Two At The Most

I have successfully finished all the reading and online quizzes for BarSmarts Advanced. This means I can attend BarSmarts Live, when I’ll have to make drinks for people who know how they should taste. In preparation, I’m going to work through each of the 25 drinks every bartender should know. Some I have talked about previously, including the first in the list, the Aviation. 

The Aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin and appeared in his 1916 book, Recipes for Mixed Drinks. 

Aviation Cocktail … Continue Reading

BarSmarts WIRED is again open for registration, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to truly understand the basics of the craft cocktail world, bartender and enthusiast alike.

Last fall, I was invited by Pernod Ricard to try out the BarSmarts WIRED program. This is a study at home version of the highly respected BarSmarts certification put together by Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR), LLC, a group that includes such cocktail luminaries as Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steve Olson, F. … Continue Reading

I just registered for BarSmarts Wired.

I’ve always heard great things about Pernod Ricard’s BarSmarts Advanced Program, but have never had a chance to participate.

Now they have created an online version, and are running it through September for the very low price of $45.

The BarSmarts Wired program consists of 16 hours of online reading and videos to prepare you for four 25 question tests and finally a virtual cocktail building test where you must prepare five of seven classic cocktails correctly, … Continue Reading