Folks can often get caught up with the “words” being used, and not the “meaning” those words are trying to relate. Terms such as Mixologist, Bar Chef, Master Bartender, and a variety of others have tried to be utilized with various levels of success.

At the core however is to simply think about how different bartenders “approach” their chosen careers differently, some with more creativity, enthusiasm, and artistry, than others.

The authors of “Culinary Artistry” talk about “chefs/cooks” as fitting into a few different categories: “Trade”, “Craft”, and “Art”. Where the “Tradesman” chef is just doing their job, the “Crafstman” chef is proud of their job, and the “Artist” chef is an inspiration to others. Call them what you will, but I think that it is improtant to understand that a similar explanation of the abilities and passion of bartenders can/should be recognized, even if there aren’t specific individual labels which are applied to them. I should also be clear in saying that there is nothing wrong witha “Trade” bartender, in fact I think we need far more of those then we do “Craft” or “Art” bartenders, just as in the same way we need/have far more “Craft” chefs.

-Robert