CLEVELAND BARTENDING SCHOOL BLOG – Making drinks? Or making history?

I recently returned from the Professional Bartending Schools of America (PBSA) Leadership Conference in Baltimore’s exciting and historical Inner Harbor area, where I got a chance to soak up some of the local color and their amazing bar scene—one of the best on the east coast.  Honestly, my mind is just exploding right now with ideas on how I can share that experience with my students here at Cleveland Bartending School.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so fired up.
But before I go into more on that, I have to say that yours truly, Will Cobbin, came back with more than just inspiration.  I shared a first place win for this year’s PBSA Knowledge Test.  (Ask me how to make the weirdest drink you know.  I dare you!)  Plus, I also received a Quest for Excellence Award, a three-peat for me.
Not to brag, but it’s good to know that when you come to Cleveland Bartending School you’ll be working with a director and staff who are experts in the field.
Back to my trip.  Every restaurant and hotspot I visited was living proof of the fun, variety and travel opportunities that a bartending career offers.  Sitting in O’Brickey’s, munching on their famous blue crab, it was impossible not to get caught up in the vibe.  And I couldn’t help but notice how much fun the bartenders were having behind the counter.  At Woodberry Kitchen, I and many others enjoyed sipping their famous barn burner drinks, served by professional mixologists who were not only skilled at making cocktails, but working a little magic with the crowd.  That’s what good bartending is, really:  part science; part psychology; part Hollywood.
One last thing.  In Baltimore I also got a chance to see Fort McHenry, Revolutionary War site and birthplace of our national anthem.  Talk about stirring!  Right there I started imagining rockets exploding, fireworks going off, history changing course, and I said to myself, “What a perfect analogy for becoming a bartender!”