If you love cocktails, World Bartender Day is for you. This February 24 national day post is filled with bartending facts, history & recipes!
Read on to learn who the “father of bartending” is, how much to tip your bartender, ways to celebrate this national day.
If you want to try your hand at being the bartender yourself, we have a list of delicious cocktails at the bottom of the page.
Our favorites are the love potion cocktail (which is great for Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day) and the ghostbuster cocktail (perfect for Halloween).
What is World Bartender Day?
World Bartender Day is a day dedicated to celebrating talented bartenders all over the world! This day falls annually on February 24.
Bartending is a difficult job that requires a person to have excellent memory, communication skills, and the ability to multitask.
Bartending is definitely a job worth celebrating! Not everyone can do the job, and those who do it well deserve extra praise today.
History of bartending
The history of bartending may surprise you. Bartending first appeared thousands of years ago in Greece, Rome and Asia.
Before the 15th century, the majority of bartenders were actually innkeepers and alehouse owners who made their own alcohol.
Bartending was thought of as a less reputable profession, and it wasn’t until the 19th century that the perception of bartending began to change.
Father of bartending
In the 19th century, a man named Jerry Thomas who owned and worked in bars became known as the “father of bartending”.
He popularized making cocktails in the United States, and in addition to being called the father of bartending, he is also referred to as “the father of American mixology”.
Jerry Thomas wrote the first book ever published on bartending, in 1862, called The History of Bar-tending.
When was prohibition in the United States?
The United States underwent prohibition from 1920 to 1933. During prohibition, it was illegal to sell, make, import, and transport alcohol.
This led to a rise of bootlegging (illegally making and selling alcohol) and speakeasies (hidden locations to illegally sell alcohol).
Even though the 21st amendment put an end to prohibition in 1933, across the United States, there are currently still “dry” and “semi-dry” counties.
In dry counties, the sale of alcohol is forbidden. These counties mostly exist in the south, but you can find a full list here which is organized by state.
How much to tip a bartender
There are two different ways to pay a bartender. You can either pay as you go, and tip on each drink you order, or you can start a tab, and pay the entire balance at the end of the night.
If you decide to pay your balance at the end of the night, calculate 20% of your bill and leave that as a tip.
If you are paying for each drink separately, $1 or $2 per drink is a good rule of thumb. If a drink is more complex, I always tip a little more.
For example, I might tip $1 for a draft beer, but $2 or $3 for a specialty cocktail (depending on the difficulty and price of the drink).
Bartending facts for World Bartender Day
Want to celebrate World Bartender Day? Brush up on your bartending facts!
- The picture above shows rainbow shots being poured. Rainbow shots seem magical, but they’re all science. The different colored liquors have different densities, making a rainbow effect when you pour them.
- The bar in the tv show Cheers is based on a real bar called The Bull & Finch Pub. After the show became popular, they changed the name of the bar to The Cheers Bar. It’s located in Boston, MA on Beacon Hill.
- There are flair bartending contests held around the world. Flair bartending is a type of bartending designed to wow an audience and uses skills that are commonly associated with jugglers.
- In the United States, the bartending age varies by state. Some states require the person to be 21, while others allow bartenders to start as young as 18.
- The first book ever published on bartending was published in 1862. It’s called The History of Bar-tending by Jerry Thomas.
- In the United States, over half (55%) of a bartender’s wages come from tips.
- The green beer served by bartenders on St. Patrick’s Day, was first invented in 1914 by adding laundry detergent to the beer. Fortunately, now beer is dyed green with nontoxic food coloring!
This post may contain affiliate links. I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you if you purchase through an affiliate link.
How to observe World Bartender Day
There are lots of obvious ways to celebrate World Bartender Day. Here are a few other creative ideas to help honor this day.
- Become a bartender for a day by having a bartending competition with your friends. You can vote on who can make the best drink!
- Learn more about the history of your favorite spirit. For example, there are 10 different types of rum – one of which is called navy rum, and is the reason for Black Tot Day which is celebrated in July.
- Buy a bartending set, so you can make your own cocktails at home. Check out the list at the bottom of this page with our favorite cocktails!
- Experiment with rum, gin, vodka or any other alcohol to make a try out a cocktail.
- Head out to your favorite bar, and order a drink from the bartender. Don’t forget to tip them!
- Watch a movie that focuses on bartenders, like Cocktail. Or if you’re more in the mood for a musical, check out Coyote Ugly.
- Do the word search puzzle for February to see if you can find World Bartender Day in it.
- Use the hashtag #WorldBartenderDay to spread the word about the day on social media. Here is a tweet to get you started:
What is a national day?
Similar to world days, national days of the year are a fun way to celebrate foods, animals and items that you come into contact with.
Be sure to check out this national day’s guide for more national days to celebrate.
There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in February. To see them all, have a look at this post to discover more about the national days in February.
If food is your thing, make sure to check out the February food holidays. Each day of the month has a food or drink associated with it!
Be sure to also check out these other national days this month:
- National Cafe Au Lait Day – Check out this caffeine filled national day, complete with fun facts and a cafe au lait recipe.
- National Chocolate Mint Day – Mint + Chocolate = the tastiest cookies! Head to this page to learn more about the national day, and get a recipe for mint chocolate chip cookies. They’re perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
- Clean Out Your Bookcase Day – Get a jump on your spring cleaning, plus learn tips to organize your books and bookcases.
- Get Out Your Guitar Day – Do you love music? If so then this musical national day is for you. Learn more about the day and some fun guitar facts.
More February 24 national days
Did you enjoy learning about World Bartender Day? Well you’re in luck, February 24 is host to more than just one national day!
Here is a complete list of all the February 24 national days:
- World Bartender Day
- National Tortilla Chip Day
- National Trading Card Day
- Twin Peaks Day
Pin this post on World Bartender Day for later
Would you like a reminder of this post for World Bartender Day? Just pin this image to one of your drinks boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Watch our YouTube video to learn about more food and drink days in February.
About the author
Since graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. Find out more about Jess here.
Drink Recipes for World Bartender Day
Has World Bartender Day inspired you to make a cocktail of your own today? We've rounded up our favorite cocktail recipes below for you to enjoy.
This simple Love Potion Cocktail is easy to make and so pretty to look at, too. It's the perfect choice to share with a loved one for Valentine's Day.
This recipe is a variation on the traditional French 75 recipe which uses gin, lemon, simple syrup and sparkling wine.
For this twist on the classic, we substitute the simple syrup with St. Germain.
St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur which maintains the slight sweetness of the cocktail while also adding a floral note to its flavor profile.
This modified French 75 cocktail recipe is refreshing and light. It's the perfect beverage for summer.
The recipe below makes one St Germain Prosecco cocktail, but could easily be made in larger batches.
A classic martini is the perfect drink to start any gathering with friends. They may seem complicated until you try to make them. This recipe shows how ridiculously easy they are to make!
This whimsical Easter cocktail is a power house of alcoholic flavors, with curacao, champagne and vodka all in one drink. Garnish it for Easter with allsorts and marshmallows.
This is the Irish coffee official recipe that comes from the birthplace of Irish coffee - the Foynes Flying Boat and Aviation Museum
This Ghostbuster cocktail will have you singing "I ain't 'friad of no ghosts all night long!"
A traditional mint julep is sweet and minty and invokes thoughts of summer. This version is made with super fine sugar.
This vampire cocktail is fruity and fun. Top it off with a licorice spider garnish to put your guests in a spooky mood.
This spicy cocktail is the perfect drink choice to help celebrate Cinco De Mayo.
This delicious drink is a combination of dark rum, spices and butter. It is perfect for the cold days of winter.
The classic cosmo is a drink made popular by the ladies on Sex and the City. The drink is cheery and easy to make at home.
Garnish this Halloween Bloody Mary Cocktail with a whimsical lime devil garnish instead of the traditional stalk of celery. The drink is slightly spicy with a bit of a kick.
This recipe is the official Piña Colada recipe of the Caribe Hilton (the birthplace of the Piña Colada). What better way to celebrate National Piña Colada Day, than with the original cocktail.
Beat the heat this summer with a mojito cocktail recipe! This refreshing rum drink is great to enjoy poolside or during your annual National Mojito Day festivities.