#bartender education

[barsmarts]

BarSmarts Advanced is heading to Tampa & Oakland!!!

Tampa - Oct 15 Oakland - Nov 7

Sign up at barsmarts.com/advanced before all spots are gone!

*Remember that in order to attend BarSmarts Advanced you must first pass and complete the online certification program. All info can be found at barsmarts.com

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Win a BAR 5 Day scholarship!

DONT FORGET: The 🔝 scorer from BarSmarts Advanced San Antonio - coming up April 2nd - will receive a scholarship to the BAR 5-Day Program! 🥃 The scholarship covers tuition costs for the January 2020 BAR 5-Day certification! 💪 

Head to barsmarts.com/advanced to sign up! #barsmarts52 #pernodshow

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🙌 Love seeing this from the BarSmarts community! #rp via (Instagram user) @ginandjulep: “@barsmarts graduates! There’s something magical when people who excel in whatever craft they choose, decide to share their knowledge with the world. Forever in gratitude to the people who spent years of honing their craft, doing countless hours of research, and rediscovering lost drinks to create such an amazing program and an undeniable game-changing resource tool. You inspire us to be the best we can be <3 G&J” ❤️🥰 | Click the link in bio ⬆️ to sign up for the upcoming BarSmarts Advanced session in San Antonio! 🤠 #texasherewecome #barsmartsgrads

[barsmarts]

It’s BACON! Coming to San Diego, Denver & Pittsburgh in June!

Pernod Ricard is hitting the road with The Bartender Advocacy Convention (BACON) this June! We’re visiting a few of our favorite towns with some of our favorite people talking about their favorite things. It’s a day of spirits & hospitality education with some of the industry’s most respected personalities. The best part is: it’s free! All you have to do is RSVP. Oh, and breakfast & lunch are included too, sooo...

Dates, Details & RSVP Info ⬇️

📍 San Diego, June 5th // 9am - 6pm (Sold out!) Manchester Grand Hyatt Waitlist: [email protected]

📍 Denver, June 7th // 9am - 6pm (Sold out!) Four Seasons Waitlist: [email protected]

📍 Pittsburgh, June 12th // 9am - 6pm Ace Hotel RSVP: [email protected]

Seminar Info ⬇️

THE SCIENCE & TECHNIQUE OF MAKING SCOTCH COCKTAILS Seminar & Practical with Dave Arnold and Don Lee

Dave Arnold is a James Beard Award-winning author, bar owner, inventor; and the Assistant Dean of Culinary Technology at the International Culinary Center. He is also the Founder and President of the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), a father, husband, and maniac.

Don Lee was the opening Beverage Director for PDT in New York. In the decade since, his name has become synonymous with acclaimed bars, beverage programs, and the famed Cocktail Apprentice Program for Tales of the Cocktail. Don also lectures widely regarding the science and sensory neuroscience of cocktails, reengineers bar equipment for Cocktail Kingdom, and knows all of the best places to eat in every city in the world (approximately).

THE ART OF TRAINING Seminar with David Kaplan, Alex Day, Devon Tarby

David Kaplan has worked in the hospitality industry since the age of 13, and has already been the mastermind behind more beloved cocktail bars than many visit in a lifetime. In 2006, he founded New York City cocktail institution, Death & Company, which was followed by the foundation of Proprietors LLC, with Alex Day and Devon Tarby, a full-service hospitality consultancy whose list of instant classics spans the country and the globe, and includes Nitecap (NYC); Honeycut, The Normandie Club, and The Walker Inn (LA); and The Death & Company cocktail book (with Alex Day and Nick Fauchald). He is a lover, not a fighter.

Alex Day is a partner in Proprietors LLC, and a neatly dressed prodigy in the fields of F&B operations, bar design, beverage and hospitality programming, staff training, and general tinkering–making constant improvements to established industry norms. Alex is a frequent contributor across all manner of trade media, and a highly sought lecturer and panelist as a coauthor, bar owner, and gadget operator.*

Devon Tarby began her career at a world-renowned cocktail bar The Varnish in downtown Los Angeles, where she met her future partners in crime at Proprietors LLC. She has provided expert consult in the development of numerous brand projects, dozens of bar and restaurant openings across the globe, and been awarded some of the highest national recognitions for her work in the mixology sphere. Devon is a Capricorn.

*See also: Dave Arnold, Don Lee, and Devon Tarby for gadget operation

GUEST BARTENDER & AUTHOR OF THE BLOODY MARY Brian Bartels

Brian Bartels was raised in the consecrated Bloody Mary territory of Wisconsin and has been a writer and bartender his entire adult life. His first shift was during a busy Saturday brunch, where he learned that wearing a Bloody Mary was not the best way to enjoy one. He now lives in New York City, where he is a Managing Partner and Bar Director for the revered Happy Cooking restaurant family: Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey’s Grocery, Bar Sardine, Fedora, and Perla Cafe

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY Personal History and Q&A with Richard Betts

Richard Betts is a sommelier wunderkind; the New York Times best-selling author of The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert; co-founder of Sombra Mezcal and numerous delicious wine brands. He is tied with Kevin for most degrees in the BACON family and, if he were an animal, he’d be a spinner dolphin.

So, come spend the day with us at the Bartender Advocacy Convention, and learn some things, drink some things and hang out with your local bartending community. Hope to see you all there! 

ICYMI: RSVP Info ⬇️ (Because scrolling back up is the worst)

📍 San Diego, June 5th // 9am - 6pm (Sold out!) Manchester Grand Hyatt Waitlist: [email protected]

📍 Denver, June 7th // 9am - 6pm (Sold out!) Four Seasons Waitlist: [email protected]

📍 Pittsburgh, June 12th // 9am - 6pm Ace Hotel RSVP: [email protected]

Just remember:

[barsmarts]

Calling All Milwaukee Bartenders

Pernod Ricard USA is happy to announce that BarSmarts Advanced is coming to Milwaukee on March 29, 2017!

What is BarSmarts Advanced? - BarSmarts Advanced events are a full-day of instruction, education, hands-on mixology, testing and certification that take place in select cities each year. Hosted by Pernod Ricard USA, and BAR, LLC, these events are a day of challenge, learning, and fun.

The morning session includes an introduction by F. Paul Pacult, a comprehensive blind tasting with Steve Olson and Doug Frost, history and cocktail/punch demos with Dale DeGroff and Dave Wondrich, and a discussion on service/hospitality with Andy Seymour.

In the afternoon, participants will take a 100-question test (includes a blind tasting) and a separate practical exam. The practical exam asks that participants properly make 3 classic cocktails in front of one judge. Feel free to bring your own bar tools or use the ones we provide. Participants that pass both exams will become BarSmarts Advanced Certified – our highest certification!

BarSmarts Advanced events start promptly at 9 AM and end around 5 PM. We encourage participants to arrive at 8:30 AM to sign in. Breakfast and lunch are included. If you are traveling to BarSmarts Advanced from out-of-town, we suggest arriving the day before the event. The BarSmarts Advanced registration fee is $75. Travel and lodging costs are not included.  Below is the event location information:

The Pfister Hotel 424 East Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53202

To properly prepare for this event, we require all BarSmarts Advanced attendees to take and complete our online BarSmarts program first. To take the first step in attending BarSmarts Advanced, please register and complete the BarSmarts program.  Click here for more information on the online BarSmarts program. If you have already completed the online BarSmarts program and would like to register for BarSmarts Advanced Milwaukee, click here. Please let us know if you have any questions and we hope to see you at a future event! Cheers! The BarSmarts Team

[barsmarts]

How & When To Cut Someone Off

Many of today’s bartenders are equipped with a wide range of skills. From maintaining an encyclopedic wealth of knowledge on spirits both common and obscure, to keeping up with current trends and techniques, to working long shifts and dealing with guests of all temperments. Bartenders must always be ready to make quick educated decisions that can affect a guest or group’s experience inside their venue and beyond. Tales of the Cocktail dives into one of the less pleasant yet most important skillsets required by those behind the stick. Knowing how and when to cut a guest off:

The When

“As bartenders, we are in positions of great importance when it comes to cutting off an overly inebriated guest,” says Rob McShea, owner and lead bartender of Miss B’s Coconut Club and The Duck Dive. “In terms of legality and public safety, the consequences of not cutting off that guest when they have had too much to drink are terrible, even deadly.”

Regarding running a business, McShea says that it’s also important to spot overly intoxicated guests because they affect the rest of your patrons’ experience. Really, nobody wants to spend their night in the bar with the “drunk guy.”

“I tell my bartenders to look for four major physical components when determining if someone has had too much to drink: bloodshot and glazed eyes, slurred speech, decreased motor control and negative or aggressive interactions with other guests.”

When in doubt, it’s the combination of someone displaying all of the above that should throw up a red flag.

Sabrina Mitchell, bar manager at Del Sur Mexican Cantina, says that some other signs to look for is someone who’s overly loud, going through drinks more quickly, swearing or angry or someone who’s gotten too flirty.

The How

Ultimately, cutting someone off is at the bartender’s discretion. In general, though, protocol says that if you spot someone who’s over their limit, you should stop serving that person alcohol, hand over a glass of water, close the tab and call a cab. It’s not always that cut-and-dry when someone’s so wet, though.

“Personally, I have found that the respectful, direct approach works terrific for me,” says McShea. “Essentially, it is as simple as leaning to take their order, but instead letting them know that I think that they have had too much to drink and I don't feel comfortable giving them another.”

You need to deliver the decision softly and with resolve to show you’re serious, but to also avoid embarrassing or agitating your guest. One of the best ways to further soften the blow is to offer an invitation to come back tomorrow.

“A few times we've given the guest a water and they are usually confused at first,” says Mitchell, who co-manages the bar with Natasha Mitchell. “When they ask about the water, we tell them we don't feel comfortable giving them another alcoholic beverage, but we'd love to serve them in the future. It has always gone over well. Additionally, we have given the guest the check before they ask and they usually get the hint. There have only been a few times when the guest becomes angry, but they usually leave understanding why we did what we had to do.”

Another strategy is to enlist the help of the inebriated guest’s friends. McShea says to pull the friend over to the side – out of earshot – and explain the situation. The key is to not make a big deal of it, but to be straightforward, polite, and show that you genuinely care.

In the end, remember that you’re just doing your job. Not only are you looking out for the wellbeing of one of your paying customers, but you’re looking out for the comfort and happiness of your other patrons, as well — not to mention the fact that paying attention and being deliberate can also save lives.

[barsmarts]

Unconventional Vessels

Even the most finely wrought drink loses its luster if sipped out of, say, a disposable Solo cup. A good-looking glass, though, creates a vital sensorial element to the act of drinking. Whether used for a tried-and-true Martini or a newfangled Sherry concoction, these five eye-catching—and sturdy—vessels could change the way you think about serving drinks.

1. WOODEN MARTINI GLASSES

The Martini is almost always served in its iconic V-shaped namesake glass. But these retro-inspired ones sold by Brooklyn, New York–based Uncommon Goods, shun the typical peek-a-boo approach for the mysterious allure of opaque wood. In his Carbondale, Colorado, studio, treehouse and furniture maker David Rasmussen unites sanded, high-grain black walnut with powder-coated aluminum or Plexiglas stems. There’s also a utilitarian aspect to these handmade originals: wood can keep cocktails chilled longer than glass.

2. THE PEARL DIVER 

New York barware haven Cocktail Kingdom collaborated with New Orleans tiki expert Jeff “Beachbum” Berry to resuscitate the voluptuous Pearl Diver glass. This mid-century staple, the vessel of choice for such illustrious drinks as Don the Beachcomber’s Planter’s Punch and the Sumatra Sam, fell out of favor by the 1970s. Now it’s poised for a comeback. A replica of the original, the distinctive design is an apt fit for quenching tall cocktails like the Paloma and the Americano.

3. THE COPPER PINEAPPLE

The pineapple has long been a symbol of hospitality. So Absolut ELYX, the Swedish-made vodka spawned from the winter wheat of a single estate, created a bespoke glass in honor of the fruit. Crafted from copper, it’s an ode to the Column 51, the all-copper still from which ELYX is sprung. The playful pineapple vessels are exclusive to the swank Miami Beach EDITION Hotel. Here, patrons sip drinks like the appropriately named ELYX Pineapple, which melds the vodka with pineapple puree, oloroso Sherry, rosemary and salted caramel syrups, and Bittermens Tiki Bitters. Dried pineapple and torched rosemary garnishes add another jolt of whimsy. To recreate such tropical quaffs at home buy one, as proceeds aid those in need of clean drinking water.

4. SMOKY TUMBLER

In Portland, Oregon, Mazama Wares hand-blows each of its refined, organically designed vessels, like this squat tumbler. The traditional cocktail glass, perfect for on-the-rocks favorites such as Old Fashioneds, is fashioned from smoky soda-lime glass.

5. PLASTIC HIGHBALL

Highballs including the Tom Collins and Pimm’s Cup are meant to be light and breezy, and Williams-Sonoma’s Duraclear collection of complementary glassware reflects that carefree spirit. Available in vivid hues of red, yellow, green and blue, the glasses resemble radiant glass from afar, but are made from durable polycarbonate. Shatterproof, they are the ideal choice for boozy outdoor parties.