I thought I had alot to say about this....but Rumrunner beat me to it. Get a
decent bartending book. (bartending for dummies..not too bad) Usually these
books have a section based on the "classic" drinks...Those are good to know.
Also, as Rumrunner mentioned, some drinks are up and down with trends. Some
drinks are more popular by region. You will eventually find out which drinks
you need to know, and which ones don't come up very often.
One thing about bartending in a busy club environment. You definitly have an
opportunity to learn, and yes the customers are a bit more forgiving if you
make mistakes etc....However, be careful not to pick up to many bad habits. I
learned to bartend at a place that was busy from start to finish....constantly
slammed.....this made me fast, but I did develop some bad habits. This can
make it hard to get a job (keep a job) at a slower paced, more classy
establishment.
--
....I will forever be sorry to that old lady at Denny's that night....I hope
you got the stain out of your dress....