upselling, liquor fundamentals, customer service, alcohol awareness and mixology training.
Aside from getting an education in making cocktails, students at the Lexington school learn about customer relations. “The main goal is to provide the most enjoyable drink for the customer in a safe environment for all,” Cox said.
“Sometimes, you have to be a psychiatrist, making the customer feel comfortable. You want to keep everything easy-going but know how and when is the time to cut someone off and to fend back any romantic overtures.
“You want to be professional, respectful, at all times. That’s what makes for a good bartender.”
Learn more at lexingtonbartending.com.