#barsmarts

BarSmarts Advanced San Antonio will be held at: 

Marriott San Antonio  555 S Alamo Street San Antonio, TX 78205 

Great news! We’re currently testing BarSmarts Spanish in a few different markets and hope to release it soon! The LA Times spoke with Pernod Ricard’s own Kevin Denton and two Harvard & Stone staff members; bar manager Aaron Polsky and bartender Fredy Garcia (pictured above).

From LA Times:

“When you talk about leveling the playing field for people, it should be done in a sense of providing everybody educational opportunities to better themselves,” says Polsky. “And this is the most thorough, useful way of doing this for our industry.”

Denton says Pernod Ricard was already working on getting the manual out in Spanish when Polsky approached him with the idea.

“We had actually already started this initiative internationally and because of the popularity of the program, we had been looking into doing the translation,” says Denton. “We that work in the food and beverage industry have worked alongside [Spanish] speakers, so it’s nothing new, but the access to information should be more widely available.”

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 didn’t specify which ones.

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.  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.  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.  Participants that pass both exams will become BarSmarts Advanced Certified – our highest certification!

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, click here

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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 World’s 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!