Essays

MERVIN HOOD, Barbados
CHTA Education Foundation / Starwood Scholar 2009
I recently completed The Intermediate Flair course and The International Bartender’s course in England.

The Flair course which was new to me was also very intense and exciting. It was four hours a day for five days, where the instructors broke down and demonstrated the moves such as tossing bottles and cocktail shakers.

The IBC was also intense, which was eight hours a day for five days. Our first two days was all theory where we were in a classroom setting. It was very interactive and we all got a chance to read from the manual; afterwards we were asked questions and invited to ask also. We covered areas such as the History of Bartending, The Professional Bartender, Reading the Clientele, Customer Service, The Customer Journey and Handling Complaints. From there we went onto spirit tasting, the history and production. The tasting included vodka, whiskies, rums, tequilas and brandies. The next two days we moved to the bar where we covered the areas of setting up and breaking down the bar, team work and making cocktails. We all had a chance to make thirteen classic cocktails. It was a very educational and eye-opening experience and I am delighted to say that my results came through 3-weeks after I returned to Barbados – I had PASSED my International Bartenders exam – this is an honour and I am proud of my achievement. The knowledge I gained I will share with my co-workers at The Sandpiper Hotel in Barbados.

I would like to thank the CHTA Education Foundation and STARWOOD for giving me the opportunity to improve myself and be the first bar-tender that has won a CHTAEF scholarship. I hope other bar people will now apply as it is a great opportunity.


Written by
Mervin Hood

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