Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/948966
march 2018 / the tasting panel / 75 BACon Joins the Lineup Now entering its second year, the Bartender Advocacy Convention is the most recent addition to Pernod Ricard USA's educa- tion initiative. The event, known as BACon, offers highly-specialized courses for advanced bartenders and brings in industry experts to lead talks and demonstrations on leadership strategies, training practices, cutting-edge mixology techniques, and more. Pernod Ricard USA's four-person advocacy team oversees the convention, which will visit three markets this year starting April 9 in Los Angeles. While BarSmarts provides foundational education, BACon could be likened to a graduate program for bartenders who are moving up in the industry or opening their own bars. Kevin Denton, Pernod Ricard USA's National Mixologist, says BACon was heavily inspired by the fine dining–focused MAD Symposium Conference in Copenhagen and the hospitality-themed Welcome Conference in New York. "This is a program that lets us stretch our legs with bar owners and managers," Denton says. "BACon is interested in things that relate not only to drinks, but a bar's community and how they deal with their staff." As more forums for delving deep into industry trends emerge—joining marquee events like Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans—the Pernod Ricard USA team sees BACon as their vehicle for contributing to the larger conversation. "There's a lot of coding of topics to find what's interesting and relevant, taking input from the field, finding the right experts, and matching them with the right market," says Jamie Gordon, Senior Manager of Brand Ambassadors and Brand Advocacy. "It's a huge back-of-house effort." a blind tasting, written exam, seminars with the BAR partners, discussions on craft history, and explorations of rare bartending books and tools. Participants must first complete BarSmarts to attend the full-day, in-person course. For the BAR partners, it was imper- ative that BarSmarts be more generic and categoric in practice rather than being centered directly around Pernod Ricard USA's portfolio. As a result, the company chose to instead focus on creating and promoting educational standards that elevate the industry for all players involved, rather than further its brands themselves. "We're here to empower bartenders and help them learn to make decisions with confidence," Olson says. "But if you have the palate, you will choose Pernod Ricard USA products anyway, and (the company) sees the halo effect of that." Regardless of the course level, hospitality and service act as the common thread drawing far-ranging topics into a collective focus. "We keep bringing it back to what the role of a bartender is, and that's taking care of people," Olson adds. The BarSmarts Legacy As Pernod Ricard USA continues to get "a huge number of requests" for its courses, it's clear to see the big-picture perspective of how the education programs are impacting the industry. But for Pearson, the most memorable markers of the initiative's success often come in the form of personal encoun- ters with past attendees. "I'm constantly amazed to be bumping into people who have taken the class," he says. And while the program has a pres- ence in secondary markets like Omaha, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee, Pearson says it's not unusual for people to travel hundreds of miles to attend an in-per- son course. "I've had people drive 12 hours to attend BarSmarts Advanced, and that's not to mention the attendees flying down from Canada," he adds. To Olson, the most significant indicator of the program's progress can be seen in the hiring process. "Some bar manag- ers and owners now require their team to take BarSmarts, and some bars require it on the application," he says. "This could have never happened ten years ago, but it happens today. That's not because of us; it's because Pernod Ricard made this its mission." But as Kelley summarizes what she finds to be the most gratifying aspect of the program's legacy, it seems to relay exactly what motivated Pernod Ricard USA to establish the initiative in the first place: seeing a BarSmarts gradu- ate excel at their chosen establishment, go on to open their own bar, and then pass on their knowledge so their staff may eventually do the same. "To have someone say, 'BarSmarts changed my career; I was a bartender and now I have my own place'—that's being a part of someone's journey throughout their career," Kelley says. "The Secret to the Renaissance" When asked about any shortcomings of the education programming, the unanimous answer among the Pernod Ricard USA team was that they just wanted to be doing more to truly keep up with demand, including potentially launching a lengthier program inspired by BAR's prestigious five-day class in New York (the highest scorers at the next four BarSmarts Advanced classes will be awarded a scholarship to the class). Despite the growing pains, Pernod Ricard's education initiatives are ever- expanding. "We're constantly updating the program," Pearson says. "Later this year we'll be launching BarSmarts in Spanish, which will open the doors of education for a lot of people." Olson, meanwhile, has every reason to believe that setting sights on the international arena isn't a tall order for Pernod Ricard USA. "Even without promotion, bartenders are finding this education and demanding it abroad. I've had graduates offer to translate the curriculum into French, Italian, Greek and Spanish, and the sharing is the most gratifying thing to all of us," he says. "As teachers we're doing our best to disperse this information, but the new generation is taking it places we never foresaw. Our mission is to make people want to be better bartenders, and so much comes out of the willing- ness to share, to embrace the person next to you, to stay open-minded. This is the secret to the renaissance—and it's become Pernod's calling card." For information on Pernod Ricard USA's education initiative, including registration instructions and bartender testimonials, visit barsmarts.com.