Like baking a cake, mixing a drink requires precise measurements and the restraint to not ingest so many ingredients that you ruin your own birthday party. Become a power mixer with this Groupon.

Choose Between Two Options

• $69 for a four-hour weekend mixology class (a $159 value)
• $199 for a complete bartending certification (a $595 value)<p>

From 2 p.m.–6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, mixology courses enlighten alcohol amateurs with the basic skills of the craft, such as mixing, shaking, pouring, and straining. The instructors share recipes for signature cocktails, enlightening attendees on how to fortify spirits with fresh fruit, herbs, and ice-flavored swizzle sticks. Students also learn to operate a point-of-sale system with the aid of the school’s new, high-tech simulator. The complete certification program follows a 40-hour curriculum that covers real-life situations and skills bartenders need to be comfortable with over the course of their career. Classes meet for two weeks from 11:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

A List Startenders

In the high-tech classroom and professional-grade bartending training area, A List Startenders’ experienced cocktail slingers teach their students the fine art of drinksmanship and watering-hole etiquette. They pilot 40-hour Comprehensive Certification courses and shorter Essential Mixology tutorials, instilling pupils with the necessary knowledge and skills, such as quickly completing drink orders, bolstering cocktails with fresh fruit, and taking sage advice from the teleprompter beneath the bar, to operate in a bar environment. They often begin lessons in the well-equipped classroom—where an interactive Smart board aids in imparting trade lingo and drink recipes—before venturing to the full-bar training ground, replete with glassware, dozens of liquor bottles, and bar equipment, including soda guns, shakers, and garnishes. Upon completion of a course, certified students receive aggressive job-placement assistance to embark on their new career path.