JC Bartending Academy

I bought a Groupon for an amateur class for up to 10ppl. We didn’t really know what to expect so hopefully this will give someone else an idea before purchasing.
First — my expectation was to learn how to make better drinks at home, because mine frankly suck. I was really hoping to learn how to get the ratio of alcohol to mixer good so they don’t taste like hairspray!
This class teaches you more techniques for someone who actually may want to become a bartender. How to line up your bar, tools needed, etc. It was very interesting and the instructor was very knowledgeable and entertaining but it just wasn’t what we were expecting… oh well, we still had fun.
They put you behind the bar to practice making drinks out of alcohol bottles filled w colored water for half of the 2 hr class. Since I couldn’t taste them, who knows if they were any good? Bummer. However I did learn how many counts it takes to have poured an ounce of alcohol… womp womp.

I took an amateur bartending class with Rhett as an instructor after purchasing a coupon deal. The class was 3 hours with about 10 others. Upon walking in, you get a mixed drink to start, but the interesting thing is that this place doesn’t actually carry very much REAL liquor, so your drink choices are super limited, and on that night, their coke and diet coke mixer was flat! Anyway, the class itself is taught at the bar, by Rhett who was an exceptional teacher for us amateurs. For an hour, he told really interesting stories about the history of the glassware, utensils, origins of drinks. Anyone who can tell interesting stories about glassware knows how to teach! The second half of the class was hands-​on, after we learned the basics about mixing and using the bar tools. They had a full bar of liquors for every 4 students, except the liquor bottles are just filled with colored water! I guess it makes sense they dont want us amateurs wasting real liquor but that really took the wind out of my sails. The hands on part was fun, because we could mix any kind of drinks we wanted, and it was fun pretending to bartend. It’s definitely harder than it looks!
The amateur bartending class is a great alternative date night event. If you live in Plano, definitely give it a try. You’ll learn a lot!

Signed up for classes in September 2011. Paid a registration fee of $ 95. I became involved in a car accident and was hospitalized and contacted the school numerous times via e-​mail. they refuse to contact me back. I called and spoke to a woman who said she would have no problem in assisting me get my refund. Jason calls me back and says it’s «policy» that they can’t refund registration fees. The policy is no where listed on my receipt or on the business website. Jason said my registration fee would be active for a few months, but what good does that do me if I don’t live in Dallas anymore.

I’m all about trying new things and venturing out. A few of us bought the groupon to attend a bartending class a while back, and we tried it out. It was something different to do, and it was a lot of fun. There is one guy that is a master bartender that instructed a group of us on basics and tips of being a bartender. It was pretty neat to get behind a «fake bar,» and he teaches you the basics of mixing and what to do/​what not to do/​how to figure out which bartender is a professional or not. It was a nice outing and a cool lesson to learn. The music was on, and real drinks were served, too bad we couldn’t drink the «fake» drinks we all mixed. You’re pretty much mixing up colored water, but it was cool. Now I know how to use my shaker! Come experience an evening out by coming here first before painting the town red.

My opinion of JC Bartending Academy has not improved any with the reaction my review garnered. I received the following message from a private user (NOT the business listing) who shall remain unnamed:
Thank you for your comment on Unilocal.You are correct. You should blame the party planner/​hostess for not providing the adequate mixers to make good drinks. Our bartenders are great but they are not miracle workers and cannot produce a great drink with non-​complimentary ingredients. This was not the appropriate place to leave a review about event space since this listing is for our bartending school. Hopefully people will realize this when they read your review and not judge our school based upon your hostess’ failure to utilize our beverage consultation and look at the space before booking her event. We hope that you reconsider your review and send your comments to the appropriate person… the hostess.
My reply was as follows:
Hi [NAME],
Your «business description» on that page mentions your event space — the listing is not exclusive to your bartending school. There is no such distinction on Unilocal.Reviewers are allowed to comment on any aspect of the business.
Your request for me to «reconsider» my review is actually a violation of the Unilocal Terms of Service, as is your use of a personal account to contact me as a business owner.
Thank you.
Anne

JC’s is a full-​fledged bartending school for those of you who want to start or change careers and learn how to be a professional mixologist. JC’s also offers short 2-​hour beginner’s seminars, which I attended and will talk about here.
Attended a
group outing here for the DFW Cocktail Specialists last Saturday. For $ 10 each, me and my lovely soon-​to-​be wife learned about bar glasses, equipment, various forms of liquor, and how to pour/​mix/​shake a mean cocktail. It was a blast!
Jason, the proprietor, and Rhett, the instructor were both very personable. They walked us through the basics, discussed some recipe, and then let us loose behind the bar. Wait, I know what you are thinking, «I get to make all these drinks and sample them for $ 10 bucks? Where do I sign up?» Well, it’s not quite that simple! They have full bar stations and wells with real bottles but filled with colored water to simulate alcohol (something about state regulations. GRRR!). Nonetheless, they were nice enough to pour us a drink or two and you can bring your own to sample while you are playing at being Sam Malone or Grayson from «Cougar Town».
Eventhough the cocktails that I made at JC’s were pretend, it was a rush to be behind an actual bar and I learned skills that I have already used at home in making martinis. We went with a group that we did not know but it would have been even more fun to host a small bachelor/​bachelorette/​other gathering here.
It seemed like these fellas knew what they were doing. If you are looking at this as a profession, give them a call. If you are looking for an informative and fun activity, I recommend that you do the same.