The innovative, www.bartendersmanifesto.com is a first in the industry and is being officially unveiled during this week’s London Cocktail Week (5-9 October).
The online educational resource is the brainchild of Edinburgh-based Iain Bell, owner of Executive Fitness Foundation and an expert in well-being, lifestyle and fitness. Over the past 20 years the integrated health specialist has delivered a raft of innovative wellness workshops, personalized fitness and detox programmes and even practical skills on meditation for business executives and organisations.
A host of global drinks brands and members of the International Bartenders Association (IBA) are among the international recipients of Bell’s science-based drink master classes that consider the relationship between alcohol, body physiology and effective health strategies.
Bell is convinced that bars and their customer facing staff will now benefit from a website that encourages the consistent adoption of a healthy approach to alcohol.
He explained: “Alcohol and its relationship with drinking culture needs to adjust. Those working in bar environments are the pioneers of drinking and the pioneers of change. Bartending is a demanding career and there is a constant need to perform against the working pattern and demands of a growing industry.
“We can all enjoy alcohol but we need to have a better understanding about what it does to our systems. The bar teams know all there is to know in the development and creation of the drinks they are serving, but I understand the physical impact from the moment their creations pass their customers lips.
“Through the information within www.bartendersmanifesto.com drinks professionals can share knowledge and look after their own and others well-being. By sharing best practice, the likes of cocktail recipes are responsibly created and customers can make informed choices. This in turn ensures all have a safe and enjoyable drinks experience. Customers are being ‘Well Served’.”
Bell, who is also fitness director at One Spa at The Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh believes there’s a need for cocktail menus to clearly state the number of alcoholic units in a recipe. “If we’re serious about well-being in the drinks industry, clearly specifying the alcoholic units in all customer drinks would be a small and significant step.
“Those working in the drinks industry aim to uphold the highest standards for the dispensing and consumption of alcohol. The new Bartenders Manifesto will be an effective means to share best practice and I hope that it will be embraced to create a more mindful drinking culture.”
