9 “Out of the Box” Services You Can Do With Your Bartending Skills To Increase Your Income
Bartending is not just a fun and exciting profession, but you can also use your bartending skills to earn extra income outside your regular service job. In this blog post, we will explore nine “out of the box” services you can offer with your bartending skills to earn some cash. From selling cocktail kits online and starting a bartending TikTok or Instagram page to offering to create bespoke cocktail recipes for events and becoming a secret shopper, there are plenty of unique ways to monetize your bartending skills outside of your regular employment.
So whether you want to supplement your income or turn your bartending skills into a full-time gig without working long hours behind the bar, this post is a must-read for all bartenders looking to make extra money using the skills they already have!
9 Unique Ways to Earn Extra Income as a Bartender
1. Sell Cocktail Kits Online
One business idea that seems popular in the current market, especially since the lockdown, is sending make-it-yourself kits for people to use at home to get restaurant-quality food and bar-worthy cocktails. You can organize to send them a cocktail kit along with recipes and ingredients so they can bring the bar to their home.
2. Start a bartending TikTok or Instagram page
It’s no secret that creators and influencers are making some serious dollar on social media!
And pages like @TipsyBartender with 6.3 million followers on Instagram, and @MichelleBellexo with around 3.6 million followers on TikTok (at the time of writing), have certainly shown that people are interested in the topic of bartending!
But even small creators can charge hundreds of dollars to place an advert for a company on their page with just 10-20k followers. So you don’t need millions of followers to make some side income showcasing your bartending skills on social media.
3. Sell a cocktail recipe eBook
Once you establish an audience on social media, you can offer an eBook containing your most popular recipes.
You can continue to sell the eBook as your followers grow. Then you can earn a steady source of passive income.
If you aren’t sure how to write or publish an eBook, you can ask for help from freelancers online!
4. Teach others through classes or an online course
Although courses get a bad reputation, they are a great way to teach others about bartending while earning you some cash for your time and expertise.
You can choose whether to host in-person workshops to train local teams, run corporate events in your state, or film your course and sell it to anyone worldwide.
5. Write a blog about your hilarious bartending experiences
Start a blog surrounding your bartending experience, write posts about your favorite recipes, best drinks to order, and bar hacks, and share your experiences working behind the bar with readers.
Blogs are an excellent way to make consistent side income as you can earn money through AdSense (having ads on your website), affiliate links (earning money from promoting specific products then receiving a small percentage of the sale value if a customer makes a purchase) and paid for product placements. You can even register to become an affiliate with Barillio and earn 10% from each sale of cocktail sets and accessories that comes through via your website!
But does anyone even reads blogs anymore? Absolutely! Blogging is still alive and kicking, and studies have even shown that over 70% of internet users visit blogs on a regular basis!
6. Offer to create a bespoke cocktail recipe for events
As a creative person, don’t underestimate how much individuals or corporations will pay for a personalized cocktail recipe for their event.
So whether you offer to create a single cocktail recipe based on a couple for their wedding or an entire menu for a PR company to use at their next product launch, you can make a few pennies by offering your cocktail creation skills.
Best of all, you can do this service with just a laptop or phone and an internet connection!
7. Host events to connect with fellow bartenders
Become a host on MeetUp in your city and manage events where fellow bartenders can have a night off together and connect with like-minded people in their industry.
You can arrange fun activities and keep a small percentage of the revenue as a fee for handling the organization process or charge members a few dollars per month subscriptions to be a part of your group.
8. Write city guides to the best bars in different locations
If you love to travel and go out when you visit a new city, write some handy guides that tourists can use to know how to find the best cocktail spots in town.
Then you can either sell your knowledge to travel guide companies and offer to write them a feature about the top cocktails in each location.
9. Offer to be a secret shopper
Lastly, on our list of out-the-box side hustle ideas for bartenders is offering your services as a secret shopper.
Pitch yourself as an expert in the field who will be able to spot how they can improve their service or cocktails.
Then, contact as many bars, pubs, and restaurants as you can and offer to review their drinks in exchange for a small fee for your time or a voucher to spend on their premises.
Summary
Hopefully, you now have some creative ideas to help you apply your bartending skills in various ways to earn extra income! From selling cocktail kits online to teaching classes or hosting events, there are many opportunities to showcase your skills and make money.
Social media can also be a powerful tool to grow your following and monetize your content through ads, sponsorships, and eBooks. However, there is plenty of other unique side hustles out there waiting for you to explore. So, if you have a passion for bartending, consider one of these “out of the box” ideas to turn your skills into a lucrative side hustle!
