The European Bartender School Barcelona 2016

Everything you need to know about surviving a 4 week international course and how to make the very best out of a once in a lifetime experience!

As a young adult nothing sounds better than spending 4 whole weeks in one of the worlds most beautiful and iconic cities on a bartending course, but what is it really like being a part of the "EBS Family"?

Travelling Out

When it comes to booking your course that's the easy part, you can do it all online and you have three options to choose from:

• Pay in full

• Pay later (full amount within a certain time frame)

• Pay in 3 installments

I found the flexibility of the payment options really helpful and "EBS" have their own care system made up of individuals who have actually taken the course on hand to help you along the way.

Personally they were an absolute godsend when I booked my course, they helped me book my course and the extra food package for when I was out there and also gave me advice and tips on flights and travel.

Once the booking was completed I got sent so much information there was nothing left to ask. This is what I received:

• All the addresses (school and hostel)

• School and hostel rules

• Where and when to meet on your first day

• Estimated costs of transport from the airport to the hostel

• The deposit costs for the school and hostel

• Pre homework to kick-start you for the course

I travelled by train from Sheffield straight through to Manchester airport and accessed the Sky Bridge. The bridge connects the station straight to the terminals so as a first time solo traveller it was really easy to navigate, and before I knew it I was sat on the plane with a G&T studying my first 6 cocktails.

Arrival/First Day

So arriving at the hostel and checking in is pretty simple, going to your dorm and meeting the 5 other people your staying with four the next 4 weeks not so much #awks,

however it is important to remember you are all in the same boat and they more than likely feel just as nervous as you do #onlyhuman.

I found smiling is always the best policy, it makes you approachable and you make friends quicker. By the time I had arrived it was pretty much time to settle down and get some shut eye seen as it was a 9am start the following day.

The next day we all met in the lobby of the hostel and walked to the school together through the stunning streets of Barcelona. We had a few tourist stops and arrived at the school which was just the most well set up, structured but fun layout with a real city life vibe building.

The first day at the school for me was really overwhelming but I put that down to the journey and drastic change of scenery from what I am used to ,as well as the built up anticipation from months before. However you receive your study book and get an introduction to all of your new instructors and then take part in a few group icebreakers, then it gets down to business you get a run down of how the next 4 weeks are going to go with training and exams as well as an overview of the fundamentals of how a bar station functions. Its at this point where you realise the amount you are about to embark on and I couldn't help but feel both worried and excited about the weeks to come.

I highly advise taking a walk around and getting your bearings as well as something to eat after your first day, see the city and socialize with the new people you have met so far this can really help you settle in especially if you are already missing home. And then you will definitely need an early night for the next day but congratulations you have survived your first day #winner.

Second Day Onwards.

Things definitely get easier and more enjoyable from your second day, the course is really structured from day to day so its really easy to get into the schools routine.

Each day you start off with a written test on 6 cocktails that you will have learnt for homework from the previous day, afterwards your lessons are broken down into:

• Flair

• Free Pour

• Bar Training

Bar training consists of making up the 6 cocktails you previously learnt and were tested on at the start of the day. Free pour lessons teach you all the different types of grip on the bottles and also how to count the measurements straight into the glass.

Flair lessons are more than likely everyone's favourite they were mine for sure, you start off with simple hand stalls and build the routine day by day.

Each week you have 5 mini cocktail tests and a master test at the end of every week, leading up to a free pour exam on the third week and the bar/flair and theory test on the fourth week which on completion and a good grade average you will then pass the

course.

My Top Tips For Course Survival:

1. Always be prepared (Book/Pen/Homework)

2. Listening to your instructors is key

3. ALWAYS do your homework when it is set

4. Ask questions (you never know if you don't ask)

5. Save massive nights out for the weekend

6. Study study study, Practice really does make perfect

7. Keep mingling with your group, before long you'll be best friends

8. Explore your destination, soak it all in

9. Participate wherever you can

10. Have fun -that's what it's all about anyway

Outside the course

EBS also run some really cool events alongside the course which offer an amazing chance to see some more of Barcelona. The events I attended were the cocktail tour, flair practice in the park, the graduation dinner and the flair day on the beach as well as a few drinks in some speak easy bars from some group competitions.

On my first week there was an opportunity to go to a "William Chase" seminar, this was separate from the course but was really interesting and insightful for those of us that went it was a real added opportunity. That is another great thing about the course, when extra activities come along EBS are really open to them giving you the best experience possible.

(check out the video below on some free pour techniques I filmed on The Cocktail Tour)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXR81g2vdvw

A summary of my experience

I originally chose Barcelona as my course destination as it wasn't too far from home, it was somewhere that I had always wanted to travel too and I'm still a city girl at heart so I wanted a good mix between some city life and sunbathing for 4 weeks.

Barcelona as a destination really delivered on all my expectations and beyond, there was always something going on and loads of things to do the choices were endless, not to mention the weather was just unbelievably amazing. Me and some of my "EBS" friends spent a lot of our free time at the beach and the park "Ciutadella" as well as the local food market and of course some really nice cocktail bars #berudenottoo. We even took a tour round the "Sagrada Familia" they haven't even finished building it all yet it was stunning.

Now when it comes to "The European Bartender School" they pretty much live and breathe their own motto "Hard work, Spirit & Soul" and you see that from the minute you step into one of their schools. Each instructor I encountered on my course was so passionate and loved doing what they did, it was really inspiring. Of course the instructors teach you the course content and all you needed to know but it became so clear towards the end of the course that "Hard work, Spirit & Soul" is more than just a motto , it is a way of life as a bartender its what the course is all about. Looking back I don't think you can complete the course without all three components of their motto.

I must stress that if your looking to book onto one of their courses bear in mind this was just my experience and that everyone's experience will be different and personal to them as well as location obviously. However if you are looking to push yourself, be inspired, make some lifelong friends and unforgettable memories or maybe even just do something different then become part of the "EBS" family. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone I know, so what are you waiting for? Go and make your mark!