The Tasting Panel magazine

Dec 09

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40 / the tasting panel / december 2009 I t takes a lot to get a few hundred of the top mixologists in Los Angeles to gather at 8:30 in the morning, but sure enough, in two conference rooms at the Westin hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, the crème de la crème of the L.A. bar scene have come together, some looking slightly more sleep-deprived than others. As they mingle among friends, some are looking rather ner- vous, while others seem confidently relaxed; but more than anything, the air is abuzz with excitement. "I'm so excited," says Robert Recinos, a bartender at Yamashiro in Hollywood. "It's about more than just the test today," he contin- ues, when THE TASTING PANEL reminds him that he's there to be certified by Pernod Ricard's inno- vative BarSmarts program, which culminates in an exam later that afternoon. "I want to hear the sto- ries the professors have to tell, and get information you can't find in just books." Recinos's excitement at getting the opportunity to interact with the professors is more than warranted; running the BarSmarts program is Bar LLC, a group made up of some of the biggest names in the cocktail and spirits worlds, including Paul Pacult, Dave Wondrich, Steve Olson, Andy Seymour, Doug Frost and Dale DeGroff. These men, the leaders of the cocktail revolution, are here to pass the torch to the next genera- tion of mixologists, to the innovators who will learn from their knowledge and apply new techniques and ideas by Rachel Burkons / photos by Elaine Chen-Fernandez Pernod Ricard Raises the Bar The BarSmarts program makes mixologists from bartenders Education

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