12:48 PM
Bartenders like to compete!
“I remember my first few nights at the pub pulling pints and waiting tables and totally getting run over by our guests. I told myself to quit the job right here and there and walk out but I always came back and tried again. After a while I was on top of the crowd and that was a truly satisfying feeling that will always be engraved in my memory. To be in control of a room/bar/pub you work in is to me pure adrenaline!”
These words are from 35-year old Berliner Bastian Heuser, Co-author of “Cocktailian - Handbuch der Bar”, also freelance author for the German/English print and online Mixology Magazine, which he joined in 2007. Considered to be one of the top bartenders in Germany (in Cologne, Frankfurt and Berlin) with 10 years of experience in the hospitality and catering business, Bastian has become the Managing Director for both Bar Convent Berlin and Barworkz Berlin. Here is his story.
"I have moved to Berlin about 4 years ago in order to join Helmut Adam and Jens Hasenbein, the creative heads behind German's premier bar magazine "Mixology" as freelance writer for the magazine, and to work with them on other projects. In 2007 we set up Bar Convent Berlin together which instantly has become the central networking and exhibitors event for the German bar industry. It is a mixture of a trade fair and a symposium with a strong focus on programme and seminar elements, and in its fourth year it has attracted almost 4000 visitors (trade-only) from all over the world. At Bar Convent Berlin I fill out the function as Manager of Sales and Agenda. Next to Bar Convent I have always done my share of bar and beverage consulting and as requests grew constantly I teamed up with my partner Sanjay Cachemaille and founded Barworkz Berlin, an agency for on-trade PR, brand and beverage consulting."
This year in April, Bastien Heuser has also helped launch the German based Havana Club 'Academia Del Ron'.
“I was involved in the idea from the first steps of the Academia, and was allowed to work side by side with Havana Club and Jung von Matt to design the concept. The idea was to create not yet another cocktail competition but a truly unique experience for bartenders where the main focus is the intense workshop situation we create with international experts of all fields of the trade. We are aiming to support bartenders in becoming “360_° bartenders”, how we call them. Fully trained in all aspects of bartending not only in making good cocktails. The competition included in the Academia therefore also focuses on the content of the seminars held. I believe that the Academia is a great training tool for bartenders and truly unique in its outlay.”
Did you have any expectations in the Academia del Ron?
“Well, it certainly was our aim to create the best and most appreciated trade event of this sort and I think we are on a good way to make this happen. It always amazes me how creative bartenders can get in their drinks making. But what truly blew me away at this year's Academia is the professionalism all bartenders displayed throughout the event. The quality of bartending has truly excelled in Germany over the last three or four years.”
What role do events like the Academia play in the industry?
“They play a very important role in the growing professionalism in the trade. Everyone can become a bartender, no traineeship or the like needed. This still is a major problem for professional bartenders who work hard for their recognition. In cooperation with the industry we can achieve that more and more knowledgeable and well-trained bartenders stand behind bars and improve the general impression of their profession. The competition part in events like the Academia is a well-appreciated change from the everyday routine for bartenders and, one has to say, bartenders like to compete! And on top, winning a renowned competition is good for any CV, so this is another drive for them.”
These words are from 35-year old Berliner Bastian Heuser, Co-author of “Cocktailian - Handbuch der Bar”, also freelance author for the German/English print and online Mixology Magazine, which he joined in 2007. Considered to be one of the top bartenders in Germany (in Cologne, Frankfurt and Berlin) with 10 years of experience in the hospitality and catering business, Bastian has become the Managing Director for both Bar Convent Berlin and Barworkz Berlin. Here is his story.
"I have moved to Berlin about 4 years ago in order to join Helmut Adam and Jens Hasenbein, the creative heads behind German's premier bar magazine "Mixology" as freelance writer for the magazine, and to work with them on other projects. In 2007 we set up Bar Convent Berlin together which instantly has become the central networking and exhibitors event for the German bar industry. It is a mixture of a trade fair and a symposium with a strong focus on programme and seminar elements, and in its fourth year it has attracted almost 4000 visitors (trade-only) from all over the world. At Bar Convent Berlin I fill out the function as Manager of Sales and Agenda. Next to Bar Convent I have always done my share of bar and beverage consulting and as requests grew constantly I teamed up with my partner Sanjay Cachemaille and founded Barworkz Berlin, an agency for on-trade PR, brand and beverage consulting."
This year in April, Bastien Heuser has also helped launch the German based Havana Club 'Academia Del Ron'.
“I was involved in the idea from the first steps of the Academia, and was allowed to work side by side with Havana Club and Jung von Matt to design the concept. The idea was to create not yet another cocktail competition but a truly unique experience for bartenders where the main focus is the intense workshop situation we create with international experts of all fields of the trade. We are aiming to support bartenders in becoming “360_° bartenders”, how we call them. Fully trained in all aspects of bartending not only in making good cocktails. The competition included in the Academia therefore also focuses on the content of the seminars held. I believe that the Academia is a great training tool for bartenders and truly unique in its outlay.”
Did you have any expectations in the Academia del Ron?
“Well, it certainly was our aim to create the best and most appreciated trade event of this sort and I think we are on a good way to make this happen. It always amazes me how creative bartenders can get in their drinks making. But what truly blew me away at this year's Academia is the professionalism all bartenders displayed throughout the event. The quality of bartending has truly excelled in Germany over the last three or four years.”
What role do events like the Academia play in the industry?
“They play a very important role in the growing professionalism in the trade. Everyone can become a bartender, no traineeship or the like needed. This still is a major problem for professional bartenders who work hard for their recognition. In cooperation with the industry we can achieve that more and more knowledgeable and well-trained bartenders stand behind bars and improve the general impression of their profession. The competition part in events like the Academia is a well-appreciated change from the everyday routine for bartenders and, one has to say, bartenders like to compete! And on top, winning a renowned competition is good for any CV, so this is another drive for them.”
By clement
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