Do You Need A Specific License To Become A Bartender?

The idea of being a bartender often conjures images of flashy drinks, creative flavor combinations, and tending a bar lined with happy patrons drinking the most popular cocktails of all time. But the reality of bartending can entail navigating legal issues like underage drinking and overserving. It's enough to make you wonder if bartenders need some kind of license to serve, what amounts to, controlled pharmaceuticals. 

And make no mistake — such documents do exist. A bartending license is a legal document some states require to legally sell and serve alcoholic beverages. It's not required in every state; in fact, having as little as mandatory alcohol server training (which is a certificate of completion) is the law in 16 states. However, there are 11 states with jurisdictions (cities or municipalities) that require alcohol server training despite there being no state law mandating it. And some states or municipalities may have voluntary alcohol training — voluntary for businesses with liquor licenses that want to limit liability, not necessarily voluntary for employees. You may need to research individual municipalities to determine if having a bartending license is the law. 

A bartending license requires completion of a basic certification course that teaches local alcohol laws and how to serve alcohol responsibly, which can involve checking IDs, preventing overservice, and handling intoxicated customers. After completing this training from a certified provider, which can take only a couple of hours to obtain depending on which state it is offered, a bartender can apply for the license. 

Getting a bartending license isn't the same as completing a bartending certification. Certifications can be completed through programs such as TIPS training or ServeSmart that provide alcohol training services. Passing these certifications can help with later achieving licensure in states where it's legally required, as well as in states for which certification is voluntary. The alcohol programs the state administers are often called by different names, such as RBS training in California, Basset certification in Illinois, and TABC certification in Texas, where it's voluntary. However, the skills gained by reputable training courses can be used wherever needed. 

Additional certifications beyond the alcohol server training program are often specialized, building additional skills a bartender can use. These certifications cover sanitation, inventory control, liquor substitutes, mixology, how to use specific bar tools, and more. Some establishments prefer bartenders have some type of certification to work there, even if it's not legally required. They offer knowledge that goes beyond the basic need of legally selling and serving alcohol. These skills might be helpful to work at one of the best cocktail bars in every U.S. state; however, they won't allow you to work there if the state requires licensing. 

Having a proper bartending license means a bartender has passed an alcohol training course, applied for, and received the license that confers the legal status to sell alcohol. If a bartender wants to master the complex cocktails bartenders don't mind making (and the ones they do), this can be accomplished by completing additional certifications or going to bartending school.