Mixology classes - beginner & advanced training

International & Advanced Mixology Classes

The expert bartenders and mixologists showing fine artistry of cocktail making have had extensive training and experience in London mixology classes, helping them stand out beyond standard bartending training. However, many of the worlds leading experts have no other formal educational qualifications. Continue reading below and discover more about cocktail making class requirements needed to take you an adventure to become the bartender of your dreams. Below we outline the expectations and needs of the mixologist and unwrap some of the mysteries about how these people became experts so you can see if this maybe the perfect career for you.

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Mixology Explained Simply

There are many different words to describe people behind a bar such as bartender or bartending with more specialist terms describing each niche within the cocktail making and bartending industry. So what does it all mean? What is a mixologist?

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Beginners

For students with none or just a few years of experience in cocktail making.

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Advanced

Improving Mixology Techniques for students with a minimum of 5 years experience in a cocktail bar.

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The Specialities of the Expert Cocktail Maker

The mixology expert specialises making cocktails and mixing specialist alcoholic cocktail drinks with a perfection and style that really create a wow factor, offering a speedy service that simultaneously feels relaxed and controlled with a full understanding of how to mix specific drinks so that they turn out perfectly. Such as not crushing Chlorophyll from mint leaves when making a Mojito cocktail which will make it turn out bitter instead of refreshing.

Spirit Lab London Classes

Our Mixology Classes in London will help you to learn the intrinsic art behind making cocktails to perfection and teach you a full understanding behind the concepts behind each drink and cocktail. In each cocktail making class, you will not only learn a whole load of special techniques and specialist recipes though you will also learn how to become the type of bartender that the best hotels, restaurants & venues will want to employ. You’ll learn to provide service that is speedy yet able to amaze. You’ll understand the importance of providing a friendly service with titbits of appropriate trivia added in to show your competence as a bartender. According to legend, Ernest Hemingway’s favourite drink was the Mojito cocktail. So why not mention this or some other facts while you’re wowing the customer with your cocktail mixing skill. We ensure a low number of students per teacher to make sure that you get all the guidance that you require to get to a high level during our London cocktail classes. All rights reserved to The Spirit Lab.

Mixology Classes: What Do You Need to Know

Along with their signature cocktails and expansive knowledge of mixing drinks, the best mixologists and finest bartenders will also have an in depth knowledge of craft beers and fine wines & brandies. They’ll understand the differences between each type of whiskey and be able to explain in detail their choices of particular brands within their own cocktail recipes. Alongside the encyclopedic knowledge of alcohol & spirits (including cocktails) the top mixologists will be able to provide superior customer service. After all, that’s what any business employing you will be trying to provide. Being able to be yourself and provide excellent customer service is not always easy, especially if you’re under pressure to make sure everything is running smoothly, but with excellent communication and the ability to really listen to customers you can really make a difference to their day as well as your own tips.

In our cocktail making classes, we love seeing our students pouring as much of their personality into their mixes as they are the alcohol and cocktails! It’s important to be yourself in whatever you do and being a bartender gives you an unusual way to express yourself and the perfect environment to do it in. The only qualification that you need to become the best cocktails mixologist out there is to be enthusiastic about it, a passion for the environment you’re working in, and a love of meeting new and interesting people. With a lot of hard work you are as likely to succeed as anyone else. The lessons we teach in our cocktail masterclasses can give you an edge but the hard work will be all yours.

Required Level of Education for Cocktail Classes

This is simple to answer. There is no required level of education needed for you to become a student on one of our cocktail making London classes. There is also no minimal required level of education to become the world’s top bartender, the Rockstar bartender as we like to call them. Success in this field is all down to how well you’re willing to educate yourself and the level of passion and enthusiasm that you’re willing to put in. If you feel unsure whether or not our cocktail making class may be a good fit for your needs then please contact us. We work closely with students and would love to hear from you to discuss our London mixology courses and what we can do for you.

The Role Defined

The role of the mixologist is to elegantly serve a range of alcoholic and sometimes non-alcoholic drinks, cocktails and beverages to customers in a range of venues such as hotels, restaurants & bars. While the role will certainly include making an array of classic and/or modern cocktails and mixed drinks it may well also stem out into needing to understand fine wines or craft beers. Certainly the more that you know, the larger the opportunities they will find in front of them. Ultimately one day reaching the level where they are expertly creating a range of future-classic cocktails that make a particular venue stand out above all others. Possibly one of our students will one day be the creator of one of the recipes that we incorporate into our London cocktail making classes. Maybe it will be you?!

A bartender will know when to apply their personality and charm while maintaining complete control over their cocktail making but also knowing when they should listen and when they should talk. They will want a smooth running ship so that everything works efficiently and allows them the maximum time to concentrate on what makes people come to the venue to start with. This is something you can start to learn in our cocktail masterclasses.

Experience Life behind a Real Cocktail Bar in London

Looking for a cocktail masterclass? In order to keep a bar running smoothly so that the best service can be maintained and also the amazement factor of the establishment, certain routine tasks must of course be undertaken. Our cocktail making classes are, of course, centred around students learning the specialist techniques behind making a range of cocktails, but a major part of our classes allow students to
gain experience in our very real cocktail bar .
Of course our staff will be on hand to support you during cocktail classes, but you will gain very important insights into the methodology needed to keep the bar running smoothly and efficiently so that you can get on with the important job of focusing on making cocktails that will amaze people.

Teaching Great Bartending!

There are a number of tasks that will ensure the smooth running of the bar that you may have to take on as part of their job. Many of these will be the things that actually get you the big tips. Keeping the flow of glasses, drink mixers and ice will ensure you having less problems behind the bar than if you wait until you need them. Efficiency will allow you more time with your customer and more likely to get tipped. People tip great service.

Dealing with Suppliers & Cash

Depending upon your position in the bar you could be required to be ordering stock and supplies for the bar from outside companies and vendors. You will need to understand how to deal with cash and card payments from customers with efficiency and you will have the responsibility to ensure all the customers that you serve are in fact over 18. There are tough penalties for bartenders who breach the sale of alcohol laws so it is essential that you fully understand where you stand with it. We’ll introduce you to these skills in our cocktail classes.

Keep the Bar as You’d Want it to be as a Customer

Part of your role will most likely include some housekeeping to keep the bar looking as you’d want it to look if you were a customer. Empty glasses and mess is not a good look for the premium environments and top venues that you will want to work in. Keeping on top of basic bartending tasks will make your bar run more efficiently, be less effort overall, and it’ll allow you to concentrate on providing great service with a wow factor that will earn you the best tips.

Setting Up / Closing Down the Bar

You may become responsible for setting the bar up which will mean thinking ahead of time for the oncoming rush of customers. Equally you could be responsible for closing the bar down which will represent a different level of responsibility to cash out the tills, leave the bar ready for business the next day as well as securing the bar or bar area. Depending upon your level of experience will dictate the level of responsibility that your bartending employer will give you.

Bars Often Have Other Services

Depending upon the type of venue that you work at and the services that they offer you could also be responsible for dealing with and serving food or snacks.

What is Needed to Become the Best Mixologist

Employers in this world do not only employ people based on their skills. Bar owners, top venues, restaurants, hotels, will all look for a personality that matches their brand ethos. They will look for enthusiasm about the venue. You not only need to be able to prove you have a great skill set you will need to show that you have a great personality too. Our cocktail masterclass will help you to learn a whole range of bar related topics so that you will leave our course as a well skill bartender as well as a mixologist but being able to correctly apply your personality to give perfect customer service while being able to stand out from the crowd is an art form in itself.

Our London Mixology Classes

Our cocktail masterclasses and Mixology Classes in London give you real experience in a real bar situation to make sure that you are well trained before you head out looking for the top cocktail bar jobs and the best venues that are hiring mixologists. We want to give you the edge against the other bartenders with everything that we teach in our cocktail masterclass. All rights reserved to The Spirit Lab.

Professional Mixology Training

COCKTAIL BARS, HIGH END RESTAURANTS & 5* HOTELS

Professional Mixology Training

COCKTAIL BARS, HIGH END RESTAURANTS & 5* HOTELS

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Welcome to the Spirit Lab

Our Courses

Beginners Course

Hand of mixologist presenting an elegant cocktail - spiritlablondon mixology training

Beginner | Level 1

5 days intensive – £799

Looking to master the secrets of cocktail making and build up confidence behind the bar? This program is aimed at Beginners or Junior Barmen. The course also appeals to anyone who is interested in developing their knowledge of Mixology and wants to acquire new skills.

Advanced Course

Creating a cocktail - The Spirit Lab

Advanced | Level 2

4 days intensive – £999

Do you wish to take your Mixology knowledge to an advanced level? This course is aimed at both Experienced Bartenders and previous students who have successfully completed our International mixology course.

Coming soon

Creating a cocktail - The Spirit Lab

New Course

New Course

We are in the process of extending our curriculum and will have a new course available soon.

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5.0
Based on 281 reviews
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Thomas Rankin
19:13 10 Mar 25
A great weeklong course in mixology, good balance between theory and practical and a lot of fun. Will definitely be doing level 2 with them. Cannot recommend it highly enough!
Georgie Kenny
18:44 10 Mar 25
This was such an amazing and informative course. Manny was a great teacher and I will take all my knowledge I learnt into my career!
Elliot Rose
15:06 10 Feb 25
Anna Pomeroy
17:41 09 Feb 25
Great course, an abundance of information was given and Manny was high energy and put in a lot of effort throughout. High expectations were asked of the students to learn the level of high standards and quality in the industry. Ideally I'd prefer the course to be 1 or 2 days longer to fully digest all the information and there be more time to practise making and practise our tasting skills. However otherwise I would definitely recommend the course to others
Fabian D'Angelo
18:43 07 Feb 25
What an amazing course, I’ve never learnt so much in such a short amount of time.I hadn’t had any bartending experience prior, and a week later am already feeling comfortable enough being behind a real bar with customers.It’s an intensive course, you get as much out of it as you put in. You don’t need month long courses, you learn everything you need to in a week.Highly recommend.
Sandra Turnbull
10:17 13 Jan 25
Manny has a wealth of experience and knowledge which he shares with the participants. As an absolute beginner I had to work hard but it was worth it as I now have a great foundation to build on. If you want a career in mixology or improve your skills I would recommend this course.
Zac Jacobs
14:07 14 Oct 24
So good. Big up Manny!
Macarena Jimenez
15:21 05 Oct 24
Very professional and fun training.
Finn Carter
15:21 22 Sep 24
Brilliant course, well run and very informative. Way better than I expected.
Varun r
20:18 21 Sep 24
Chris McDonnell
05:58 16 Sep 24
Really enjoyable course. Perfectly structured, so you are always learning but having fun at the same time.Thanks Emanuele! Great location too. I’d 100% recommend.
Rachna Rao
15:31 29 Aug 24
This mixology course is very well structured and sheds a lot of light on the techniques that go into making cocktails at a professional bar environment. It is the perfect combination of seriousness and fun at the same time! I learned a lot and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to join this field of work or even open their own bar!Manny is a great teacher, always giving that extra bit of effort and taking time to answer questions thoroughly. He’s also fun spirited and had amazing energy!
Akiah Tromans
14:08 15 Aug 24
Best mixology/bartending course you can possibly take in 5 days. Manny is passionate and treats the craft like an artform. If you apply yourself, you will learn lots. Highly recommend to any aspiring bartenders!
Sulaxan Ganeshanathan
14:00 12 May 24
I chose the 1 week intense course and I must say Manny was such a great instructor. He was very patient and tailors the course according to each persons requirement. He was super friendly and helpful with each of our queries. I would highly definitely recommend this course with Manny.
JulyAnh Nguyen
17:27 13 Apr 24
If you are someone like me who has a passion for making cocktails, I highly recommend taking this course....Outside of my degree as a university student, I took time this spring to explore and develop my new profound love for mixology.Today, I was awarded the International Mixology diploma from the Spirit Lab London Bartending Academy, approved by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust recognized in more than 70 countries worldwide.Despite my background, I extend my utmost gratitude to director Emanuele Mancini for accommodating me by being a demanding but fair mixology teacher challenging my skills both on and off the bar.Receiving this acknowledgment, meant more than the completion of a 5-day intensive spirit training course at the heart of the Marylebone district in London; it was a milestone in my ability to remain calm under pressure and build the confidence to face things outside of my comfort zone.If you are someone like me who is unsure due to inexperience, I can tell you that my 5-day journey to cocktail-making started in a foreign place to a young professional who can confidently push out multiple spirits at a high level.
Ritesh Shah
11:44 07 Apr 24
I am so glad I chose the Spirit Lab to fulfil a dream of perfecting my skills, understanding and learning more about the art and history of cocktail making with Emanuele Mancini. It was a 5 day intensive course with a small group.Emanuele is clearly passionate about the industry and this really shows as he picks up on every detail and perfects you along the way. He is truly an inspiration and a leader in this industry. I loved his style of teaching and this made me more determined to succeed. I highly recommend the Spirit Lab as I am now more confident in making cocktails and will continue to ensure I take every opportunity to put my new skills to the test.Thank you Emanuele
YUECHEN LI
17:09 22 Jul 23
For anyone who is just interested in cocktails or inexperienced beginner who tries to get into the industry but keep getting rejected, I 100% recommend this course. Manny is such a patient, fun, engaging and experienced teacher! The classes follows theory + practice structure. I definitely love this methodology ( imagine when you go to the bar and you start to talk smart ) I’ve become more confident behind the bar but definitely need to put more effort in remembering the cocktail ingredients _(:зゝ∠)_Bonus part of this course: you got to taste so many stunning cocktails!!
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