National Bartender School started in 1984 in Los Angeles as a place for potential mixologists to learn the art of the cocktail. Today, with several campuses throughout the West Coast, it has grown into a place that teaches how to deal with patrons, laws regarding drinking, and proper serving techniques along with mixology. The Riverside campus offers four types of courses: Bartending and Mixology, Flair Bartending, Bar Management and Responsible Beverage Service. The basic programs take 80 to 100 hours to complete.
Founded by Tony Sylvester, the ABC Bartending School has been training potential bartenders since 1977. Located off of Route 10, the Riverside campus offers a 40-hour course designed to give you hands-on bartending training. The course includes lessons on speed techniques, bar setup and maintenance, mixology and garnishing drinks. ABC offers a job placement service that puts the students in touch with local bars and clubs. While the school cannot guarantee a job once you have completed the required 40 hours, its on-campus instructors have contacts within the industry to help you if needed.
The Inland Empire Bartending School offers an 80- to 100-hour course specializing in hands-on bartending training. What makes the Inland Empire School special is its students cannot successfully complete the course unless they can successfully run a bar on their own. Courses start with a one-hour lecture-based training course before heading into hands-on lessons such as mixology, inventory and bar maintenance. Some lessons include speed drills with the purpose of giving you the chance to work in the high-paced environment that comes with life as a bartender.
Quality Bartending School offers a 100-hour course that is 15 percent lecture and 85 percent bartending practice. Courses at Quality Bartending School include bar management and maintenance and a course in how to make more than 125 different cocktails. These 125 cocktails are chosen based on their popularity throughout the country. Open daily, Quality Bartending School offers financing for those who may not be able to afford classes initially.