The Bar Institute at Portland Cocktail Week has given bartenders across the country the chance to excel at their craft. While taking classes during PDXCW, many students have graduated and are ready for the next step in 2015. Now, the following majors will also offer Masters Programming: Advanced Bartending, Beyond The Bar, Bar Ownership, and Innovation + Development.

More than 1,500 applied to The Bar Institute at Portland Cocktail Week this year and of those 1,500, we were only able to accommodate just 400 students into the program. This doesn’t include the 500 Festival Pass holders we have attending this year as well! As our community grows and the sincere desire to learn grows with it, demand for this program only increases. To answer that demand, the Bar Institute will be going on tour next year -­‐ hitting six key cities across the US.

Baltimore, MD in April 2016

Phoenix, AZ in May 2016

Austin, TX in June 2016

Miami, FL in August 2016

Portland, OR in September 2016

New York in November 2016

In each city, The Bar Institute will be offering three full days of classes, a trade show floor for attendees to sample products new and old, events that highlight the host city called MashUps and a new program called Upfronts. To summarize, Upfronts will highlight five bars in each region that are setting the standard for American bars -­‐ setting trends, pioneering new techniques in both cocktails and service, etc. The opportunity will allow each chosen to make a one hour presentation about their bar. During their presentation, they can present their menu, drinks, atmosphere and any other relevant aspects of their bar and culture to a group of colleagues, luminaries and media. As a result, the top two bars from each region will be invited to NYC, the final event of The Bar Institute, to present their ideas globally.

All members of the media are encouraged to attend each session, as there will be new content in each stop. You can go TheBarInstitute.org to register a profile and you will have the opportunity to sign up for each session. Once registered for each market that will give you access to all of the classes, events and trade show floor for the entirety of the program.

Website: TheBarInstitute.org     Facebook.com/BarInstitute     Instagram: @barinstitute     Twitter: #BarInstitute