“If I could only use one word to describe the course, it would be ‘fantastic’. Fantastic in the way the instructor explained all the concepts, but most of all fantastic because of the mood created by the students enjoying the moment and learning at the same time.”
These are the words of Gianluca Basso, from Turin, who took his professional steps in bartending with the International Bartender Course at EBS Barcelona.
Learning the fun way
It’s safe to say that ambitious professional Gianluca rose to bartending stardom in the space of a few years. He began his training at EBS in 2015 with no prior bartending experience. He tells us, “What I most appreciated about the course was learing everything from scratch – theory, free pour, flair – and doing it with other people who became my friends made it all the more exciting, interesting, and fun.”
Fast-forward to today, and he’s working as Bar Supervisor at Paradiso, the World’s Best Bar of 2022.
Special access to guests’ most relaxing moments
It wasn’t only the bartending education that motivated Gianluca to take an EBS course, but “the opportunity to travel through this job, to meet a lot of people, and to be able to practise foreign languages,” Gianluca shares with us.
Bartending stood out as a profession offering great freedom and possibilities for interaction with individuals from all walks of life. Guests at bars are more often than not “enjoying a moment of relaxation” and bartenders get privileged access to this carefree state of mind, day in day out, from people all over the world. Gianluca believes that bartending is a role that connects people: no matter where the bar is or where the guests are from, the bartender is there to listen to what will make the guests happy and prepare their drinks with care.
After graduating from EBS with flying colours, Gianluca returned to his hometown and swiftly landed a job at T Club in Turin.
The EBS certificate: a ticket to the world’s best bars
Gianluca’s experience abroad soon began calling him back and he felt the urge to return to Barcelona – and he had proof of excellence to take with him. “The EBS certificate is extremely important, especially for people like me who are planning to travel and look for jobs around the world,” Gianluca comments. In Barcelona, he found his way to the bar Paradiso, a hidden bar in Born co-owned by Giacomo Giannotti and his wife Margarita. Since then, Gianluca has been working his way up the ranks to the prestigious role that he has today: Paradiso’s own Bar Supervisor. His main responsibility is ensuring all bartenders prepare and serve cocktails in the best possible way, to produce that “trademark Paradiso wow effect”.
The joy of creativity in cocktail making
What Gianluca most enjoys about working at Paradiso is the creativity behind the menu and the drive to “debunk the idea of the impossible”. You have only to look as far as the magnificent airborne Cloud cocktail or the luminous green Kriptonite to understand what he means. Unsurprisingly, he admits that the reaction of the guests is always fantastic – in his words, “priceless”.
Gianluca tells us that having his workplace crowned ‘best bar in the world’ was the peak of his 2022 and, as an educational institution, we are delighted to have played a part in his development toward such an accolade. We can only begin to wonder what impressive accomplishments will be in store for this exemplar EBS graduate this year!
Watch the full interview with Gianluca here
Hoping to follow in Gianluca’s footsteps? Read more about the International Bartender Course here.
