Second Edition · Expanded & Updated
The Bartender's Field Manual - Our Official Bartender's Guide
No experience is the part nobody wants to talk about when you're trying to get hired — and it's usually what stops you. This is different: a complete, practical guide written specifically for that problem, with real solutions so you can land your first bartending job and become a better bartender, faster. Now fully expanded for the Second Edition — with new field guides for the modern bar and a free, always-updated companion.
Land a Job within 3 Weeks
The Job hunting strategy system detailed throughout the manual is so effective that it's possible for you to land your first job within 3 weeks, sometimes sooner.
No Experience Required
This book has been written with beginners in mind. Regardless of your experience, you'll be able to use its strategies & systems, and learn all the skills necessary for becoming a great bartender.
Best Alternative to Bartending School
Everything useful that you learn at bartending school is covered in the manual - and more. So save your money and apply what you learn throughout this book instead ;-).
What's New
New in the Second Edition
The manual has been expanded with practical new field guides for the modern bartender — and a free companion site that keeps working long after your first shift behind the stick.
Bartending Today
Modern hiring, trial shifts, technology, POS systems, communication, and what managers actually look for now.
Ice, Temperature & Dilution
How ice actually changes a drink — when to shake vs. stir, ice styles, chilling, dilution, and the common mistakes to avoid.
Zero-Proof & Low-ABV Drinks
Serve today's guests properly, without treating non-alcoholic drinks as an afterthought.
Make AI Your Barback
Use AI to practice interviews, study cocktails, build flashcards, research venues, improve your resume, prep for shifts, and learn faster.
Interactive Companion Resources
A free, always-updated companion on the Crafty Bartending website — tools, prompts, checklists, and flashcards, linked from QR codes inside the book.
Here's how you Become a Pro Bartender
The book follows a simple process for becoming a professional bartender and it's been designed to directly complement on-the-job experience: get the job so you can practice & learn the skills in a real-world setting – 6-12 months later, live the dream!
1. Get the Job
Becoming a professional bartender requires getting the job first. This book will teach you a step-by-step job-hunting system that works, regardless of your experience.
2. Learn the Skills
To truly benefit from bartending, you need to be good at your job. The manual covers everything you need to know to confidently work in the majority of bars around the world.
3. Live the Dream
With the job and skills firmly secured, the only limitation is your imagination. Whether you choose to travel the world or save for a mortgage, the decision is yours.
What's Included
Everything you need to start and lead a successful career in bartending.
Clickable Navigation
The Bartender's Field Manual is intended to be a reference manual that you'll be referring throughout your career so it's important for it to be quick and easy to navigate. The book comes with a comprehensive and clickable table of contents so you can quickly find exactly what you're looking for.
How to Write an Irresistible Resume
You have less than 30 seconds to impress the bar manager with your resume. Needless to say, it's important that you have a good one, especially if you have no experience. As a former bar manager, I've seen my fair share of resumes so I know exactly what to include to help your resume stand out in a sea of the noise.
A Job Hunting System that WORKS
When you have no experience, you need a job hunting system that works so you can get paid and practice the skills in a real-world setting. The system detailed in the book is a step-by-step process that anyone can follow and it's so effective that the last time I used it, 8/10 bars I applied for brought me in for an interview.
How to Make Great Tips
Tips make up the majority of a bartender's income. In some cases, it's possible for a bartender to bring in over $600 a night! The Bartender's Field Manual will teach you how they do it and how you can too.
The Theory of Alcohol, Liquor, Beer, & Wine
Spirits vs liquor? Liquors vs liqueurs? Where does beer come from? What's a Pinot Noir? There's no doubt the theory of alcohol can be confusing but for us bartenders, it's important to learn. The Field Manual answers all your questions on alcohol so you can work with it and serve it like a pro.
Cocktail Making Masterclass with over 130 Recipes Inside
There's nothing like making cocktails when you're a bartender. It transforms your job into a craft that can be endlessly improved upon. The Field Manual gives you a complete masterclass in cocktails covering the principles of mixology, the tools, the techniques, the ingredients and more, so that you can confidently mix drinks behind any bar. Plus, you'll get over 130 recipes to practice & play around with.
Making the Most of Your Time Behind the Stick
With years experience in the industry traveling the world and working in every position imaginable, I've learned a thing or two about how to make the most of your time behind the stick. This is the advice I wish I'd been given when I started out. I'm sure you'll find it useful.
Plus 6 FREE Bonuses!
When you purchase 'The Bartender's Field Manual,' you also get access to 6 bonuses that will help you get started on the right track, including: a proven fill-in-the-blank resume template (the same one I've used my entire career), practice interview questions, and 4 recipe cheat sheets.
Are you Ready to Become a Professional Bartender?
How much time & effort have you already invested? Whether you're just getting started or you're new to the industry, The Bartender's Field Manual will help you become a better bartender, faster.
- Complete Second Edition E-Book (PDF)
- Fill-in-the-Blank Resume Template
- Practice Interview Questions
- Editable Master Recipe Cheat Sheet
- Essential Cocktails Recipe Cheat Sheet
- Shooter Recipe Cheat Sheet
- Mocktail Recipe Cheat Sheet
- Free Interactive Companion + Lifetime Updates
Why I Wrote the Book
I know how hard it can be when you're new to the industry and you've got no experience. Landing your first job is tough, and then you've got to learn all the skills that come with being a bartender. It's a lot for anyone to learn.
I created the blog Crafty Bartending to help with that, and the Bartender's Field Manual is the book-format, way-more-actionable version of the blog.
It condenses the most important insights about all aspects of bartending, and gives you the best building blocks to accelerate your career and become a great bartender fast.
30-Day Money Back Guarantee!
Every Purchase of the Bartender's Field Manual comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. If it isn't everything you need to start a successful career in bartending, contact us and we'll happily give you a full-refund. No questions asked and we can still be friends after :-).
Decision time... Let's do this!
Bartender's Field Manual — Second Edition
- Everything you need to start and lead a successful career in bartending.
- Complete Second Edition E-Book (PDF)
- Proven Resume Template
- Practice Interview Questions
- Master Recipe Cheat Sheet
- 3 More Recipe Cheat Sheets
- Free Interactive Companion + Lifetime Updates