Here’s the kicker: Texas law says you must be 21 to sell or serve alcohol in most places. Wait, what? Didn’t I just say you can be a bartender? Yes, but you’ll be a bartender who can’t actually touch the booze for sale. You’re like a quarterback who can’t throw the ball—all the glamour, none of the action.
What you can do at 18 is work as a bartender in a private club or a retail store (like a package store) where alcohol is sold for off-premise consumption. Think of it this way: you can hand a sealed bottle of wine to a customer, but you can’t open it, pour it, or mix it into a cocktail. It’s the bartending equivalent of air guitar.
Oh, and if you’re working in a restaurant that has a bar, forget about mixing drinks. You can bus tables, greet guests, and even take food orders. But the moment someone says, “Can I get a margarita?” you have to call over a 21-year-old colleague. You’re basically a professional wingman for a real bartender.
