Why I Panicked About That Bartender Interview
Okay, so I saw this job opening at this cool new cocktail place downtown. Slick website, fancy drinks, the whole vibe. Paid way better than my last gig pouring beers. Sent my resume, crossed my fingers, and bam! Got an interview invite.
Then the nerves hit me like a dropped ice bucket. I knew how to pour drinks, sure. But what would they really ask? My last interview was ages ago, just the manager chatting about shifts. This felt different. I freaked out, stared at my old cocktail shakers gathering dust. Needed a plan.
Digging into the Mess
First, I grabbed my laptop and just typed “common bartender job interview questions” into the search bar. Skimmed maybe ten different sites. A lot of the same stuff kept popping up: “What’s your favorite cocktail?” “How do you handle a rude customer?” “Describe a busy night.” Basic stuff, but stuff I needed solid answers for. Then I saw questions like, “How do you handle multiple drink orders?” or “What if a guest complains their drink is too weak?” That got me thinking harder.
I realized just winging it wasn’t gonna cut it. Needed to show skills, not just hope my charm worked.
Picking My Five Battle Skills
After reading all that junk online and thinking back to stressful nights behind the bar, I zeroed in on five things I knew they’d care about:
- Making drinks fast and right: Speed matters, but botching the recipe is worse.
- Talking to guests without losing it: Dealing with drunks, picky people, you name it.
- Spotting fake IDs and cutting people off: Gotta keep things legal and safe.
- Knowing my liquor: Basic stuff, like the difference between bourbon and rye, or why gin tastes like that.
- Cleaning like crazy: Health department stuff. Bars get sticky fast.
Felt obvious after I wrote them down, but before that, it was just a big ball of worry.
Practicing Like I Was Back on Shift
Time to get off the couch.
Cleaned my kitchen counter, set up my old shaker, jigger, strainer, and some bottles filled with water and food coloring (faking liquor, obviously!). Practiced making my answers while actually pouring. For “Handle multiple orders?”, I physically grabbed multiple ‘bottles’, pretended to jigger, shake, pour, calling out imaginary drinks like “One margarita shaking, one whiskey sour building!” It felt silly, but forcing my hands to move while my brain talked really drove it home.
For customer stuff, I used a mirror. Seriously. Asked myself rude customer questions and practiced keeping my voice level and face neutral. Even tried answering while wiping down an imaginary bar top to practice multi-tasking.
I dug out my old state alcohol serving guide, reread the fake ID stuff and signs of intoxication. Did a quick quiz on major spirit types. Wrote down a couple of cleaning routines I knew well from past jobs.
Key was doing the action, not just thinking about it. Made me feel way more ready.
Walking into the Fire
Interview day. Bar manager and head bartender. They asked everything I prepped for:
- “How do you prioritize drink orders on a packed Friday night?” (Used my counter practice!)
- “Describe a time you handled an unhappy customer.” (Mirror work paid off, stayed calm retelling it.)
- “What are three things you check on an ID?” (Spouted them off quick).
- “Walk me through how you’d make an Old Fashioned.” (Water and food coloring practice!)
- “What’s the last thing you clean down at night?” (Had my list ready).
They even threw a curveball: “What would you do if a guest insists their martini isn’t dry enough?” Used my customer service skill on that one – apologize, ask what they wanted differently, offer to remake it immediately. Simple.
Why Sweating the Small Stuff Mattered
Got a callback two days later. Got the job. Felt awesome, obviously.
This whole prep wasn’t magic. I didn’t lie. It just forced me to show I knew the core stuff bartenders actually do every single shift. Managers don’t want vague answers. They wanna hear actions and see you understand the job – handling rush, dealing with problems, keeping things legal and clean. Actually moving my hands and talking out loud made the answers stick.
So yeah, grabbing those bottles and babbling at my mirror like an idiot? Totally worth it. Don’t just hope you know it. Prove it to yourself first.
