Mr Berry (photo by Rimas Zailskas)

Well don’t let your Tiki dreams go the same way as those of playing for England and dating Kylie. Instead turn to the man who has been widely credited for being the force behind the re-birth of Tiki across the world. Mr Jeff Beach Bum Berry is heading over from his home of the states to set up a Tiki School this June and July in Ibiza.

This truly is the chance of a life time to spend a few days with Beach Bum and his friends to discover how to quite literally make your dreams come true. Such a good opportunity in fact that your ever industrious BarLifeUK team decided that a few days in Ibiza hanging around with Beach Bum and drinking Mai Tai’s and Zombie’s till dawn sounded so good we are off ourselves.

Before he jumped on the plane we had a chat with the man himself (no doubt lying next to a pool, umbrella strewn rum cocktail in hand being fanned by bikini clad women) to find out what he has in store for those lucky folks on the course. Jealous? No need to be, there are still a couple of spots available and the details are at the end of this here article.

BarLifeUK: Hi Jeff thanks for your time – for those up and coming Tiki bartenders who don’t know too much about you – who is Beach Bum Berry??

Jeff Beach Bum Berry: He is a freeloading reprobate who lives on rum and the kindness of strangers. He is also one of US Imbibe magazine’s “25 Most Influential Cocktail Personalities of the Past Century,” and the author of five books on vintage Tiki drinks and cuisine. He’s been profiled in the New York Times, and has been featured in the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and W magazine.
More shameless self-promotion:  I also did the cocktail menu for the Luau in Beverly Hills, which the New York Times cited as one of the nation’s 24 “Bars on The Cutting Edge,” and co-created “Tiki+” for the iPhone. My original cocktail recipes have been printed all over the place, they’ve also been served at PDT in Manhattan, the Tabou Tiki Room in Berlin, Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, the Tiki Room in Stockholm, Pho Republique in Boston, and Intoxica in Copenhagen, among others. Currently I’m conducting tropical drink seminars and tastings across the U.S. and Europe, and serving on the advisory board of the Museum Of The American Cocktail.

BL: How many Zombie’s did it take to come up with the idea of a Tiki School?

Mate you really need a night off!

BB: A whole graveyard full.  They rose up out of the earth, poured themselves down our throats, and the next thing we knew we were planning lessons.

BL: What will people learn on the trip?

BB: The curriculum is geared toward professional bartenders, but all Polynesiacs are welcome.  Classes include Tiki History, Tropical Mixology, The Cocktail As Conversation Piece, Tiki Bar Design, Exotica Music, The Theater Of The Bar, and The Bartender’s Sixth Sense, just to name a few.  After you get in touch with your cocktail creativity, saloon economist Jozef Martiniak will offer practical advice on how to financially float the Tiki bar of your dreams.

BL: Is it all learning and studying or are there some fun nights out planned as well?

BB: With Tiki, it’s all fun — even the learning part.  We’re still figuring out all the extra-curricular stuff, but whatever happens, I think it’s safe to say that drinking will occur!

BL: Your partner in crime on this adventure is Stan Vadrna – who the dickens is he and what does he bring to the event?

BB: Stan’s an award-winning mixologist who opens award-winning bars — when he’s in one place long enough.  Usually he’s traveling the globe, teaching the “Ichigo-Ichie” philosophy of Japanese bartending and the art of “Sprezzatura” hosting.  Just about everyone I’ve met in the cocktail world is passionate about what they do and what they drink, but Stan takes it to a whole new level of intensity.

BL: BarLifeUK will be coming to join you for a few days do we need to bring our own grass skirts?

BB: Grass skirts are recommended, yes.  And don’t forget your coconut bras.  We’re right on the beach, too, so swimming gear as well…..

BL: Thank you sir, anything important we’ve forgotten to ask?

BB: “Can I buy you a drink?”

Sounds good doesn’t it? Well book yourself up a slot on the course then visit the Tiki School Website

For more info on the man himself, to buy his books, download his iPhone app and much more visit his website here

The Event

Jody Monteith shows how it should be done at the Free Spirit Compt

The next couple of points might sound a bit ‘dad like’ but I have seen them ruin the best in the business, so please take heed: DO NOT have a spanker the night before. This is especially prevalent with competitors away from home – if you really want to see all the bars on offer, stay the night after the comp don’t do it the night before.

Also, find out the earliest you can get to the venue to set up and get there then check out the bar, check out the equipment and get a feel for the venue. Don’t turn up 2 minutes before you are due on, only to find there is no crushed ice and you’re first up.

The next piece of advice is the hardest to follow but give it a go – enjoy yourself and be yourself. If you have done your prep, take a couple of deep breaths and try your best to have fun.

When you walk behind the bar, take a moment to set everything up and ensure you have everything you need. Whilst you are doing this acknowledge the judges – a simple ‘hello how are you?’ is preferable to hug and kiss, although when I was once judging with a certain high profile model I didn’t blame one competitor for breaking this particular rule, the tongue however might have been a smidge unnecessary (Yeah, yeah, that was you, wasn’t it Si. Do the words ‘restraining order’ ring any bells? – Ed). Whilst you finish the setup and start your drink, explain the idea behind your cocktail, its name and the key ingredients.

Don’t panic!

Over the next 2-5 minutes of presentation the chances are something will go wrong, and whatever it is I can promise you it has happened to someone before. If you lose your place in your monologue, fall back on your knowledge and adlib for a minute, you will remember it again soon enough.

I saw one bartender, who is now considered one of the best, in his first competition get the shakes so badly he couldn’t pour the spirit into the jigger – he just couldn’t hold either still enough. But he didn’t panic, instead he  made a quick joke about it and invited someone from the crowd up to pour it for him – the marks he lost were more than made up in the entertainment criteria.

99 times out of 100 the judges are on your side, and they know how unnatural it is to do a comp so don’t be scared to acknowledge a mistake as long as you correct it, keep going and keep smiling.

Also don’t forget the basics you know from being behind a bar – keep your station tidy and always taste your drink as you go. I have seen the most experienced of competitors leave out the main spirit from their cocktail. It’s your drink, you know how it tastes so try it and check you have the balance right (and all the ingredients in there!).

As you present the drink, remind the judges of its name and ingredients, then thank them for their time. Follow these simple steps and it is up to the taste of your cocktail, and that my friends is your area.

There is one more lesson to be had and that is up next time….

• Comp 101 Part 1
• Comp 101 Part 2

Let me start by saying that while I have never won a major cocktail competition (it could be argued I have never won a minor cocktail competition either), over the last ten or so years I have judged dozens, and in the process tasted countless cocktails and marked hundreds of presentations. In this period I have seen some of the greatest and worst appearances and an equally varied array of drinks (lobster juice Martini anyone??).

I am not here to tell you how to make drinks, balance flavours or put an original stamp on your entry as there are far more qualified people around to do this.

I am, however, here to try and help with the much overlooked and neglected subject of presentation. Admittedly not all competitions give marks for presentation, however more and more of the briefs that judges are given award points for knowledge, interaction and showmanship.

Follow the for the signs, and comps aren't that scary

I know that a lot of first time competitors are reluctant to enter competitions for fear of standing up in front of peers, or worse have experienced a bad case of competition tremors and lost the confidence to continue.

If this is the case read on, follow these few simple rules and the experience you have will be both fun and ultimately very rewarding.

For those that have entered competitions before, it never hurts to hear what those with the pens and marking sheets are on the look out for!

Pick Your Battle Wisely

The two most time consuming parts to any cocktail competition entry are the drink and knowledge preparation. You will see certain names crop up time and time again in competitions, seemingly entering one every week. There is a good reason for this – they can.

They have almost all done their time in the lower leagues and have reached a point where their drinks knowledge and understanding of balancing cocktail is such that research and preparation time is significantly decreased. If you are starting out, be more selective and realistic.

Ideally your first competition should be something small and local to cut your teeth on; the experience of getting up in front of people and making a drink in a competition environment cannot be over stated. If you can’t find one, grab a few guys and girls from local bars and hold your own. Get a manager or two to judge you, and you’re off.

When you feel you are ready for the big leagues, pick your battles carefully. Don’t jump straight into the 42 Below CWC or World Class, instead find smaller regional events. If you have a passion for rum then keep an eye out for a rum comp, it is always a lot more fun researching something you are interested in, and that passion will come across in your presentation. [Keep an eye on the BarLifeUK events page and e-bulletins for competition updates – Ed].

Once you have found the right comp, next comes the preparation. More on that next time…..

• Comp 101 Part 2
• Comp 101 Part 3

Look into my eyes...

The Search for Authenticity

“Twenty years ago when I started behind the stick, if we had two ‘brands’ of vodka, gin, bourbon we were smug bastards”

Firstly we are seeing a meta-trend among our consumers for three main desires. On the main our people are searching for authenticity in their activities and their consumption.

No longer do we want instant coffee when we can have espresso; no longer do we want boy bands when we can listen to real musicians playing real instruments; no longer do we want package holidays where someone else tells us where to go and what to be impressed by and no longer do we want mass produced products.

Increasingly people are searching for products and experiences that seem more ‘real’ and have heritage. Nextly we are seeing a rise in connoisseurship whereby we want to be seen to be discerning in our choices of products, services and experiences: we want to show our sophistication and knowledge to explain why we are drinking our brands or where we drink them.Finally we are seeing a desire for increased flavour in our food and drink – we want slow food and not fast food and we want big, bold and flavoursome experiences. All three of these together give us as bartenders a willing audience to show of our skills to.

And our skills are being developed as never before. Again firstly shows like Venuez, Tales of the Cocktail, Bar Convent Berlin, Paris’ Cocktails and Spirits and several others exist where 10 years ago Trade Shows were dull conferences where sales reps mingled with sales reps.

Now the cream of the industry pontificates and educates and inspires and what’s more bartenders from around the planet are travelling to see what other nations are doing. Secondly brands are training bartenders in increasingly large numbers where in my day they relied on cool T-shirts and branded bar tools to convince us to sell their products (tho’ I have to say the loss of the Bar T-shirt is a great one that I miss dreadfully).

The Academic Bartender?

Finally the rise of the ‘Academic Bartender’ and the increased availability of bartending books both old and new means that old skills are being revised, histories are being learned and the profession of the Bartender is being revived and understood.

Finally as I referred to in my opening with the BC comment the average bartender of today has a back bar that most older bartenders would have killed for. Twenty years ago when I started behind the stick if we had two ‘brands’ of vodka, gin, bourbon we were smug bastards. Yet now there are a wider array of brands and also whole categories that we never dreamed of like Anejo Tequilas, Agricole rums, Rye whisky, Old Tom gin and the like…never before has the back bar offered such opportunity and such choice and thank god because of the above trends we get to use them.

Nothing Lasts Forever

Yet we must be extra careful with our position as nothing lasts forever. Yes it may be nice to have a choice of 20 tequila brands in 3 styles of each and yet if we do not sell them regularly we will go out of business.

Yes it is nice to be called Mixologists in the media and yet if we can serve the wine drinker and the beer drinker and even the non drinker and make them feel welcome and important we shall disappear up our own collective backsides.

We must still remember to be humble and understanding with our guests, be business-like in our whims and also give suitable respect to those that have gone before us and seen times when they were not as golden as today… like me for example!