EBS Bartending Course

The first day of the EBS course introduced me to everything I didn't know about Bartending, which was a lot. I had never worked in a bar other than a trial shift back home in Melbourne. Everyone there was from all over the world and it was really interesting finding out what the course was going to be about and all the things we would be learning. They broke it down into 4 areas.

Theory, Flair, Bar and Pour.

Theory would be about how alcohol was made, from beers to spirits, wine to champagne. Also about the equipment, techniques, glassware, spirit brands, and all the important stuff.

Flair is the art of performer with bar equipment whilst also making a drink. You can compare it to juggling but it's more than that, and I was terrible at juggling any way so it was a challenge but it was so cool to see it done with no error. We learnt one whole routine that went for about 2 minutes and we would practice it in segments so we would be able to do it smoothly.

Team

Porn star Martini

Grass Hopper

Nathan

Naughty

Sophie

Adventure Bar

Drinks

Bar was where the practical training came in. Making drinks hands on with all the equipment, ice, bar stations, spirits and so on. They used dye colouring in individual branded bottles mixed with water so we weren't wasting endless amounts of alcohol and money. We went through our cocktail books we received at the start of the course and made 6 drinks with different methods so we understood which cocktail should be made first. For example, if you had a shake and strain method drink and a build method drink, you would do the shake and strain method first as it took more time. We also learnt how to to make more than one drink at a time by using the shared ingredient between the drinks when making one. So if you had a Cuba Libre and a Daiquiri, the common ingredient is Light Rum and Lime juice so you would pour those into the glass after you pour the ingredients into the shaker for the Daiquiri. It's about quick service.

The Pouring lesson was about the different techniques used while pouring and also about accurately pouring the right amount for free pouring. We practised pouring with a bottle in each hand at once. Pouring with 2 bottles in one hand and pouring different amounts between tins at once.

This course went for one month but since it was so practical and in depth, as well as 5 days a week, it was so so helpful getting me up to speed with it all and soon after I finished my course I got a job bartending at one of the bars they recommend in Covent Garden. It was awesome. I'd recommend anyone to do the EBS course if they are interested in breaking into the Bartending industry with no experience, and also make it an experience. Go do it in a different country, it makes it so much more special.