SPIRITS giant Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands is continuing its campaign to boost bartender skills and knowledge with a new series of events across the country.
The Bacardi and Jack Daniel’s distributor has already taken its Cocktail Culture sessions to Edinburgh and London, with further events planned for Leeds, Bristol and Cardiff.
Hosted by BBFB’s Training Team, each event includes short seminars and interactive workshops, featuring brands like Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose and Southern Comfort.
The drop-in workshops cover fundamentals such as techniques, tastings and cocktail creation.
The company reckons more than 200 bartenders have attended what it calls its ‘mini bar shows’ in the Scottish and English capitals.
“We’re delighted to be back on the road for another year and are really looking forward to showcasing our new format to bartenders up and down the country,” said Ian McLaren, head of product training and mixology at BBFB.
“So far over 200 bartenders have come to see Cocktail Culture in Edinburgh and London and we’ve had some great positive feedback.
“Designed to help those in the drinks industry to maximise their spirits and cocktail offerings, ‘Cocktail Culture’ offers an interactive and engaging programme for bar professionals to improve their overall skills and expertise, as well as learn more about BBFB and the great brands that sit in our portfolio.
“We hope to see visitors from bars, pubs, hotels and clubs who are dedicated to learning more and networking with our team of experts. I urge those interested to get in touch and come down to see what we’re up to.”
The Cocktail Culture seminars include topics such as ‘the bartending books you should own and why’, ‘cocktail resurrections – breathing life into forgotten cocktails’ and ‘the top three cocktail trends of 2012’, while the drop-in workshops cover bartending fundamentals such as techniques, tastings, category information and cocktail creations.
More information on the Cocktail Culture seminars can be found on the BBFB Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bbfbtraining or by contacting the team itself on BBFBtrainingteam@bacardi.com.
The Training Team has been delivering bartender training for five years and is currently comprised of McLaren, Ben Carlotto, Craig Harper and Leanne Davidson, who have more than 50 years’ bartending experience between them.
The team will be visiting Leeds in July, Bristol Cocktail Week in September, London Cocktail Week in October and then Manchester in November.
Image: The Cocktail Culture programme has already included successful events in Edinburgh.
