Advanced Bartending & Mixology

Independent study. xplor is not an IAMI- or PYA-accredited GUEST training provider. This course covers the ground assessed in GUEST Unit 14; it awards no GUEST unit, certificate or Certificate of Competency and does not count toward one.

Free

INT-MIX-1-1 · Spirits and Modifiers in Depth

4 lessons

INT-MIX-1-1.1 The Base Spirits I: Gin, Vodka, Rum and Agave Practice in examiner →

INT-MIX-1-1.1.1

Gin and Vodka: Botanicals, Base Material and the Neutrality Question

Gin is a neutral spirit re-flavoured with botanicals in which juniper must dominate, and its style depends on how and when those botanicals are added. Vodka is defined by neutrality, but base material and filtration still leave differences that matter most when it is served neat and cold.

INT-MIX-1-1.1.2

Rum and Agave: Production, Country Styles and Reading the Label

Rum's character comes from two choices — molasses or cane juice, pot or column still — and its age statements are unregulated and often misleading because of tropical ageing and undeclared added sugar. Agave spirits are graded by oak ageing, and only bottles marked 100% agave should be carried.

INT-MIX-1-1.2 The Base Spirits II and the Modifier Shelf Practice in examiner →

INT-MIX-1-1.2.1

Whisky and Brandy: Mash Bills, Regions and Age Designations

Scotch is defined by whether it comes from one distillery and whether it is malt, grain or blend, while American whiskey is defined by its mash bill, with bourbon needing at least 51% corn and rye at least 51% rye. Cognac and Armagnac share the VS, VSOP and XO age designations, which always refer to the youngest spirit in the bottle.

INT-MIX-1-1.2.2

The Modifier Shelf: Vermouth, Amari, Bitters and Liqueurs

Vermouth and aperitif wines are wines, not spirits, so they oxidise once opened and must be refrigerated and replaced regularly. Amari and bitter liqueurs are structural ingredients measured in millilitres, while cocktail bitters are concentrated seasoning measured in dashes.

INT-MIX-1-2 · Technique to a Professional Standard

4 lessons

INT-MIX-1-2.1 Methods and the Three Variables Practice in examiner →

INT-MIX-1-2.1.1

The Methods: Build, Stir, Shake, Dry Shake, Throw, Blend and Swizzle

Each mixing method exists to solve a specific problem: stirring chills without aeration for clear spirituous drinks, shaking aerates and texturises anything with citrus, juice, dairy or egg, and dry shaking, throwing, blending and swizzling each control aeration and dilution differently. Drinks served up should be double strained to remove ice shards.

INT-MIX-1-2.1.2

Chilling, Dilution and Aeration: Controlling the Three Variables

Chilling, dilution and aeration are the three coupled variables behind every cocktail, and they are controlled through ice quality, ice quantity, contact time and agitation. Dilution is an ingredient rather than a fault, and wet or broken ice is the usual cause of a watery drink.

INT-MIX-1-2.2 Ice, Measurement, Glassware and Garnish Practice in examiner →

INT-MIX-1-2.2.1

Ice on a Yacht: Clarity, Format, Density and Dilution Rate

Cloudy ice is caused by trapped air and solids, and clear ice is made by directional freezing in an insulated container and cutting away the cloudy base. Ice format drives dilution rate through surface area, and ice must be treated as food — made from tasted water, stored covered and scooped, never handled with a glass.

INT-MIX-1-2.2.2

Measuring, Glassware and Garnish: Consistency and Hygiene

Consistency comes from measuring every spirit with a jigger rather than free-pouring, and from matching and chilling the correct glassware. Garnish is aroma rather than decoration, and it must be prepped, stored covered and dated, and handled with tongs.

INT-MIX-1-3 · The Classics and the Yacht Bar Operation

4 lessons

INT-MIX-1-3.1 Cocktail Families and the Essential Classics Practice in examiner →

INT-MIX-1-3.1.1

The Cocktail Families and the Templates They Give You

Cocktail families are templates — sour, spirit-forward, stirred, highball, flip, punch and tiki — and each gives a rule that generates drinks rather than a single recipe. The sour template, roughly 60 ml spirit to 30 ml citrus to 15 to 20 ml sweetener, covers most guest requests and can be tuned in either direction.

INT-MIX-1-3.1.2

The Essential Classics: Specs, Balance and Adjusting to Taste

The essential classics have defensible standard specs — Negroni 30/30/30, Daiquiri around 60/30/15, Old Fashioned spirit with sugar, bitters and ice — that serve as starting points to be tuned. Adjust to guest taste one variable at a time, and hold a round of eight together by batching identical drinks in one mixing glass and serving fragile drinks last.

INT-MIX-1-3.2 Running the Bar: Service, Batching and Control Practice in examiner →

INT-MIX-1-3.2.1

The Bar as an Operation: Mise en Place, Service, Stock and the Bond

Mise en place — ice, garnish, syrups, chilled glassware, bottles by frequency of use and tools in fixed positions — decides a service before it starts, and a seaway demands non-slip matting, racked bottles, built drinks and the judgement to stop. The bond is a duty-free store under customs control where every movement is logged and any discrepancy is a legal matter.

INT-MIX-1-3.2.2

Batching, Homemade Ingredients, Food Safety and Responsible Service

Batch the stable part of a drink and add sparkling, foam and dairy at the glass, always adding water to the batch to replicate the dilution stirring or shaking would have given. Homemade syrups and cordials must be labelled, dated and refrigerated, raw egg white should be replaced with pasteurised egg or aquafaba where the food-safety system requires it, and responsible service means watching behaviour and escalating rather than deciding alone.

Aligned to the IAMI GUEST Program framework. Preparatory study only — assessment and certification are carried out by an approved GUEST Training Provider. Official source (GUEST Program).

School