Become a Bartender!

About four weekends ago, a friend and I attended the Harvard Bartending Course, a one-day bartending course at Harvard University.  I had no idea what to expect as she and I walked into the basement pub at 7:45 in the morning on a Saturday.  Our instructor, Ben, introduced himself to us, and we discovered that he has been in the bartending business for over 30 years.  He is currently a bartender at a Marriot in Boston and had some pretty funny stories to share with us.  He could not have been nicer and knew all of our names by lunch. 

For the first half of the course, we learned how to responsibly serve alcohol.  We were taught the signs that indicate when a person has had enough to drink and, if they had too much, how to respectfully and effectively cut them off.  At the end of this first portion of the course, we took the TIPS (Training in Intervention Procedures by Servers of alcohol) certification exam, and if I passed (fingers crossed!), I’ll get my certification card in the mail within the next two weeks.

During the second half of the course, we learned the Art of Mixology.  Ben started off by telling us the different types of alcohol, and what ingredients go into each.  It was really interesting to how many basic foods (like corn) go into making alcohol.  Then we moved on to making drinks.  Ben showed us how to make ten different drinks and gave us a packet with instructions on how to make these and other very popular drinks on our own!  My favorite drink that we learned was the Old Fashioned.  Here’s how to make it!
 
 
THE OLD FASHIONED:

• 2 oz. whiskey
• 1 spoonful of sugar
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 2 orange slices
• Bitters

First, you muddle the sugar, cherry, and one orange slice (including the rind).  To muddle, you simply grind and mix the ingredients together (preferably with a muddling stick, but if you don’t have bartending equipment, any utensil with a flat surface to crush and grind will do).  You can choose to add the two dashes of bitters to the muddled mix or once the drink is complete.  To finish, simply add ice and whiskey, garnish with an orange slice and enjoy!

If you have any interest in bartending or have just wanted to take a bartending course, I highly recommend the Harvard Bartending Course.   It’s a great way to learn the basics of bartending, and Ben tells you all of the possible jobs you can get once you have finished the course.  It was a great way to spend a Saturday, and now I have more options when looking for summer jobs!

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