The first-ever EBS Tiki Course made a great impression. From rum blending to tiki mug painting, the students did it all! Each individual followed their own journey of discovery, taking inspiration from the teachings of tiki for their own bar practices. Read more about what surprised students below.
Floris
Tiki cocktails are the perfect outlet for creative expression. Think of the storytelling behind each drink, the sculptural garnishes, the long list of ingredients in ever so specific recipes.
We need to get more people interested in tropical-style drinks. In the bars where I’ve worked, the bestseller has almost always been the Pornstar Martini because it has that accessible sweetness and interesting tang from the passionfruit. The Pornstar is an amazing classic drink but it’s so exciting to go beyond the known names and have guests fall in love with lesser-known cocktails. I’ve tasted so many great drinks this week but you barely see them in bars! This is a huge shame!
Even if I don’t sell these exact tiki recipes we studied, I have been super inspired by them. I can make my own versions with similar flavour profiles but also match them to drinks that a majority of guests will recognise. This way I can lead people in new directions, so they can experience something new but with some comfort flavours thrown in. This makes my night way more interesting as a bartender; firstly, because I get to socialise with guests, teach them, talk them through the ingredients of a new drink they can try that’s similar to their favourite. Secondly, it means I’m mixing up a variety of drinks – not 7 Pornstar Martinis in a row!
Terry
Eye-opening. I had no idea that there was so much history behind tiki and the old Donn Beach-Trader Vic rivalry. Mind-blowing how all that past could be squeezed into 5 days of teaching.
People think bartending is split into categories. But it’s not, because flavours have no boundaries. Anything can mix with anything. Learning about tiki doesn’t mean you’ll only make Zombies for the rest of your life. It’s about taking tips and tricks from all areas of bartending history and creating custom drinks. Apart from being really entertaining and gold dust if you’re looking to perfect the tiki classics, this course has simply made me a more rounded bartender with expanded knowledge I can apply in whichever ways I want.
I want to reach this higher level of specialised knowledge so I can change customers’ perceptions of the profession. Where I’m from, bartending is not so much looked upon as an official career and I disagree strongly with that – as I think the whole hospitality industry would! I want to inspire respect for the career and give people a better glimpse into the great skill behind mixology, presentation, customer experience.
I’m really grateful for Andre as he made a whole chunk of history human, accessible, and unintimidating. You’re surprised by how much you learn in such a short time when it’s broken down for you into fun lessons.
The rum tasting was wild! Who knew one spirit could taste so different across the board? The salty Trois Rivières Cuvée de l’Océan really stuck out to me.
Janoe
I didn’t know what tiki really was. I just knew there was a lot of rum and Hawaiian-style decorations but it actually goes way back!
The history parts were key for me because it’s so important to know the legends behind drinks so you can retell the stories as you serve guests. Bartending is not asking someone what they want, serving it, and then ignoring him/her/them for the rest of the evening. Your mixing skills entertain the guest visually but you have to have the knowledge to entertain them verbally as well. You break the ice and draw them in with cool facts or details about the drink. Then the relationship and interaction is set up for the night!
The most useful aspect of the course was definitely learning to prepare homemade syrups. It basically unlocks unlimited flavour possibilities.
Jelle
I’m not a bartender but I work in a restaurant, so the Tiki Course was really useful for me in terms of inspiration for events. It opens up your creativity in all directions, makes you think about all the different aspects that link a concept together to make it solid. In this case, the specific bar decor, names of drinks, presentation, ingredients that can be mixed, all come together to make tiki tiki.
Richard
What makes tiki special is the art of creating a paradise, a utopia you can reach no matter where you are in the world. It can be -30 degrees outside but when you walk into that warm bar with island decorations and ‘exotic’ drinks, you’re transported. 
