Barista vs mixologist

The differences between baristas and mixologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a barista has an average salary of $29,528, which is higher than the $25,161 average annual salary of a mixologist.

The top three skills for a barista include cash handling, food products and punctuality. The most important skills for a mixologist are wine, bartending, and excellent guest.

Barista vs mixologist overview

	Barista	Mixologist
Yearly salary	$29,528	$25,161
Hourly rate	$14.20	$12.10
Growth rate	14%	18%
Number of jobs	93,290	53,872
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	23	34
Years of experience	-	2

Barista vs mixologist salary

Baristas and mixologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Barista	Mixologist
Average salary	$29,528	$25,161
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $15,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	-
Highest paying state	Maine	-
Best paying company	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	-
Best paying industry	Retail	-

Differences between barista and mixologist education

There are a few differences between a barista and a mixologist in terms of educational background:

	Barista	Mixologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Barista vs mixologist demographics

Here are the differences between baristas' and mixologists' demographics:

	Barista	Mixologist
Average age	23	34
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 44.2% Female, 55.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 3.5% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between barista and mixologist duties and responsibilities

Barista example responsibilities.

Used Microsoft excel and QuickBooks to manage payroll, receive orders and payments, create invoices and update customer accounts.
Supervise a team of employees and run store operations while
Provide excellent customer service, keep shop/equipment cleanliness, order/stocking of coffee/food/drink items.
Recognize by supervisors and customers for excellence in customer service, punctuality, and positive attitude.
Provide legendary customer service and cultivate relationships with customers all while creating handcraft beverages up to Starbucks standard.
Provide customers Starbucks quality service by interacting with customers, making quality beverages, and maintaining an excellent store environment.

Mixologist example responsibilities.

Book VIP tables and provide high quality service.
Count down all registers in VIP sections.
Open new restaurants and bars across the country.
Cut fruit for garnishing as well as ingredients for cocktails.
Operate POS terminal without error totaling approximately $20k in sales on a weekly basis.
Keep records and enter all the items of food and beverage in the POS system.

Barista vs mixologist skills

Common barista skills

Cash Handling, 27%
Food Products, 18%
Punctuality, 11%
Presentation Standards, 6%
Operational Policies, 4%
Customer Service, 3%

Common mixologist skills

Wine, 31%
Bartending, 11%
Excellent Guest, 7%
Cleanliness, 7%
Drink Orders, 5%
Fine Dining, 4%

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Barista vs Mixologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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