Posted: 17/12/24
Students shake up their bar skills
Leading on great taste this week were hospitality supervision and leadership students.
After enjoying a cocktail-making masterclass with front-of-house assessor Lee Senkans-Coupe, students were challenged to create their own cocktails, tent cards and menu cards.
Using the college’s Refined restaurant bar, the groups used their earlier masterclass knowledge to create cocktails and mocktails, with the winning recipes expected to be featured on the restaurant’s winter menu.
Fruit, herbs, juices and garnishes were used to shake-up both alcoholic cocktails (created by those over 18) and mocktails, with names such as Shirley Temple, Harvey Wallbanger, Black Betty’s potion, A Sunset’s Dream and Strawberry and Lime Nojito.
Special guest judges – Ashfield District Councillor Dale Grounds, who has experience as a barman, and former hospitality student and now general manager of Mansfield’s Serenity bar, Paul Piercy – were invited into the restaurant to taste test the drinks and quiz the students about their inspiration behind the beverages.
They were asked how they would price the drinks, how they would market them and why they used the ingredients in each drink.
Councillor Grounds said: “I was looking out for both the confidence that the students had with their cocktail creations as well as how well they presented the drink. I also took note of whether the name of the cocktail matched the drink taste-wise.
“I think everyone made an absolutely fantastic effort.”
Mr Piercy, who had a spell working in Refined after studying a level 3 hospitality qualification at the college before going to work in industry, said: “Attention-to-detail is something I took note of, and I think it’s important for students to look at what’s in trend, drinks-wise.
“There are many cocktails out there, so it’s about creating something unique to get the customer interested. It’s safe to say all of the competition entries were fantastic and I’ve enjoyed some tasty creations.”
