# Serving It Right for bartenders

> What BC bartenders need to know: Serving It Right is required, plus the rules on serving sizes, pre-mixing, refills, infusions, bottle service and staff drinking.

Canonical: https://servingitrighttest.ca/for/bartenders
Last updated: 2026-10-26

Bartenders in BC bars, pubs, nightclubs, stadiums and tasting rooms need Serving It Right. Here are the rules from the LCRB’s licence terms that land behind the bar.

## Do bartenders need Serving It Right?

Yes. The program lists bartenders, along with licensees, managers and servers, for liquor primary establishments, and the licence terms require SIR for anyone who sells or serves liquor. A bartender with a valid certificate from a recognized program in another province can work until it expires.

## Rules behind the bar

*From the LCRB’s Liquor Primary Terms and Conditions handbook (May 2026).*
| Rule | What the licence terms say |
| --- | --- |
| Spirits | No more than 3 oz (85 ml) per person at a time, even in a shared pitcher |
| Draught beer and cider | Up to 24 oz per serving; pitchers up to 60 oz for two or more people |
| Bottled beer | Two standard bottles or one large (up to 24 oz) per person at a time |
| Wine | Up to 10 oz by the glass; a 750 ml bottle for two or more with food |
| Mixing types | A patron may have two different drinks at once if together they’re no more than two standard drinks |
| Bottle service | Staff keep control of the bottle and pour no more than the maximum per person; no whole bottles sold in the last hour of service |
| Pre-mixing | Fine, if the liquor came from original containers bought from the Liquor Distribution Branch |
| Refilling bottles | Never refill an original container |
| Infusions and aged cocktails | Allowed in a different container, labelled with the date, liquor used, other ingredients and who made it |

## Your own drinking

No liquor during working hours, including breaks, meal periods and between shifts on the same day. After work you may drink in the service area during the licence’s hours of sale, as long as it isn’t given to you in place of wages.

## Who can’t bartend

Minors can’t open bottles, pour or mix drinks anywhere. In restaurants and stadiums, staff aged 16 or older may carry and serve drinks under SIR-certified adult supervision, but someone 19 or older has to make them.

## Questions people ask

### Can a bartender have a drink after their shift?

Yes, in the service area during the hours of sale, if they’re of legal age and the drink isn’t a substitute for wages. Not during the shift or on breaks.

### How big a pour can a bartender give?

No more than 3 oz of spirits per person at a time in a liquor primary.

## Sources

- [Who needs Serving It Right? (responsibleservicebc.gov.bc.ca)](https://www.responsibleservicebc.gov.bc.ca/who-needs-serving-it-right) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Liquor Primary Licence Terms and Conditions handbook, May 2026 (LCRB, PDF)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/liquor-regulation-licensing/guides-and-manuals/liquorprimary-handbook.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Food Primary Licence Terms and Conditions handbook, May 2026 (LCRB, PDF)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/liquor-regulation-licensing/guides-and-manuals/foodprimary-handbook.pdf) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation, B.C. Reg. 241/2016 (BC Laws)](https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/241_2016) (checked 2026-10-26)

Not affiliated with the Government of British Columbia, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch or the Serving It Right program.

## Related

- [Intoxication and over-service: practice quiz](https://servingitrighttest.ca/practice/intoxication)
- [Serving It Right practice test](https://servingitrighttest.ca/serving-it-right-practice-test)
- [Serving It Right for servers](https://servingitrighttest.ca/for/servers)
- [The Serving It Right certificate](https://servingitrighttest.ca/serving-it-right-certificate)