Mixology Bartending Academy

I just graduated from the Mixology Bartending Academy, and I have nothing but good things to say. I attended the school two years ago, when it was under different ownership, but ended up getting a job in the biotech industry (what I went to college for). I wanted to work as a bartender part-​time, so I decided to take the course again to refresh myself and WOW, what a difference a new owner has made! The owner, Al, and instructor, Fernando, were amazing teachers, and I learned so much more this time around while having a really fun time. One of my classmates was hired a day before she graduated, just because she let the bar manager know she was already attending this course! I learned much more than the 100+ drinks in just five days; I learned about the many roles a bartender has to play, and that a truly great bartender is much more than the drinks he can make. I gained knowledge in liquors and liqueurs, learned a bit of history behind alcohol in the United States, and can competently speak about the many different realms behind the bar. I highly recommend this course to new and experienced bartenders, alike. You will not be disappointed and will certainly learn many, many new things. Thank you to the Mixology Bartending Academy!

Al is a great instructor. He is very precise and meticulous. He is respected in the bar industry. Not everybody gets a certificate, and that shows that his curriculum isn’t a walk in the park. You get what you put in. Good luck

Let me start by saying the instructors are awesome. They are personable, well experienced in the business of serving alcohol, and give you the perspectives you need to be a bartender.
The basics:
They teach you how to make and commit over 80 of the most popular drinks common in different types of venues. You get coached by the instructors as well as your peers on your skills, through practice, and teaching. You learn about the legalities involved in working as a bartender and your assumed responsibilities when serving alcohol.
The extraordinary:
There nothing like picking someone’s brain about what they do and how they go about it. Working with Al, Frank, or Fernando you’ll get their perspective on what it’s like to deal with customers and how to handle common situations. They also teach you about the products — because you can’t sell something to people without knowing a little about it. Plus they all have a great sense of humor which just makes it loads of fun. Convenient class times (and are quite flexible with your schedule), good class sizes, and a great place to get hands on experience in a realistic working bar layout.
I hesitate after reading reviews too — call em’ or drop by and I’m positive you won’t be disappointed.

I am currently attending mixology with Al and Frank on wednesdays. About to finish on thursday and i can honestly say I am VERY happy I chose to go here unlike what every bartender and bar owner has told me. Al is an amazing instructor with tons of experience and very charming. He makes you feel welcome and reasures you that no question, is a dumb question. Frank has alot of experience as well and gives you alot of real life examples that have relevance to the lesson. Both instructors deserve more than the 5 stars were limited to.
I would suggest that anyone who wants to get to know your way around the bar whether it be for a job or just for fun, GO HERE!!! You will not be disappointed and youll leave feeling confident about everything youve learned!

A fantastic course with great teachers who really take you through everything you need to know to be a great bartender. From making drinks to service with a smile they teach you everything you need to know. And they offer great help after the course is over and let you drop by to practice whenever you need to. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to get into bartending, or just take a fun course that’ll make for fun times back home and with friends.

I work for Southern Comfort and Tuaca and have been a guest speaker at the Mixology Bartending Academy for the last 1 ½ years. As a supplier, we love to work with a group of people like this. All of the students that I spoke to were extremely friendly and welcoming. They are all there to learn and that’s exactly what Frank and Al gives to them. They are not only the most knowledgeable in the field but they have a TON of connections to help get you a job after! They also know how to make teaching fun! It is a really relaxed atmosphere. The bar set up is awesome — it feels like a real bar.
It has been my pleasure to be there and to meet Frank and Al! They are running a great school and I would recommend this in a heart beat to anybody who was considering!

Great bartending school! Al is the best instructor ever! Frank also instructed us for a day and was awesome as well! Everything is hands on so we understand what we are doing. Everything comes included and we go through everything without it seeming long and tideous! This is the school to come to if you want to learn all the bartending basics!

I came here last week for the accelerated one week course. Al was my teacher and he was absolutely hilarious! It was so much fun it did not feel like school at all. The test at the end was very straight forward and there were no «trick questions.» After we passed, Al gave us a lot of pointers to market ourselves. I highly recommend this school!

If you have never stepped foot behind a bar this is definitely a good place to start. All of the students in my class were of different skill level, but Al and Frank teach the class in a way that is fun for everyone. Best part is you can come back anytime to practice, or to sit in on a particular class if you need a refresher; at no charge. Only drawback is you feel like trying half the cocktails when you get out of class. Go and check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Frank and Al do not just know what they are doing, they are kind, caring, charming, and witty as all hell. One of my many dreams in life was to attend bartending school and to become a bartender. I couldn’t have picked a better place to receive this training. This school provides the information you need on making drinks, on industry standards, makes you feel comfortable in a fun and authentic looking bar setting, and gives you an opportunity to practice the skills you are learning. Great school. Great people. Very pleased by Mixology. I leave drunk on happiness. Thank you Mixology Bartending Academy.

There is NO REASON not to get certified here at Mixology. If you’re perfectly happy making great money as an engineer for Boeing, you should STILL buy the groupon or living social deal for Mixology and get in there and learn to make a Manhattan. You can take the night course offered by Frank and in 2 weeks — boom you have a new skill which will always come in handy whether professionally or just at a Christmas party, meet some cool people who you may even stay in touch with, and impress that neighbor/​study partner/​girl at the gym.
On a more realistic note, Mixology gives you the basics to be a great bartender. It is by no means an exhaustive course. Please don’t think that a couple hours a night after work is going to make you a scholar on the Cognac region of France or where the best Chardonnay grapes are grown. When I have a customer who really loves a particular type of alcohol or a particular drink: I always, hands down, always: defer to the customer. That person knows more about bourbon than you, because they’ve spent their entire lives selecting and tasting bourbons, whereas you just learned you should use bourbon to build an old fashioned 5 minutes ago. I think I learned that little gem from Frank too. Basically the man is like a father to me. He’ll probably dance at my wedding.
Let me add that after getting certified at Mixology, I was hired: first place I applied, first interview, I mean it was cake (at a hotel bar downtown, another Frank suggestion. Like I told you the man is a legend.) I was offered full time hours and was able to quit my day job, which was getting pretty toxic, and focus on slinging drinks and being customer-​centric. Now, after 6 months with the same bar, I feel like I can take my skills with me anywhere.
Why are you still reading this? Call Mixology and go get certified.

Absolutely loved my experience here. There’s a right way to learn a cocktail and about 100 wrong ways to learn a cocktail. Here, they teach you the RIGHT way. Al was my instructor and he is great! So personable, knowledgable, enthusiastic and fun! He kept the class interesting with the knowledge he has picked up over his years and years of bar tending experience. Although I already work in a bar and have a position waiting for me, I would feel comfortable applying anywhere after this accelerated program. Over 100 cocktails to pull out of my bag of tricks and I can easily learn their derivatives.
Thanks guys! Will certainly recommend to friends.

I just graduated from Mixology Bartending Academy and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the experience. They know exactly what people that know nothing about alcohol and bartending need to hear and have all of necessary tools to be able to practice adequately. I feel confident in all of drinks I have learned and feel very prepared to get out there and get my ass hired! There is not one piece of information that didn’t seem important coming out of Al’s mouth. At Mixology Bartending Academy I really felt that they stress the value of a good bartender, a truly good, caring, honest bartender that knows how to make drinks and make them right. It’s CRAZY how much I have learned in this one week and I really feel that I have one step up from a lot of people out there. Highly recommend. THANK YOU, AL!!! :)

This beats any other course hands down! Al is a great instructor and has a great sense of humor. I have a bad memory and was still able to cram 60 drinks in 5 days. Everything you need to know for all markets in the business. I highly recommend.

I finished this course in April 2012. It was a great and memorable experience! I learned a lot and our instructor (Frank) was extremely knowledgeable, personable, and down-​to-​earth. I was actually hired for a bartending/​waitressing position while I was taking the class.
Before taking this class, I had little to no knowledge about alcohol other than how to drink it. After taking this class, I learned a lot about how to mix drinks, how to serve certain drinks, the many names certain drinks had, and different tips and techniques of the trade.
Frank was a great teacher and he was very straightforward and honest when answering questions and teaching us tips about the industry.
I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to learn how to bartend to take a class at Mixology Bartending Academy. It’s been almost a year since I’ve taken the course, and I still remember how good of an experience it was.

Bought a Groupon for my son and was the BEST school ever. He did the 1 week accelerated program and did GREAT. Al is one of the best instructors and REALLY knows his stuff! PROPS to him and a definite TOP 10 recomendation!

Even though it’s been two months since I took the two-​week evening course and I still don’t have a bartending gig, the experience is one I won’t regret. My instructor was Frank, a really knowledgeable and professional guy who knows how to make the experience fun. It takes some serious studying to pass the test at the end of the course but once you pass they provide you with the information you need to get a job. I think the best part is you can go back to retake a certain lesson or just practice pouring drinks, free of charge!

This was a really great bartending school. I went to the day classes with Al and he was really cool. He’s super old school and knows what he’s talking about. He’s no nonsense and will really teach you the right and proper ways to do things. You will learn over 100 drinks in the course of the week and will need to study and keep studying if you want to land a bartending gig. I used a groupon and called at the last minute (a Thursday) and they fit me in for Monday. That was very cool and super convenient. The classes are pretty small, but you will have plenty of room to practice pouring and bartending. I definitely reccomend this place!

I LOVED this school. If I was to recommend a bartending school, it would definitely be THIS one. The teachers were a lot more nice & humorous than I expected. They make you feel comfortable & help motivate you when you feel like you’re not doing such a good job. I had a lot of fun, but I also learned a lot. The lessons they teach are GOLD! I feel blessed to have been educated with this kind of knowledge & experience. Now I feel confident when I go out & apply for jobs. They give you tips that would help SO MUCH. I had the night class & I’m so glad I chose it. The teacher is hilarious, but knows when its necessary to be serious. They give you a 30 minute break to go eat or do whatever, & there’s a lot of good food places that is walking distance. DEFINITELY an awesome experience

Mixology Bartending Academy was the best decision I made to get into the bartending business. They give you alot of hands on training and personal tips to become a great bartender. I took the accelerated course in February– no bartending experience and by the end of the week I knew over 100 cocktails, the methods, the types of alcohol etc. A week after I graduated I got hired at Lupis Restaurant in La Jolla! Come stop in and say hi! :)!
ps. They keep you updated on job leads and let you come in anytime after you graduate to practice.
Thank you Al and Frank!
You’re #1 Student Sue! :-)