Bartender to cocktail bartender
A bartender already meets 74% of what the cocktail bartender role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
33.6/ 100
1 How much of what a cocktail bartender is expected to do is already part of a bartender’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cocktail bartender role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cocktail bartender role treats 20 of its required skills as things a bartender already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble cocktail garnishes
- clear the bar at closing time
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- display spirits
- enforce alcohol drinking laws
- execute opening and closing procedures
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cocktail bartender role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bartender background worth leading with.
- already held assemble cocktail garnishes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held clear the bar at closing time assisting and caring
- already held display spirits communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held handle bar equipment assisting and caring
- already held maintain bar cleanliness handling and moving
- already held prepare fruit ingredients for use in beverages assisting and caring
All 27 carried skills, including the 20 the cocktail bartender role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 8 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn present decorative drink displays required
- still to learn think creatively about food and beverages required
- still to learn create new recipes required
- still to learn work according to recipe required
- still to learn extract juices required
- still to learn operate dishwashing machine required
- still to learn assist customers required
- still to learn types of whisks required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cocktail bartender role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist customers practise this
- 02 extract juices practise this
- 03 present decorative drink displays practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held assemble cocktail garnishes skill
- already held clear the bar at closing time skill
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held display spirits skill
- already held enforce alcohol drinking laws skill
- already held execute opening and closing procedures skill
- already held handle bar equipment skill
- already held handle glassware skill
- already held handover the service area skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain bar cleanliness skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held prepare fruit ingredients for use in beverages skill
- already held prepare mixed beverages skill
- already held present drinks menu skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held serve beverages skill
- already held setup the bar area skill
- already held stock the bar skill
- already held upsell products skill
- already held compile drinks menu skill
- already held compile drinks price lists skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held devise special promotions skill
- already held handle gas cylinders skill
- already held sparkling wines knowledge
- already held take food and beverage orders from customers skill
0 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
11 held skills the cocktail bartender role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
- not needed by the target role change kegs skill
- not needed by the target role clean beer pipes skill
- not needed by the target role detect drug abuse skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on coffee varieties skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on tea varieties skill
- not needed by the target role local area tourism industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare garnish for drinks skill
- not needed by the target role prepare hot drinks skill
- not needed by the target role serve beers skill
- not needed by the target role serve wines skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn types of whisks required
Other moves recorded from bartender
- barista 45% covered · substantial
- quick service restaurant crew member 38% covered · substantial
- sommelier 33% covered · substantial
- waiter/waitress 30% covered · career change
- hotel concierge 27% covered · substantial
- quick service restaurant team leader 24% covered · substantial
- night auditor 24% covered · substantial
- hospitality establishment receptionist 22% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a bartender become a cocktail bartender?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A bartender already covers 74% of what a cocktail bartender is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 20 of which the cocktail bartender role treats as required.
What skills does a bartender need to become a cocktail bartender?
8 required skills are missing, plus 0 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assist customers.
How hard is the move from bartender to cocktail bartender?
Its learning distance is 33.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.