The Working Bartender
Like Duolingo, but for The Working Bartender. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
A short one: 12 levels across 2 sections, about 24 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The First Shift and Mastering the Flow. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Key ideas in The Working Bartender
- The purpose of permanent placement in mise en place
- Organizing the speed rail by frequency of use
- Keeping syrups away from tool handles prevents 'sticky hand' which slows down pouring
- Tools must be kept in a neutral dry area or rinse station to stay sanitary
- Separating dry tools from wet ingredients
- Prep work (garnishes/syrups) should be completed before the first guest arrives
- Stopping to cut a lime during a rush creates a 'bottleneck' that stops all drink production
- Rinsing the shaker immediately prevents flavors from bleeding into the next drink
- A cluttered station leads to spills and lost time later in the shift
- The value of pre-batching for service speed
- Cleaning as a survival strategy
- Juice requires vigorous movement to integrate with spirits
- Shaking introduces air bubbles that create a frothy texture
- Stirring prevents air from clouding the appearance of spirits
- Deciding when to shake a cocktail based on ingredients
- Citrus-based drinks are meant to look opaque rather than clear
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Working Bartender the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Where should you place the spirits you use most often, such as Vodka and Gin?
Get it right to open this lesson and 11 more in the app.
Where The Working Bartender takes you
Master the essential moves and mental habits of a professional bartender. This course focuses on the speed, setup, and service skills needed to survive and thrive behind a real bar.
- 1
The First Shift
- Setting Your Station for Speed
- The Three Essential Moves
- 2
Mastering the Flow
- The Cocktail Blueprint
- Managing the Bar Floor
2 sections · 4 units · 12 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
The Working Bartender is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Working Bartender today.
Download Tomo, search The Working Bartender, and play your first lesson in under a minute.