Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School is in session

Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School is in session
Community News Group / Robert Wirsing

We’ll drink to that! A new local school is developing new bartenders.

Hosted by Bronx Beer Garden located at 3392 E. Tremont Avenue, Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School will train individuals seeking to become professional bartenders and master the skills of this seldom realized trade.

“Being a formal bartender for many years in the Bronx, I wanted to give back to the community which gave me this opportunity to begin with,” explained Mike Amaris, owner and founder of Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School.

“I taught bartending many years at night and on weekends and our main goal is to have these people get jobs, not just here, but all over the world.”

“We will be using the Bronx Beer Garden’s facilities to teach bartending skills. They can take what they learn here at the school and then apply it to other opportunities like cruise ships, inclusive resorts, hotels, bars, nightclubs, and catering halls. There’s a need for bartenders and it’s a fun job especially if you love to be in front of people and to socialize,” he said.

Amaris explained that the school will hold a two-week long class which total approximately 40 hours.

He assures the students who attend Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School that they will be tutored on many vital components of bartendering: how to properly prepare and mix drinks, behaving in a professional manner behind the counter and the bar, to be polite and sociable to clients, to be knowledgeable on a particular drink’s composition, using the proper glass for the specified drink, to prepare and cut individual garnishments for certain drinks, and remaining vigilant that customer drinks responsibly.

Upon completion, Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School students will be award certificates of accomplishment, officially deeming them professional bartenders.

“The training we give them will show prospective business owners and bar owners that our students are able to properly prepare drinks in the allotted time,” explained Amaris. “We test them on their speed in making four to five drinks as well as remembering how to make them.”

Much like any other school, studying and focus are key to succeeding at Bronx Top Shelf Bartending School, but there is no need to worry. Amaris divulged that students will be provided an instruction manual detailing every drink’s recipes and they will be tested on how to properly create them. This manual will also outline many key elements such as professionalism, creating resumes, and proper glassware usage.

“Bartending is a trade and it’s not for everyone, but it’s a fun job and it’s another way for people to meet each other,” he said.

“People are using this trade all over the world and it’s a great money-making profession. We’re showing them the A through Z of how to become a professional bartender.”

One particularly interesting skill to be covered in the curriculum will be how to identify different types of alcohol by sight given their unique bottle shapes which Amaris said is extremely useful in dimly lit nightclubs.

Classes are forming now and they will officially start on Monday, December 8.

There are plans to hold evening classes for those who cannot attend in the daytime, however as of press time there were no specifics.

Other facilities aside from Bronx Beer Garden being used for these classes are also in the planning stages. Details regarding evening classes and other facilities being utilized to follow.

For further information, scheduling, and locations, speak with Amaris at (347) 403-2114.