'Last Call' for Bartenders

Many of us have dabbled with bartending, often when hosting our own parties (I have a signature drink I make that I call Pimp Juice). But for some people, being a bartender is a serious and lucrative profession. Whichever floats your banana martini boat, there's a bartending school in Charlotte that might interest you. I recently learned of Last Call Bartending School.

Launched seven months ago by local bartender Jessica Sheckler, an eight-year veteran in the trade, the school offers you forty hours of training, spread out over two or three weeks, depending on the schedule you choose. Sheckler says she tries to be very hands-on with the training so you don't have to spend as much time in the book, and she says she'll teach you everything you need to know about making drinks.


The bartending class costs $400, and Sheckler says her students have been a combination of people wanting to learn it to make some extra income as well as those who want to be able to supe up their skills when entertaining friends. "With the economy being bad, a lot of people are doing it for second incomes," she says. "It's a job where you can make good money, and with the tips you get paid in cash." After completing the course, you'll be awarded a Responsible Alcohol Sellers Program certificate, which is recognized by the North Carolina ABC Commission.

Sheckler has tended bar at Ruth's Chris and Zink, and she's currently general manager of Rustic Martini, which is where her bartending school operates.

For more info, visit www.bartendinguptown.com.