In the modern cocktail scene, the terms "mixology" and "mixologist" are a regular part of bar vocabulary. They often describe a particular style of mixing cocktails and the professionals who practice it. The question is: What makes a mixologist different than a bartender? The answer is not easy because the two job titles are so intertwined, and the skillsets required in both careers often overlap.

What Is Mixology?

At its most basic, mixology is another term for mixing drinks or bartending, and a mixologist is another title for a bartender or bar chef. However, mixology is generally accepted as an in-depth approach to the art and craft of mixing drinks. Think of it as studying the chemistry of drinks, and the mixologist as the professional who practices that.

In "The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails," contributor Derek Brown mentions that the word mixologist was first printed in an 1856 edition of Knickerbocker Magazine and regularly used by the 1870s.1 Merriam-Webster's dictionary dates mixology to 1872 and defines it as "the art or skill of preparing mixed drinks." It defines "bartender" as "a person who serves drinks at a bar" and was first documented in 1825. Fundamentally, the difference is both clear and ambiguous.

Mixology's definition and its use are debated in the professional bartending community. It usually has to do with the impression that a mixologist is more skilled than a bartender. This simply isn't so. Neither one is "better" than the other; each requires both the same and a different set of skills, and the two titles are often used interchangeably.

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