Please note that due to it receiving a huge response, applications for this programme have now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied, and we will be in touch soon.
Santa Teresa and The Mixing Class to help a group of bartenders develop their CVs in an increasingly competitive job market
You are probably sick of reading articles that begin with a description of how difficult 2020 has been for the bar industry, so lets skip that part and instead talk about hope, and the future.
In the last ten days, we have received news that vaccines which will likely offer a route out of the coronavirus pandemic are on the way. Indeed some scientists believe we could see a return to some semblance of normality by Spring next year, and while this prediction may turn out to be overly optimistic, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel at last. As uplifting as this news is however, the fact remains that the bar industry has taken a beating, with many venues forced out of business, and the job landscape will remain tough for some time to come. Santa Teresa Rum and The Mixing Class believe that this situation means training and developing skills have never been more important, which is why they have formed a partnership to deliver a virtual masterclass and WSET Level 2 Spirits training to a group of mainland UK bartenders.
Transforming adversity into opportunity
Santa Teresa 1796 was born in Venezuela 220 years ago, and growing during that country’s turbulent history taught the brand to continually look for ways of creating positive outcomes in the face of unexpected challenges. It is a positive and pragmatic outlook that has driven Santa Teresa to help support communities, both at home in Venezuela and abroad, by creating initiatives like Project Alcatraz, and collaborating with the charity School of Hard Knocks.
Now, in a time of unprecedented hardship, Santa Teresa want to turn that spirit of community support towards the bar industry by partnering with The Mixing Class to offer UK bartenders a virtual masterclass and the chance to earn a WSET Level 2 certification in order to come out of lockdown stronger than before.
Shervene Blackburn, UK head of advocacy for Santa Teresa, said of the partnership: “Now more than ever it is important for brands to do their bit to protect those in our industry. Providing course support through WSET allows bartenders to upskill and give CVs stand out on what we know is an extremely super competitive recruitment environment.”
Max Ostwald, The Mixing Class operations director, echoed this sentiment: “At a time where people feel in our industry can feel lost, giving them a chance to develop themselves through formal and well structured education is worth its weight in gold. That Santa Teresa recognises this is incredible, as a brand they have always shown their belief in investing in people, we at The Mixing Class are really proud to be partnering with them to help our hospitality colleagues grow in this difficult period.”
Application and selection process
Any bartender over the age of 18 and living and working in mainland UK can apply to join this program by completing the form at the bottom of the page. The first 100 applicants will be invited to join a Zoom masterclass hosted Santa Teresa 1796 UK ambassador Eric Tinca, during which they will learn about Santa Teresa’s origins, history, and production, and the creation of a 1796 old fashioned using chocolate bitters which will be consumed as a group while Eric describes some additional suggested serves. Each of the 100 bartenders attending the virtual masterclass will be sent a pack containing a bottle of Santa Teresa 1796, cacao bitters, and some branded glassware in advance.
At the conclusion of the masterclass, a quiz will be sent to each bartender. Some of the quiz answers will be found during Eric’s masterclass, and others will require some outside research. The twenty bartenders with the top quiz scores will be selected to join the online WSET Level 2 Spirits course sessions, conducted by The Mixing Class in December (you do not need to have completed Level 1 to apply for a place).
Key dates:
Santa Teresa 1796 Virtual Masterclass: 30th November, 2:30pm
WSET Level 2 Course: 8th & 9th December