Best Online Bartending Schools

Masterclass offers a virtual bartending education led by two world-class bartenders and industry legends.

Once enrolled in MasterClass' bartender series, New York City's Lynnette Marrero
(Llama Inn and Speed Rack) and London's Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka, Mr. Lyan) will teach you everything you need to know about the modern bartending world. Lessons cover a foundational understanding of classic recipes to help sharpen your palate.

This dynamic duo manages to keep things interesting, so there's never a dull moment, making this MasterClass experience a great option for those who learn efficiently while being entertained.

The syllabus consists of seventeen 15- and 30-minute lessons, beginning with cocktail philosophy, and venturing through the ins and outs of crafting time-honored favorites, like sours, the old-fashioned, martinis, negronis, and highballs.

MasterClass costs about $180 for the year, which breaks down to approximately $15 monthly. While this might seem like a lot for one series, the membership includes access to the entire MasterClass roster, including tons of categories.

A Bar Above offers a professional mixology certification, which includes mastering two lessons and then taking a certification quiz. Course content and access to the community Facebook page are granted for life.

Husband and wife team Chris and Julia Tunstall are the collective powerhouses behind A Bar Above, an online hub for bartender education. Through A Bar Above, both aspiring and professional bartenders can hone their skills by tuning in to the couple's YouTube channel and podcast, both of which are full of industry intel, tips, tricks, and recipes.

If you enjoy the couple's free content and want to take things a step further, A Bar Above's certification program includes lifetime access to exclusive HD video lessons that are optimized for mobile (for a flat rate of $147). Plus, viewers can access accompanying notes and cheat sheets, in addition to quizzes and community mentorship.

Regardless of which path you take, A Bar Above's Facebook groups serve as great support systems, with resources for members at any point in their education or career. The couple also offers a signature selection of barware from their very own professional collection.

The European Bartender School offers courses taught by English-speaking instructors, yet each course is available with Spanish, French, German, and Italian subtitles, as well.

Attention Romance language speakers! The European Bartender School caters to those who speak Spanish, French, German, and Italian, offering subtitles over an Anglophone-led series of more than 34 bartending videos.

This intensive, three-and-a-half-hour course covers all of the essential bartender basics in a concise, yet in-depth, format. The Essentials of Bartending class includes lessons on technique, pro tips, classic builds, theory, and best service practices, and is accompanied by a tome of study notes for you to keep.

The online essentials course and the Advanced Online Bartending Course both cost a flat fee of roughly $31 (a total steal). Additionally, you can experience one of the company's in-person courses, offered at nearly 30 different locations across the world.

Jerry, now part of the Allara Global family, gives you access to over 30 bartending courses that you can complete in your own time through an app.

Some of us learn best on our own terms, and that’s where an educational app like JERRY comes in. The app was named after Jerry Thomas, a godfather of cocktail culture.

You can access JERRY's courses (through the Allara Global app) by phone, computer, and tablet, and it offers over 30 different courses, including Introduction to Bar Operations, and Hospitality and Service Fundamentals.

Across its curricula, JERRY’s core topics include history, service, hospitality, prep, sustainability, ethics, leadership, and inventory management, and offer a way to train both hospitality teams and individual users.

The courses provide a holistic look at beverage service, through videos and guided activities. Ongoing access is available by downloading the app, registering, and paying a monthly fee.

HOLLOW LEG's virtual mixology 101 course walks you through the basics of mixology and no special equipment or supplies are needed to take it.

HOLLOW LEG is the brainchild of founder and bartender Devin Kidner, a Chicago-based entrepreneur whose mission is to teach beginners the science behind mixology "with a Julia Child-like enthusiasm."

What’s unique about Kidner’s classes is they’re designed to teach you theory and principles first, giving you the tools to navigate intuitive drink-making (both with and without alcohol).

HOLLOW LEG offers just a few online experiences, including a one-hour Mixology 101 course that delves into dilution, temperature, and the "science of taste." It also covers the basics of using spirits, bitters, and tinctures.

The basic course costs about $35, and there’s an extended version with more recipes for $45. You can buy your supplies ahead of time, or purchase a kit through HOLLOW LEG. To book or purchase, simply contact Kidner through her website.