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Birmingham, United States – July 25th, 2014 /PressCable/ —
William Batson, founder of the Bar Hops, the Birmingham consulting and event service that provides professional bartenders for events, has been awarded the title of Certified Spirits Professional by the United States Bartenders Guild.
This is the first SP certification to be awarded in Alabama and opens the door for him to achieve certification as a Master Mixologist.
The United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) was established in 1948 in order to raise the level of expertise and professionalism within the bartending community.
USBG member bartenders are encouraged to become innovators and masters in the art of cocktail crafting.
While many bartenders learn by doing, few take the time and initiative to get professionally certified as this Alabama bartender turned entrepreneur has done.
Potential students must train and study rigorously to pass written and practical examinations which can take several years.
“In this day and age, bartenders are not just beer and whiskey coke slingers anymore. Following in the footsteps of chefs, bartenders are now crossing over into more innovative culinary arts, which can take years to develop a palette, gain enough knowledge about each spirit, beer, and wine and create presentation skills behind the bar.” said Batson.
“Just like any other trade, all up and comers must invest in education and practice in order to hone their skills to become masters of their craft.” he added.
Interest in education and innovation has continued to increase as restaurant and bar patrons have begun to request more sophisticated mixed drinks and classic cocktails.
The book “Classic Cocktails for Classy People and Other Interesting Characters” written by William Batson, shares some of his knowledge of classic cocktails, recipes, and stories of famous bartenders who invented them along with other legends such as the reason a Moscow Mule is served in a copper cup.
In addition to running his company that places professional bartenders for events, he enjoys creating new flavors and competing, having won several competitions such as one put on by Absolut Vodka and most recently a competition to create a winning cocktail for Birmingham Vulcan Parks 100 year celebration that featured Clyde May Alabama Whiskey.
Batson is also President of the local Birmingham USBG that has now grown to 60 members.
As he shared “Our clients are our most important asset and I feel they benefit from having professional bartenders who are educated and innovative. I will do what I can to continue helping Alabama bartenders grow.
For more information visit http://www.thebarhops.com
Contact Info:
Name: Anne Bounds
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Organization: Good News Networks
Website: http://www.goodnewsnetworks.com
Release ID: 56242