Balancing Learning and Fun: Portland Cocktail Week Recap

For the fourth year in a row, bartenders descended on Portland, Oregon for Portland Cocktail Week in October. An event that is "for bartenders, by bartenders,"  270 students from across the country went back to school. Split into four majors: Advanced Craft Cocktail Bartending, Beyond the Bar, Bar Ownership and Product Development, each student was required to fulfill a core curriculum, classes in his/her major and electives. With my media pass in hand, I was able to audit the classes that interested me so I attended a number of courses under the Beyond the Bar major.  Here are some of the highlights of what was covered: