Personal trainer launches portal to improve bartenders’ health
An Edinburgh-based health and fitness entrepreneur has launched a ‘wellbeing’ web portal which aims to educate bar staff on the effects of alcohol consumption on health.
Iain Bell, owner of the Executive Fitness Foundation, which provides personal training services at One Spa at The Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh, has launched ‘Bartenders’ Manifesto’, a website encouraging bartenders to adopt a healthy approach to alcohol.
The website – bartendersmanifesto.com – was officially launched at London Cocktail Week, where Bell also delivered a seminar on health in the licensed trade as part of the Think Outside The Box series of events hosted by Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands and Patron Tequila.
Bell’s ‘Keeping The Engine Running’ seminar focused on tips and techniques on how to achieve a “balanced lifestyle” while working in the on-trade and his web portal is similarly focused.
The site offers a list of ten principles that make up the bartenders’ manifesto, which focuses on the health and wellbeing of on-trade staff and customers.
Bell launched his portal with a call for an adjustment in the relationship between alcohol and ‘drinking culture’.
“What we’re trying to do is build as much of a dialogue with bartenders as possible,” said Bell.
“I know that bartenders now don’t just pour a pint, they entertain and engage. It’s fantastic but an additional pressure on bartenders.”
Bell said that while bartenders and their customers can enjoy alcohol, “we need to have a better understanding about what it does to our systems”.
“The bar teams know all there is to know in the development and creation of the drinks they are serving, but I understand the physical impact from the moment their creations pass their customers’ lips,” he said.
Through the bartenders’ manifesto site, Bell hopes to see drinks professionals sharing knowledge and looking after “their own and others’ wellbeing”.
“By sharing best practice, the likes of cocktail recipes are responsibly created and customers can make informed choices,” said Bell.
“This in turn ensures all have a safe and enjoyable drinks experience.”
In addition to improving bartender knowledge on the effects of alcohol, Bell also suggested that venues more explicitly display the amount of alcohol present in drinks.
“If we’re serious about wellbeing in the drinks industry, clearly specifying the alcoholic units in all customer drinks would be a small and significant step,” he said.
