Riaan Wolmarans
LIFESTYLE
‘Two Amstels, a double Archers and lemonade and a Coke, please.” You repeat your order twice, and the bartender scurries off. About five minutes later you have two Castles, Coke in a dirty glass and half the lemonade on the bar counter. Sound familiar? This is exactly what you won’t find at the Bar Academy, the recently launched venue in Illovo run by Bar Logic, who provide training for bar staff during the day while running the venue as a classy cocktail bar at night.
Bartenders in training can enrol in four different courses: an introduction to professional bartending, an intermediate programme for professional bartenders, advanced training and a master course. The advanced courses include subjects such as stock and beverage management, and students even learn how to open their own bars. Having acquired these skills, the students find employment in hotels, bars and restaurants much easier than their untrained counterparts.
On May 25 the academy hosted the glitzy launch of the Bar Logic Bartender’s Challenge, a two-monthly competition open to all bartenders. Participants take part on their own or in teams of two.
The event itself is a breathtaking showcase of speed, skill and hours of practice as the contestants juggle bottles with gravity-defying moves and produce tall, colourful cocktails. And if the solo contestants make you gasp with wonder, just wait for the team event – you never knew bottles could fly that fast between two people. The judges subtract points for all spillages and errors, making it quite a nerve-racking experience.
But it’s not only their sleight of hand and showmanship that’s tested – the contestants also have to answer questions about those aspects of bartending that are less spectacular but equally important, such as wine cultivars and different kinds of beer.
Richard Brodrick and Luke Lensvelt of the News Caf in Hatfield walked away with the first prize in the team category, while Brodrick also won the individual category.
No women took part in the competition, which raises some questions about females in the bar industry. When last were you served by a professional female bartender? According to Marilize Jacobs of Bar Logic, they have only had one woman enquiring about training. The reason for this, she speculates, is that women see bartending as a man’s world, and part of Bar Logic’s mission is to change that perception and get more women involved as well.
The Bar Academy itself is open to the public on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 5pm, so go along, order a fancy cocktail with fruit and umbrellas and see the bartenders strut their stuff.
The next Bar Logic Bartender’s Challenge will take place near the end of July. Bartenders interested in competing can contact Marilize Jacobs on [email protected] or Tel: 082 352 0244. Also have a look at www.barlogic.com for more information