Look up a drink and view every video posted for that drink and compare the styles across different bartenders.

It should be pretty obvious which Bartender is the most impressive simply based on their finesse, how they handle their tools and how they talk when making a drink. Learn to emulate their techniques, presentation, and mannerisms and once you have got it down pat, make a drink for yourself in front of the mirror or get a friend to assess you.

My references have never helped get me a job at anywhere worth mentioning. Good bars get lots of applicants, and its hard to stand out so I simply just ask the manager to do a free 3 hour trial shift. Then I take a few photos of the bar setup with my phone and go home and memorise where things are so that I look like I’ve worked there for months when I do my trial shift. Has worked everytime for me.

Things to look out for at Great Bars are.
- Professional skinny metal pourers (not stupid coloured plastic ones, or fat black ones)
- Speedracks in front of the bar and not just on the backbar (shows that the owner has common sense)
- Big Ice Wells – means they get busy and this will make the time go by faster.
- Minimal RTDs behind the bar, no vodka cruisers/bacardi breezers, Cant learn much about a decent drink at these bars.

Finally, Bartending part-time over the years has paid for the deposit on my apartment, and a 2nd hand sports car that I am very fond of. Its the bulk of my spending money during the week where as my day job is for savings and mortgage.