Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a bartender? Do you just need an apron and that’s it, you’re all set? Well, no. Not at Palace Resorts! We know that the quality of attention and services you receive from every member of our staff are key for you to enjoy every minute of your stay. So, as you can imagine, we take bartending quite seriously.

When done right, bartending is an art form. And some of the most constant go-to people during your all-inclusive vacation are our bartenders. Those are the reasons why our staff is continuously learning and practicing new and improved techniques in our professional training programs.

Keep reading to know more about the challenges and tests that a trainee has to go through if they want to become one of the best bartenders at Palace Resorts!

BARTENDING 101 AT PALACE RESORTS

“OK, I’ve passed all the HR filters and filled in my documents. Now what?” Well, that’s when your journey as a trainee begins at our professional bartending school located at Moon Palace Arena, our state-of-the-art conventions center in Cancun, Mexico. There we have 10 fully stocked, fully functional bars where up to 20 people can be trained simultaneously.

Order and efficiency are two of the most important assets of a bartender. So, having a clean workspace, with every bottle and every tool in their right places at all times is the first thing you have to master if you want to be a bartender at Palace Resorts. Once you do that it’s easier and faster for you to find everything you need to make all the pina coladas, margaritas and daiquiris a dozen of our guests order simultaneously at our bars.

As a trainee you must study and learn about the origin and history of all the distillates and liqueurs available at our bars, along with the recipes with the exact proportion of each ingredient. You get to practice how to make all of our cocktails while being coached by professional bartenders.

“We periodically review our standards and update our menus to provide our guests with the drinks they like the most and surprise them with new creations.” ~ Jose Miguel Gomez, Corporate Bar Manager at Palace Resorts.

Depending on your skills and previous work experience, completing the basic course as a bartender can take up to a month, attending a total of 15 lessons, 3 days a week.

Fun fact: We squeeze 396 gallons a day of our own natural orange juice and 132 gallons a day of lemon juice under the most strict quality control standards at our distribution center in Cancun. We also make 13 tons of ice cubes a day! This too helps us guarantee that your favorite drink tastes the same at any of our Palace Resorts bars, be it at Beach Palace Cancun, Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos, Moon Palace Jamaica, or at our other resorts.

TIME TO RAISE THE BAR

Next time you come on vacation to Palace Resorts, take a look at the nametags of our bartenders. A few of them have the icon of “one glass” on their tag. This means they have successfully completed their basic training and have earned the honor of pouring your favorite drink at our resorts. There are some others who have “two glasses”, which means they have a wider knowledge of distillates and liqueurs.

Finally, our bartenders with “three glasses” are the most experienced and skilled ones. They have completed the advanced courses in our professional bartending school and have deep knowledge of the historical and cultural significance behind each distilled spirit. Not only do they know a wide array of cocktail recipes but they have also mastered the art of small talk, so feel free to ask or share anything with them as they pour your favorite drink.

Some of our bartenders arrived at Palace Resorts as blank canvases and after some time and a lot of hard work later, the love for bartending and our culture of service grew in their hearts. This is exactly what happened to Manuela Reyes, who started in Palace Resorts as a waitress and worked her way up to become the main instructor of our training program after a year.

“Seeing our bartenders make great improvements in their careers is something that fills my heart with pride and joy.” ~ Manuela Reyes.

AND FOR THE LAST STEP: MIX AND SERVE

Besides theory and practice, our bartenders training includes events such as the Food & Beverages Summit. They attend conferences, talks and workshops with renowned world experts who can provide them with useful information on new industry standards and tendencies, as well as valuable tips that can help them improve their daily performance. They also participate in cocktail contests; once they prove who the best bartender of each resort is, all the finalists compete against each other to define the ultimate Palace Resorts bartender champion.

“We are constantly seeking new ways to encourage our staff to excel at what they do, to push them to improve their knowledge and skills for their own sake and for the benefit of our guests too.” ~ Jose Miguel Gomez, Corporate Bar Manager at Palace Resorts.

Now you know more about all the effort and time your favorite bartender has put in to have the honor of greeting you with a “Good afternoon! What would you like to drink today?”.

So what’s it gonna be? A mojito? How about a whisky sour? Come to your favorite beach resort in Mexico or Jamaica and let our Made by Palace bartenders spoil you every day of your stay!