Education Serves Up More Than Drinks

Author: Erich Kahner


They are friends, counselors and physicians to hundreds. Patrons flock primarily on weekends or after hard days at work seeking the help of these people and taking advantages of the services and products they offer. In their world, the night scene is their playground and the alcohol flows like water.

Who could these individuals be, and how do they become who they are? Bringing temporary relief and friendly conversation to people throughout the United States are the Professional Bartenders of America (PBA).

The PBA is not an exclusive club. In fact, it is looking for new recruits, and the Professional Bartending Schools of America (PBSA) are located in 11 states and 21 cities nationwide.

PBSA has trained over 60,000 students between all of its schools since its establishment in 1978 and currently instructs approximately 8,500 people per year.

A few of these institutions of higher learning are found right here in New England, with the closest only 40 miles away in Burlington, Vt.

The New England Bartending School in Burlington explores subjects ranging from alcohol awareness to the art of succesful tip making. Absent from the course list is any type of "ology." Except, of course, for mixology.

Seasoned veteran bartenders with mandatory experience in bar management teach the classes and often receive praise from students.

Boston instructor Tom Abisso was voted Instructor of the Year for 2000. "I just finished the course in Boston with Abisso and it was incredible," remarked recent graduate Brenden Simms. "The man is a god."

Miller Genuine Draft recently put the supremacy debate among Ivy League schools to rest. The beer company snubbed the likes of Harvard and Yale in electing PBSA's Boston branch "The Best School in New England."

Aside from its notorious role models and recognized reputation, the registration process at the New England Bartending School is a simple one.

Unlike other prestigious New England schools, the PBSA avoids the hassle of applications and personal essays.

Applicants just pick up the phone and dial a toll free number, and admission is granted. Five four-hour sessions later and students are nationally certified bartenders ready to test their luck in the job market. PBSA graduates have a recorded 90 percent chance of immediate job placement.

The Middlebury College tuition for the 2002-2003 academic year is scheduled to skirt the $36,000 mark, which towers in comparison to the tutition price of $350 for a PBSA education.

Andy Buxton, a local bartender at Angela's Restaurant, who makes upwards of $100 in tips alone on any given night, commented on why he chose his profession.

"I like the money, the company and the environment," Buxton said. "I have fun doing it."