About us

Choose Vancouver’s Best Bartender Training Program

We have been Vancouver’s best bartender training school for more than 40 years, and our reviews tell it all. At the end of our program, you will be amazed at how many drink recipes and working tips you have picked up. Graduates pop into the school to tell us about all the additional nuggets of information they wow their friends with, including some really easy techniques to show off behind the bar. Our course ensures you have the confidence to get out there, get hired, and start making money right away.

Meet your Instructors

At Fine Art Bartending, each of our bartending instructors knows exactly what students need to get started as a bartender. Check out some recent images from some of our classes, with our instructors in action! We have the most seasoned team teaching Vancouver’s best bartending course. You can expect to get tips on working in nightclubs, cocktail bars, private events, and even hockey games. Check out all our staff profiles below.

Grant G.
Day Classes
Bartender

Grant G.

Zack C.
Evening Classes
Bartender

Zack C.

Tieg S.
Weekend Classes
Bartender

Tieg S.

Chris S.
Team Events & Special Classes Bartender

Chris S.

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Testimonials

Trusted by Thousand of Students and Tutors

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4.95/5
From 125 Facebook Reviews
It was only a matter of time after getting my certificate at Fine Art Bartending, plus doing the Flair Seminar, that my first job opportunity came up. Now working at a busy bar, the classes have paid themselves off many times over. The flexibility from day to night classes makes it easy to attend for anyone! The very thorough curriculum teaches its students a wide range of bar related knowledge, making Fine Art your one stop solution for learning how to bartend. Thanks for all the help!
Travis N. from Burnaby
5/5
Learned a great deal about all aspects of beer/wine/spirits and bartending in different situations (restaurant, pub, nightclubs). The daily practical speed rounds were challenging and a lot of fun — After this course I’m ready to tackle any bartending job!
Masa T. from Vancouver
5/5
Really enjoyed my last two weeks here. The class had a great instructor and atmosphere, with comprehensive lessons and situational practice. I learned a lot and it was definitely worth my money. Would recommend this program to anyone thinking about taking it.
Tristan V. from Langley
5/5
Awesome teachers, these guys really inspired me to learn more about making drinks. There is a fair section of theory based work on the relative drinks and the origins of alcohol types. There’s also lots of hands on practice which I believe was one of the highlights of Fine Arts Bartending. It was a very fun experience and really prepares you at the bar, loved the environment and the challenge.
Will W. from Coquitlam
5/5

Join our team of Bartending Instructors

And if you think you might be perfect to join our team of bartending instructors, we are always open to seeing a resume or two. Have a look at our Jobs page for a rundown on what we might be looking for in a team member.

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Grant G.

Grant G.

Grant became interested in bartending back in his early days living in Alberta. After earning a Diploma in Bartender Training from N.A.I.T. he headed out here to Vancouver… and decided to make this city his home. We think he made the right call, especially on those warm sunny days when an Aperol Spritz is the patio cocktail of choice. His bartending instructors from back in the day would be proud of where he is now!

Grant has oodles of experience. He has many years as a banquet bartender at the Westin Bayshore, plus many more as a nightclub bartender. Both jobs are very different, but require both accuracy and speed. Weddings and conferences require volumes of cocktails in a very quick fashion to match the theme of the event. Nightclubs offer the opportunity for flair while still cranking out the cocktails.

Travelling is also a passion of his, and he has spent time travelling through much of Europe. He enjoys getting his hands dirty when not behind the bar with some gardening. If you too have a green thumb, Grant is more than happy to share some his knowledge, especially with his Master Gardener Certificate earned right here in Vancouver from VanDusen Botanical Garden.

Zack C.

Zack C.

When not teaching evenings here at Fine Art Bartending, you can find Zack slinging drinks at 1181. On the weekends, Zack is the lead bartender, bar manager and the main guy training new bartenders there. With over 10 years in the service industry, he has a pile of stories to share about how much fun this industry is. Before creating all kinds of cocktails, he worked his way up from bar back to bar manager.

If you ask him what he likes to drink, he’ll tell you he’s a tequila guy. It’s those great margaritas that take him back to those days when we could easily travel to Mexico. Tequila is something that really needs to be sipped to be appreciated. He’s also spent some time as a barista so Zack knows his coffee.

Zack is also an actor and has spent many years teaching drama and improv. Bard on the Beach and the Canadian Improv Games are a few of the different things he has been up to ever since relocating out west from Ontario. You can also find him on IMDB!

Tieg S.

Tieg S.

Tieg was born and raised in Vancouver BC where he got his start in the hospitality industry nearly 20 years ago. He began working in the kitchen. After learning to cook, he decided to move into bartending for a new challenge and to make a bit more money. To make that transition, he found our bartending course.

Tieg learned how to bartend from Fine Art Bartending. Shortly after learning everything he could from his bartending instructors, Tieg became a bartender at Monk McQueens. Monk’s was a Vancouver landmark location in False Creek that is now home to Mahoney and Sons. Since then he has worked as a bartender and manager at bars and restaurants across the lower mainland including the Sandbar on Granville Island, the Shark Club and BarOne at the Sheraton Wall Centre.

When he’s not teaching, Tieg is writing, hiking, exercising and exploring the city. He also enjoys travelling and lived abroad in Japan where he studied Japanese and in Los Angeles where he earned a degree in journalism.

Chris S.

Chris S.

Chris also graduated from Vancouver Fine Art Bartending back in 1998. Bartending at university parties made him seek out a role behind the bar for both some extra cash while working on that engineering degree. Shortly after finishing the bartending classes, Chris started at a little Greek restaurant in Vancouver’s West Side, and after a couple years he moved on to the city’s best jazz club ‘The Cellar’. Doing a day job as an engineer, and night gig as a bartender soon caught up with him and he hung up his bar rag to focus more on what he went to school for.

Since those early days as a bartender, Chris has always dreamed of opening his own little beach bar somewhere in the world. Chris has been to Europe, Asia, South America, 48 of the 50 US states and has had a drink in each of these places. Not all those beverages were good, but each spot on the map does things a little differently and Chris is effectively a student of everything. He regularly travels in search of that perfect serene and sandy spot, but for now is content to enjoy Vancouver and all the great little happy hour spots around. He also has his WSET Educator Certification and is our in-house WSET Level 1 and 2 Spirits educator.