This profession is often associated with the night scene and partying, and it is neither insignificant nor a coincidence. In fact, a bartender is not just a cheerful and smiling character who mixes a few drinks to give you a sweet buzz and a wild night out.
Behind the bar, behind the 'zinc', as they say, a true bartender, one who takes his job seriously and loves it, possesses knowledge and skills that few suspect: he knows how to mix alcohol and create delicious cocktails from next to nothing!
A bartender must know how to combine and balance flavors, he is capable of creating custom recipes or revisiting existing classics. Of course, to create, he must have a good palate, he must also know alcohol well (its origins, composition, production), fruits, juices, creams, syrups, liqueurs, etc. In principle, a good bartender possesses more or less the qualities of a sommelier in product knowledge and a chef in making cocktails!
Speaking of cocktails, since it is at the center of the bartender's activity, it is considered imported by Americans during the 1900 Paris World's Fair. From there, the cocktail had its first golden age in the early 20th century in a country where the culture was more oriented towards spirits. These alcoholic and sweet drinks are considered exotic, and at the time, they immediately became incredibly popular with the bourgeoisie. In the 1920s, they took off and democratized for good. Many American bartenders even came to Paris from the Prohibition era onwards.
After World War II, in the 1970s and 1980s, the cocktail became definitively democratic, and it was during the 1990s that bartenders looked back to the origins to imagine new drinks, which we call the "vintage revival." Since then, the art of the cocktail has spread to other capitals, and the profession of bartender has become professionalized and highly prestigious.
In France, it should be noted that the specialty of bartender has been officially included in the list of artisanal trades since 2011 – like pastry chef or chef – which value their know-how and excellence, as evidenced by the "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" title (a competition that puts candidates through challenging general knowledge and current events tests and an oral presentation of a product).
Therefore, the profession of bartender is a technical job that requires a lot of precision and mastery. It even has its trends, shows, and schools. To ensure the quality of a bartender, establishments now look at both his diplomas and his past references. While the profession was often learned on the job in the past, many schools have been created to offer extensive training. The revolution is underway for the delight of our taste buds!
