What is mixology and how is it different from bartending? The word bartender conjures up images of Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail, juggling liquor bottles and pouring twenty drinks without breaking a sweat.
Bartending is a challenging profession that requires excellent memory and impressive dexterity but also carries responsibilities such as handling cash, customer service, and quality control. The best bartenders can mix any drink from memory and pour the most exquisite pint with the perfect amount of foam. That is why bartenders should attend a bartending school or at least some additional courses to learn all techniques properly. Later during their experience, they will find a serving style that suits them the most.
So what is mixology? A mixologist has a different task than a bartender but also overlapping responsibilities. While the bartender needs to remember existing drinks, the mixologist has the necessary skills to create new and exciting concoctions that are pleasing to the eye and a delight to the taste buds. Like a great chef, mixologists know what ingredients complement others and how much to use for the perfect flavor.
A mixologist doesn’t just know how to mix a drink or create a new flavor but also which equipment to use to create the best tasting and visually stunning creations. Mixology teaches the art of muddling, stirring, and shaking as methods of combining ingredients and the perfect amount of each to get the best drink at the end.
A mixologist knows if ice should be crushed in a cocktail shaker or whether the liquid should be double-strained into a glass with large cubes. Should you use olives or cherries to garnish your masterpiece? Or is a pearl onion the best taste to accompany that special martini?
Source: ceoworld.biz
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Why Should Everyone Learn Mixology?
Mixology is not just a skill for a job behind the bar but a skill that can help with social situations when entertaining. An example would be a viewing party where you invite friends over who share your passion for The Mandalorian. You have your home decorated, your snack table packed, and the show cued up.
What is this picture missing? Some Baby Yoda-themed cocktails that you designed and mixed yourself? Perhaps a new Martini you invented named after the moons of Tatooine? This is one example of where mixology can enhance a social gathering and kick the festivities up a notch.
Another example of using your mixology knowledge in social situations is a bachelor or bachelorette party where you have created the perfect cocktail named after the bride or groom-to-be. Turn the mundane and ordinary into an extraordinary gift for your best friend or sibling by designing a drink just for them with their specific tastes in mind.
Knowing mixology also comes in handy for holiday parties, birthdays, and outdoor barbecues. Want to impress the boss? Roll out your extensive knowledge of the history of cognac or why shaken is actually not better than stirred when it comes to a Martini. You can never have too much knowledge under your belt, and the stories you will be able to tell will be interesting to all.
Source: cliquelv.com
Online Mixology Certification
You don’t need to spend time in a classroom or a bar to learn how to become a mixologist. A Bar Above offers accreditation online in this fun and challenging skill. Getting certified as a mixologist means that you know how to discern a consumer’s taste and mix the perfect drink based on that knowledge.
It also means you know how to make and improve upon traditional cocktails. The certification will make you a more attractive job candidate for higher-end establishments where mixology skills are required and show you are serious about the art.
A course in mixology teaches more than standard flavors of drinks but the flavor profile of different ingredients, too. Once you understand the different parts of the drink, you can then learn how each ingredient works together for the best taste.
You will also learn how to write out your cocktails and descriptions before using any product so not one drop is wasted in the creation of the perfect drink. This is a handy tool for both those who learn this skill for personal use or those who are looking for a career in mixology.
Source: hourdetroit.com
The Value of Learning Mixology
You may think that only someone who wants to be a bartender should be learning how to mix drinks, but it is an amazingly creative outlet for everyone. Especially with what is going on in the world, we need all of the outlets that we can get that make us feel like we accomplished something. The satisfying feeling of mixing the perfect drink and decorating it to perfection brings a feeling of joy that we need more of today.
Learning any new skill helps develop the mind in addition to getting the creative juices flowing. You will learn things about food and drink you never knew before and pass that appreciation along to friends and family. A mixology course will also teach you the history of these ingredients and provide an understanding of different cultures and parts of the world.
Mastering mixology and bartending skills, will allow you to start working for event bars around the world. This is especially popular in London UK, which many companies are looking to hire a mixologist for events and parties.
Source: mixologycrew.com
The Value of Learning Online
Taking online courses will provide you with much more than the skill of mixology. They will open up your online community and expose you to like-minded people. In some courses, you will have the ability to make a video to post showing your unique drink and the steps you took to make it. Others can view and comment and can post the same.
Being online, the tools you learned are available to you for the lifetime of the site, so you can refer back to the lessons whenever you want. Take a quiz as you learn to test your knowledge and see where your strengths and weaknesses are at any point in the course. These quizzes are helpful in keeping you on track in your studies and will bring to light any deficiencies you have so you can correct them early.
When it comes to socializing with friends, hosting a dinner party, or just hanging out with the gang in the yard, knowing how to make a cool and unique drink is always a plus!
