S.M.R.T! I mean B.A.R.S.M.A.R.T.!
Have you got the Smarts? The BarSmarts that is.
Pernod-Ricard just launched BarSmarts Wired, a way to make sure you can get all the spirits and cocktails knowledge you need without leaving your keyboard. Based on materials from the BarSmarts Advanced Program, BarSmarts Wired is entirely internet based, meaning reading materials, videos, quizzes and even a “virtual bar” are at your disposal online. The only thing that’s not online is a lovely bartending kit, endorsed by Dale DeGroff and emblazed with many a BarSmarts Logo. The kit includes a computer bag, muddler, shaker, mixing glass, spoon, hawthorne and julep strainers, jiggers, and this great little combo knife/channel knife/zester.
BarSmarts was a program developed by Pernod-Ricard, bringing in the fellows from B.A.R. to develop the materials, intended to bring this exclusive program to the masses of bartenders who can’t fly to New York for a week. The Wired program goes even further, allowing even the embittered imbibers in such cocktail dead zones as Tulsa, OK to get some much appreciated spirit and cocktail learnins.
The program is suggested at 4 weeks, focusing on distillation and spirits production, the history of spirits and cocktails, cocktail development, and bartending service. There is a good 16 hours of combined reading and video watching, and a 25 question test at the end of each section. Reading material can be printed for offline reading, and the BarSmarts bartending kit can be used for offline drinking (highly suggested).
I just took and passed the course myself, which officially designates me as BSWC (BarSmarts Wired Certified). What does this mean for the bartenders out there? Realistically, not a lot of bar managers will have any clue what this means. But, explained well enough, this can be a “one-up” on the competition when you hand in your résumé. And the cocktail enthusiasts, well, you’ll definitely find a vast level of knowledge when it comes to spirits production and history. The 25 drinks every bartender should know is a great way to find the basis of popular drinks, as well as finding new favorites, and can very well surprise house guests and even your favorite bartender.
The Wired program runs through September 30th. At $45, the bartending kit alone is a deal. The knowledge that comes along with reviewing the materials and videos, absolutely priceless. What are you waiting for? Register now!
Tags: barsmarts, certification, online, pernod-ricard, wired
Love the Homer Simpson “S.M.R.T” reference! One of my favorite lines is from the episode when he builds a robot and has it make him a drink: “He knows just how I like my martini: full of alcohol!”