Straight A's at the booze academy

So, you think you could be a professional bartender? It might not be as easy as it seems.
Maybe you can make the perfect classic martini. Perhaps people rave about your mojitos. But do you also have the right attitude, mentality and manners to be commander-in-chief of the bar? Do you know every spirit and fruit and how to make them work together in harmony? Do you understand the dynamics of taste, smell and texture?
This is where Joseph Boroski can help you. He’s the owner of the simple yet elegant BAR:School on Soi Thong Lor, a two-storey cocktail academy that opened early this year. Boroski, who calls himself a “mixsultant”, coaches the managers and owners of bars as well as their bartenders.
BAR:School boasts a full-fledged cocktail bar of its own, with all the spirits, herbs and other ingredients lined up awaiting the students’ surges of creativity. The workshop hall, where the bar is, can accommodate up to 30 students and also hosts other functions. Boroski leads the class from an elevated stage.
You can sign up for one of two kinds of classes.
For beginners, the workshop sessions are easy-going and fun but also inspiring – you get to observe the mixologist work his magic and then try your hand at shaking, stirring and mixing. No prior skills are required.
Usually each workshop has a theme based on the specific techniques and ingredients being highlighted. Last week there was a Thai Cocktails Workshop using only local ingredients, including Nikki spirits distilled in Chiang Mai.
I tucked in with the class, hands thrust into ice buckets and some really delicious drinks with kaffir lime leaves, basil, lime and ginger resulting. It’s a blast concocting your own first cocktail and hanging out chatting about the finer points of booze.
If you’ve already had some experience at this in public, opt for the higher level of instruction, the far more extension professional bartending course, which promises to raise the level of your game. The course delves into the history of cocktails, how to set up a bar, how to choose ingredients and what special techniques work best. It lasts 10 hours and costs Bt5,000. Check out the website for the schedule.
New Yorker Joseph Boroski is the founder and director of sipslowly, a group of distinguished bartenders who share their knowledge and experience as hired consultants.
“I began my career in the beverage industry at the age of 18 as a spirits-and-wine salesman in New England, where I grew up,” Boroski says. “Since then I’ve been using my unique cocktail creations to entertain crowds. I’ve worked as a professional bartender, beverage-and-bar manager, drink specialist and mixologist in quite a variety of venues, ranging from high-end restaurants to speciality private events to world-class nightclubs.
“The acceleration of my career really occurred in Manhattan, my home, where I worked at some great venues such as Monkey Bar, Sapa, Kemia at Marseille, Sixty Thompson, AZ, Crowbar and Amuse.”
Boroski is also the mastermind behind hundreds of the yummy beverages found at chic resorts, five-star hotels and bars in Thailand. His well-recognised clients include Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Starwood (like the W, Sheraton and St Regis) and the Mandarin Oriental.


Drink up

BAR:School is on Soi Thong Lor close to Soi 7. You have to book a class in advance.
Call (02) 712 6025 or check out the sites http://BarSchoolBkk.com and www.SipSlowly.com.