BarSmarts⢠is a one-of-a-kind online bartender education and certification program sponsored by Pernod Ricard USA, and developed in collaboration with the world's most celebrated cocktail experts from BAR LLC. To inquire about enrolling in a BarSmarts program, send a request by email to [email protected]. By following us, you acknowledge you're 21+ and you will drink responsibly. Visit BarSmarts.com for more information.
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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DONT FORGET: The đ scorer from BarSmarts Advanced San Antonio - coming up April 2nd - will receive a scholarship to the BAR 5-Day Program! đĽ The scholarship covers tuition costs for the January 2020 BAR 5-Day certification! đŞÂ
Head to barsmarts.com/advanced to sign up! #barsmarts52 #pernodshow
đ Love seeing this from the BarSmarts community! #rp via (Instagram user) @ginandjulep: â@barsmarts graduates! Thereâs 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&Jâ â¤ď¸đĽ° | Click the link in bio âŹď¸ to sign up for the upcoming BarSmarts Advanced session in San Antonio! đ¤ #texasherewecome #barsmartsgrads
âď¸ First BarSmarts Advanced of 2019 đ coming up on April 2nd in đSan Antonio, Texas! Join us for a full-day of instruction, education, hands-on mixology, testing & certification. Click link in bio âŹď¸ to sign up *Remember, attendees must first take and complete the online BarSmarts certification
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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BarSmarts Advanced is Heading to Philly in September
We are VERY happy to announce that BarSmarts Advanced is coming to Philadelphia, PA on September 26 for our 50th event!
BarSmarts Advanced Philadelphia
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Event Location TBD
Registration - $75
REGISTER FOR BARSMARTS ADVANCED
BarSmarts Advanced events are open to graduates of the online BarSmarts program only.
So what is BarSmarts Advanced? - BarSmarts Advanced is a full-day of instruction, education, hands-on mixology, testing and certification that takes place in select cities each year. Â 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 participants to properly make 3 classic cocktails in front of one judge. Tools will be provided for the practical exam, but participants may use their own if they prefer. Â To properly prepare for the afternoon testing, we suggest all participants login to their BarSmarts account and re-review the reading/video material. The written test questions and practical drinks will come directly from the online materials. Â Participants that pass both exams will become BarSmarts Advanced Certified â our highest certification!
We require all BarSmarts Advanced attendees to take and complete our online BarSmarts program first. Â To take the first step in attending BarSmarts Advanced, please register and complete the BarSmarts program. Â
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, click here
.
BAR 5-DAY SCHOLARSHIP BarSmarts and Pernod Ricard USA are also pleased to announce that the high scorer* from BarSmarts Advanced Pittsburgh will receive a scholarship to the Worldâs Most Comprehensive Distilled Spirits & Mixology Program: The BAR 5-Day⢠Certification Program. The scholarship will cover tuition costs for the January 2019 BAR 5-Day⢠Certification Program.
Please let us know if you have any questions and we hope to see you at a future BarSmarts Advanced event!
Pernod Ricard to Launch Bartender-Only Havana Club Range!
First BarSmarts Spanish, now this! From Just-Drinks:
ââŚPernod Ricardâs international marketing director for Havana Club, Nick Blacknell, said the new range will be a âthank youâ to the bartending community as well as a chance for Havana Club to prove its worth on the back shelf.
âThis allows us to experiment with rum, to push boundaries and to learn new things,â Blacknell said. âThere is a danger that we are seen as âbig rum,â and that people think we are just mass produced. But the Cuban rum stock we have is amazing and this range can prove we have the expertise and ability to produce top-quality rum.â
Read the rest of the write-up here and look out for the bartender-only rum range coming soon!
Great news! Weâre currently testing BarSmarts Spanish in a few different markets and hope to release it soon! The LA Times spoke with Pernod Ricardâs own Kevin Denton and two Harvard & Stone staff members; bar manager Aaron Polsky and bartender Fredy Garcia (pictured above).
From LA Times:
âWhen you talk about leveling the playing field for people, it should be done in a sense of providing everybody educational opportunities to better themselves,â says Polsky. âAnd this is the most thorough, useful way of doing this for our industry.â
Denton says Pernod Ricard was already working on getting the manual out in Spanish when Polsky approached him with the idea.
âWe had actually already started this initiative internationally and because of the popularity of the program, we had been looking into doing the translation,â says Denton. âWe that work in the food and beverage industry have worked alongside [Spanish] speakers, so itâs nothing new, but the access to information should be more widely available.â
Denton says that after six months of working with agencies that helped translate the BarSmarts online manual, the Spanish version is now in the hands of Spanish-speaking bartender testers in Mexico and Colombia to make sure all the idioms, slang and colloquialisms were translated correctly. He anticipates BarSmarts in Spanish will be available online to everyone on July 1. And he says the long-term plan is to incorporate more languages, though he didnât specify which ones.
To read more about the forthcoming program and to read the rest of the write-up click here.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Quality
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âI want you to see the worldâs greatest challenges, not as problems, but as opportunities for us to serveâ - Chef Jose Andres, James Beard Foundation 2018 Humanitarian of the Year đđđÂ
Just a friendly reminder that BarSmarts & Pernod Ricard USA are awarding scholarships to BAR 5-DAY, the world's most comprehensive distilled spirits & mixology program. The high scorer from each of our upcoming BarSmarts Advanced events in 2018 will receive a scholarship that covers tuition costs for the January 2019 BAR 5-Day Certification Program.
Our next BarSmarts Advanced date is coming up in Philadelphia on September 26th and then we hit up Omaha on October 17th. Sign up here!
Congratulations to Death & Co., who recently opened their doors in Denver.
"The day has come! After years of preparation and almost a month of training with our incredible team, @deathandcompany Denver is opening its doors. Weâll be taking things slow these first few days, working out the kinks and figuring out what our restaurant and bar wants to be - but cannot wait for everyone to join us and see what weâre so proud to unveil!â - Co-owner & founder Alex Day
Bartender Advocacy Convention is the all-shaking, all-stirring hospitality roadshow by Pernod Ricard USA. Aimed at being a continuing education resource for the curious amongst the bar and hospitality trade, BACON is a rotating series of seminars and panel discussions presented by professionals at the top of their game across a roving itinerary of some of our favorite towns. Stay tuned for more details!
Speed Rack New England heads to Boston this Sunday at Royale from 3-7pm! Help raise money for the fight against breast cancer while supporting the local bartending community. Get your tickets here.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Quality
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Industry Stalwarts Reflect On The Hard Work That Led To Their Success
Jessamine McLellan - National Brand Ambassador for Redbreast, The Glenlivet, Aberlour, Powers & more - spoke with Meaghan Dorman - Bar Director at The Raines Law Room, Dear Irving & The Bennett - about drive, gender parity and the hard work thatâs led them to succeed in a historically male-dominated industry
Jessamine McLellan: Meaghan, you are an amazingly accomplished individual in the bar industry, who also happens to be female. Many people respect you and look you as a mentor. What qualities about yourself do you attribute to your success? Tell us a little about your journey...
Meaghan Dorman: Iâm the oldest of four and a twin, so I have always had people to look out for and I know how to share. Sharing ideas, credit, attention, opportunities and so on is so important in our industry and making sure that those next in line feel like they have a shot at success and are prepared by gaining more responsibilities as time goes on. I always take a moment to see a situation from all sides, to be able to give a measured and thoughtful response to issues that arise. I also have trained myself and others in virtually every role in our bars, as people will only trust you so far if you canât jump in and help. A mentor doesnât let the ship sink, they paddle even when the oars fall off.
JM: I have often felt that my relentless drive and inspiration comes from other people telling me âno, you canât do that.â Essentially, telling me I canât is the best way for me to show you I can. Was there a time where you were told you would not achieve something and how did it affect you?
MD: Earlier in my career, I was overlooked because I didnât âlookâ like a bartender. People actually admitted it to me years later! I would say creativity, punctuality, responsiveness all go a lot farther than a mustache and outsize ego. I had to believe in the old hard work pays off adage, because I wasnât comfortable being anyone other than myself. I was able to quietly make my journey and took that time I was left out of this or that to focus on my craft and personal style.
JM: In my time behind the bar, I found incredible talents in both men and women within my team - but there were always more men than women. It would be difficult to not notice the shift many industries are experiencing to listen to women and see their contributions as equal. Do you see this inclusion happening within our industry, or do we have a long way to go?
MD: I think we have a ways to go in evolving from old rules. For example, you might overlook a potential female barback because you arenât sure they can lift cases or change kegs. You could be missing out on a fast, detailed oriented, organized barback because they might need help in one small task? We must evaluate systems and ideas to see if they really make sense to build the best team or if itâs these rules we inherited that hold us back. Women will certainly deal with a backlash on if we deserve the âextraâ attention we are getting. Frankly, I see that itâs hard for some people to share and realize they might have to earn that next role instead of assuming itâs theirs. We also need to stop adding physical adjectives to women where we donât with men, even in praise why add a successful CEO is stunning when you wouldnât add her male counterpart is handsome? To focus on looks in any marginalized community adds to the idea that only some succeed and that success often has to do with physical appearance.
JM: Sometimes I think, "wow this generation of female bartenders have it so much easier!â - far from the truth, but we have come quite a long way. What will be the biggest challenge for the generation of female hospitality professionals behind you?Â
MD: I think the biggest challenge will be getting more women to the next level of ownership and being able to find investment as easily as men do. I want to see more women fully be able to call the shots and reap the financial rewards of their hard work and ideas.
JM: What woman, in the industry or not, inspires you and why?
MD: Michelle Obama. Seriously, who doesnât want to sit down and have a martini with this woman? I want to absorb just one iota of her grace, gravitas and seemingly endless energy. Also fashion advice welcome!
The Iceman Cometh: Q&A With Chicago Ice Expert Joel Rund
We recently spoke with Joel Rund - the man responsible for producing tens of thousands of unique ice pieces every week for over 20 different venues in Chicago - about how he took ice from its supporting role in drinks to cocktail scene-stealer.
Tell us a little bit about your background in the hospitality industry...
Iâve always worked in restaurants. I love being behind the bar! After bartending for about 4 years, I found myself working with the opening team at the Trump Hotel. This was 2008. No seemed to care too much about this new âcraft cocktailâ movement that was gaining momentum in Chicago at that time. I did what I could to try and prove the worth of this hotel bar to this new cocktail world. We got rid of flavored spirits, started a fresh juice program, and we started stirring Manhattans. Total cliche, right?
Now I run the ice programs for Lettuce Entertain You Group and The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group in Chicago. All in all, Iâll cut about 13,000 individual 2x2 cubes and countless custom pieces every WEEK with my partner Cliff!
How did you first get started with developing ice programs?
This interest in rationalizing an $18 cocktail with quality ingredients would give birth to my first ice program. I left my igloo cooler filled with water open in the walk-in freezer for three days. I was not trying to achieve clarity in the ice, I just wanted to make bigger cubes for cocktails out of a large block. The result surprised me. I WAS able to make clear ice that way! That discovery changed my path in the industry for the next decade. I started to put molds in the igloo cooler to create clear shapes and more perfectly shaped cubes. I experimented with different flowers and objects centered inside of the cubes. One of the first photos taken of the ice at this time was of an orchid in ice. People liked it!
Aside from the art of the craft, guestsâ reaction to the ice has been a consistent motivator. I put that orchid photo on my resume for The Fifty/50 Group. I was hired to help open The Sixth, a neighborhood cocktail bar down the street from my house. We opened the doors with an ice-forward cocktail list. We had one Clinebell machine downstairs and a bandsaw. No instructions. I lived down there. I still bartended at The Berkshire Room and The Sixth, but any spare moment was spent downstairs in the ice room.Â
Soon the ice was being distributed to most of their restaurants and starting to gain some press. One year later, Fifty opened Apogee, a rooftop hotel bar with an even more ice-focused menu. Reminiscent of the first cocktail list at The Sixth, Apogee pulled out some new tricks. I started to produce branded ice, collins & rocks ice, large hand-cut spheres, and Spirit Animals, a large ice block cut in the shape of an animal. (The back of the animal is hollowed out to allow a group to enjoy a 25oz cocktail together, large-format-style. The pic below is an ice whale featured in Forbes. On any given day on the rooftop, you could receive one of ten different animals. You choose the spirit for the cocktail, the animal chooses YOU!) It didnât take long for the group to purchase 2 more Clinebell machines to support the demand. I harvested about 3,600 pounds of ice a week throughout the 2017 summer just with The Fifty/50 Group.
Where do you draw inspiration from when getting started?
Iâm interested in creating things Iâve never seen before. Sometimes thatâs hard to reproduce, especially for service! Any bartender trying to push the envelope with their bar program will understand that. The real art becomes HOW to replicate the idea a thousand more times, fast. This is the challenge. Sometimes I find a solution and itâs all good. Sometimes I take a picture of the prototype, put it on Instagram, and go home :)
I recently began circulating âHip-Hop All-Starâ cubes to Sushi-San, a trendy sushi joint that Lettuce Entertain You opened about 2 weeks ago. There, we have ten different rappers in 2x2 ice cubes. I LOVE these cubes and plan on producing many more!
Without a passion for the craft... this would just be ice. There is a great amount of inspiration in this craft right now across the country! A lot of ice houses, sculptors, and ice enthusiasts are doing very interesting things for the food and beverage world as well as the art community. I am lucky to be a part of it.
Any thoughts for bev managers out there who want to develop an interesting or unique ice program?
A nice ice program is a great tool to have to elevate a bar program as well as the guest experience. It acts as another product behind the bar for the bartender to play with, develop, talk about, and sell. Itâs not the answer for every bar. It is a great aesthetic to have in terms of hospitality. Thatâs important to me. But honestly, Iâm still learning about the ice game every day. At the end of the day, âwhat does the guest want?â I wouldnât be answering these questions if ice programs werenât popular right now. My experience in the bar industry has been that the quality of things has only improved since I started. Things got better. Because I am so close to the ice game, I wonder if I canât see the shift in popularity. I can easily remember the Hoshizaki vs Kold Draft Ice Machine conversation from 2008. It comes from the same place. We are trying to provide a better overall product for our guests! So far, Iâve seen solid ice programs do just that for bars! The truth is, I donât think this is just a trend. I donât think people will go backward in quality.