Bar managers want people who stay quick and friendly when the bar is three deep, serve responsibly and look after stock. This example is for a bartender in a busy city cocktail bar, with drinks knowledge, cellar work and responsible serving on show. It suits pub, hotel and late-night venues too.
Use this example: the CV builder opens with it filled in on the Noir template, free to edit and preview. Downloading the CV and matching cover letter costs £4.99 once.
Example bartender CV
A fictional person, employers and figures, to show the format. Replace every detail with your own.
Ryan Walsh
Bartender · Cocktails and cellar · Manchester · ryan.walsh@example.com · 07700 900634
Personal statement
Bartender with four years' experience in busy city bars, including two years making cocktails in a 200-capacity venue. Quick, calm and friendly when the bar is three deep, and strict on Challenge 25. Experienced with cellar work and stock counts. Looking for a bar supervisor role.
Experience
Senior Bartender, Ancoats Social (cocktail bar, 200 capacity), Manchester (Mar 2024 - Present)
Make classic and house cocktails at speed on Friday and Saturday nights, serving several hundred drinks a shift.
Wrote two seasonal cocktails for the menu; one became the bar's best-selling house drink that season.
Run weekly stock counts and line cleaning, and flag low stock before it runs out.
Apply Challenge 25 every shift and log refusals as the venue's licence requires.
Bartender, The Red Lion, Stockport (Jul 2022 - Feb 2024)
Served draught, wine and spirits in a busy pub, and changed barrels in the cellar.
Cashed up and handled card payments accurately at close.
Education
GCSEs including English and maths, Edgeley Park Academy, 2014 - 2019
Training and certifications
Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH), Accredited awarding body, 2025
WSET Level 2 Award in Spirits, Wine & Spirit Education Trust, 2024
Food Safety and Hygiene, Level 2, Online accredited course, 2024
Skills
Cocktail making, Fast service, Responsible serving and Challenge 25, Cellar management, Stock control, Cash handling, Customer service
A bartender personal statement to adapt
Bartender with four years' experience in busy city bars, including two years making cocktails in a 200-capacity venue. Quick, calm and friendly when the bar is three deep, and strict on Challenge 25. Experienced with cellar work and stock counts. Looking for a bar supervisor role.
Key skills for a bartender CV
Fast, accurate service - Keeping orders moving when the bar is busy.
Drinks knowledge - Cocktails, spirits, wine and draught, and recommending to customers.
Responsible serving - Challenge 25, refusing service when needed and keeping the venue safe.
Cellar management - Changing barrels, cleaning lines and keeping the cellar tidy.
Stock control - Counts, ordering and reducing waste.
Customer service - Friendly, confident and good at handling difficult customers.
Cash handling - Tills, card payments and cashing up.
What a UK bartender CV needs
Type of bar and how busy it is - Cocktail bar, pub, hotel, club or events, and the capacity or volume you served.
A personal licence, if you hold one - The Award for Personal Licence Holders lets you authorise alcohol sales. It is required for the designated premises supervisor and useful for supervisors.
Challenge 25 and responsible serving - Show you take the licensing rules seriously.
Drinks training - WSET awards, cocktail courses or brand training.
Cellar skills - Barrel changes, line cleaning and stock counts are a plus for pub roles.
Achievement bullets to adapt
The figures are invented to show the format. Use your own.
Served several hundred drinks a shift in a 200-capacity cocktail bar.
Created a seasonal cocktail that became the bar's best-selling house drink that season.
Ran weekly stock counts and flagged low stock before it ran out.
Applied Challenge 25 on every shift and kept the refusals log up to date.
Trained four new bartenders on the cocktail menu and the till.
Bartender CV questions
Do I need a personal licence to work behind a bar?
No. Bartenders can sell alcohol under the authority of the venue's personal licence holder. A personal licence is needed for the designated premises supervisor and helps if you want to supervise.
How do I write a bartender CV with no experience?
Lead with customer service and cash handling from any job, and any events or hospitality volunteering. Say you are over 18, available evenings and weekends, and keen to learn.
Should I list cocktails I can make?
You can mention a few classics or a cocktail you created, but keep it short. Speed, service and responsible serving matter more.