| Read Time: 8 Minutes
Get a look at the spaces we run our hospitality courses from bartender courses to mixologist courses, barista courses to wine courses.
| By Cameron Mowat
Our mission statement at Drink In has always been: to inspire the bartenders of today and educate the bartenders of tomorrow.
Bartending is one of those disciplines that requires a lot of training and education. Unlike many skills, it cannot be learnt truly online. Knowledge and experience are key. Many bartenders and hospitality staff spend years slowly compiling knowledge through experience, however we see the opportunity to give bartenders, new and old, a foundation of knowledge that will allow them to get so much more from their working experience.
To that end we run two bartending academies in Dublin and Mallorca, each with their unique flavour, instructors and bartender courses. Here’s an in depth look at what we do and where we do it!
Dublin
The Academy
The Drink In Academy: Dublin is our flagship bartending school, located in the heart of Smithfield, in central Dublin. We opened the space as the Dublin Bar Academy in 2012 and we have been going strong for 10 years since.
The space itself is actually award-winning for its design, and we’re super proud of it. We have a fully kitted out practice bar for cocktail and beer training, practice keg station for pulling pints and keg changing, three Italian espresso machines to train as a barista, and a live bar full of loads of amazing spirits and liqueurs for tastings.
Plus we planned the space as if it were a proper bar and hangout spot for bartenders so we have a pool table, ping pong table, table football and loads of comfortable couches for relaxing after a good day’s study.
Think of it like a speakeasy bar hidden in a classic Dublin red-brick building where you can learn the art of bartending. When we’re not running our range of bartender courses, we also host events in the space, from brand activations to cocktail competitions. We want you to think of it as your own bar when you join us for a course and the easiest way to do that is by creating a space you can be proud to work and study in.
The City
Dublin is one of those cities that lives and breathes drinking culture. It’s this culture that pulls in hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world, coming to see and experience true pub culture and Irish Hospitality.
The city has a flavour that is truly unique. While it is the capital of Ireland and a bustling hub of activity and culture, it still has an almost ‘town-like’ feel, where you can bump into someone you know on any corner and nothing is ever too far away. Despite its relatively small size, the city is filled to the brim with great bars and pubs. You could spend months visiting every bar in one district of the city without coming close to seeing them all.
This also makes it an ideal place to run our bartender and mixology courses! With such a wealth of bars there is also a wealth of job opportunities for any students that either already live in Dublin or want to stay after the course. As the only dedicated bartender school in Ireland we are often in contact with managers and staff in some of the top bars around the city, giving us the ability to assist you in finding the job in hospitality that you’re looking for.
The Courses
Our range of bartender courses are designed to cover every essential skill that you might need to grow into the best you can be.
Become A Bartender
Our flagship bartender course! Become a Bartender is all about preparing you for your first trial shift in a pub or bar, with hands-on training over 2 weeks on cocktails, mixology, beer and keg systems, barista techniques and espresso machines, wine, tills and service. It covers all the essentials you need to start a career in bartending and hospitality.
Introduction to Cocktails
The perfect introductory cocktail and mixology course. Over two full days we cover the foundations of cocktails and cocktail culture, diving into history, spirits, equipment and glassware, classic cocktails and an introduction to mixology and crafting cocktails. The 2-Day Cocktail Course is also a great tester to see if you want to join us for our Become a Bartender course.
Introduction to Mixology
The Introduction to Mixology is a course we designed for bartenders and flavour chasers that want to elevate their cocktails to cutting edge, professional standards. Over 2 days we dive into a whole host of delicious products made with techniques ranging from basic to advanced and full of exciting flavours and flavour combinations. We’re talking everything from syrups and shrubs to tinctures and foams. Taking everything we’ve made we’ll then weave them into cocktails, from twists of the classics to improvised craft cocktails. If big flavours and inspiring cocktails are your thing, this is your course.
WSET 2
The starting point for proper wine knowledge. WSET Level 2 is the course for anyone that wants to advance their knowledge and passion for wine, understand the wines they serve in work or embark on a career as a sommelier. We run an intensive 2 day and 4 day WSET wine course that is designed to have you learn so much in just a short time. From regional and grape varieties, to flavours and tasting techniques, there is no better wine course curriculum in the world. Plus our intensive WSET 2 course sets you up perfectly for the WSET 3 in Mallorca, which takes place over 10 days with vineyard visits, city explorations and more.
2-Day Barista Course
Nowadays you can’t become a good bartender without having the barista skills to match! Our barista course focuses primarily on the practical aspect whilst giving you a foundation of essential knowledge so that you understand exactly what it is you’re serving and why. The barista course centres around three authentic Italian espresso machines where you’ll learn everything from grinding techniques, perfect espresso, milk foaming and latte art. Whether it’s perfect coffee at home, beginning a career as a barista or becoming more useful behind the bar, the 2-Day Barista Course is ideal.
Mallorca
The Academy
The Drink In Academy: Mallorca is our newest location and what we think of as our ‘advanced’ academy. We painstakingly picked the location in the capital of Mallorca, Palma, so that the space would be as close to the action as possible. Located right off one of the central Plazas, the Mallorca Academy is walking distance from all the best bars, attractions and public transport that the city has to offer.
When we opened the academy at the tail-end of the pandemic, we decided that we wanted it to have a modern feel and be kitted out with everything you would need to take your bartending to the next level. So we installed a full kitchen with all the necessary tools and equipment for mastering homemade products, a drinks lab/working bar for creating craft cocktails and honing cocktail-making techniques, and a demonstration bar for our instructors to show off their skills and share their secrets.
We also plan to use the academy space as a hub for bartenders from around Mallorca, Spain and eventually the world to gather and network, sharing their techniques, recipes and insider insights so that our bartender courses can always stay on the cutting edge of contemporary bartending.
The Villa
The Drink In Villa is the feather in the cap of our Mallorca branch. Accommodation can be pricey in Mallorca as it’s such a popular tourist destination, especially in the spring and summer. We thought we’d save our students the hassle and give them a place to relax, socialise and study during their course.
The Villa is located on the outskirts of Palma, a stone’s throw away from a gorgeous beach, as well as loads of great restaurants and bars that are often overlooked by people visiting the city centre. Where the Academy itself is right in the heart of the city, the Villa offers a chilled, comfortable atmosphere outside of the hustle and bustle.
Complete with a pool, sun terraces, a modern kitchen and bright, airy rooms, the Villa is an attractive and affordable option for our students attending our bartender courses and wine courses. It’s also where we host a lot of our events and social gatherings, so regardless of whether or not you stay there you’ll have a chance to enjoy it!
The City
When we were looking for our second location to run bartending courses, Mallorca was the perfect fit.
The island is known as ‘the crown jewel of the balearics’ for good reason. The long, sweeping vistas around every corner, a peppering of incredible beaches, mountains and seaside towns, and a thriving food and drinks culture, it was a no-brainer to host bartending courses in the capital city, Palma.
Palma itself is a stunning and often overlooked destination. From its sun-soaked streets to its bustling plazas, the city is a joy to explore. Not only that, but the cocktail culture in the city is blossoming more and more every year, with new bars, new flavours and new styles constantly adding to the already amazing drinks scene. From hidden speakeasies to bouncing beach bars, the city has a little of something for everyone.
And for our wine enthusiasts, Mallorca is home to the D.O. Binissalem, one of Spain’s premier wine making regions, making it the ideal place to learn about wine on our WSET wine courses, with the opportunity to taste some of the best wines Spain has to offer.
The Courses
Mixology & Craft Cocktails
Mastering Craft Cocktails & Spirits is our advanced bartender and mixology course that was designed for people obsessed with flavour and creativity in the world of cocktails. While there’s no bartending experience required to join the course, we feel that this is the perfect course for bartenders that want to take their skills to the next level and set themselves apart from the competition. Over 10 days we combine in-depth insights into all of the major spirits with advanced mixology techniques and recipes. Then taking all that knowledge and understanding of flavour you’ll begin to design, test and create craft cocktails that express your own personality through flavour.
Introduction to Cocktails
Our most popular course has made it to Mallorca! The Introduction to Cocktails is 2 days of exploration in the world of cocktails, with a focus on the classics, practical bartending training and basic mixology. You’ll get history lessons on cocktail culture and spirits, master making a range of the most important classics to know and get behind the bar to cook mixology products and take part in cocktail tastings. This course also runs in Spanish for the local aspiring cocktail makers and bartenders in Mallorca and Spain!
Introduction to Mixology
Our newest addition to the Mallorca Academy! This 2-day course is packed with cooking, creativity and cocktails. Together we’ll explore the world of mixology, from basic products like syrups and cordials to more advanced products like clarifications and foams. After making a wealth of different products using a variety of flavour extraction techniques, we’ll show you how to incorporate them into classic and craft cocktails to create show-stopping drinks. This course is perfect for the aspiring mixologist or flavour seeker that wants to take their cocktails to higher levels. Plus it’s the ideal taster of our everything that goes on in our 10-day Mixology and Craft Cocktails course.
WSET 2
WSET 2 Mallorca is the beginner wine course that we offer at our Mallorca Academy. The course runs across 7 days. Every day you’ll dive into the unique regions, styles and flavours of the world’s most notorious wines. We also make sure you’ll get hands-on experience of the vinification process with our vineyard visit, where you’ll see first hand how some of Spain’s best wines are produced.
WSET 3
WSET 3 is the wine course for people that want to get serious about their passion for wine. It’s known as the gatekeeper course for aspiring sommeliers, the first step on your journey to become a professional wine expert. Our unique WSET level 3 syllabus takes place over 10 days, with wine and spirit tastings, vineyard visits, explorations of the food and drink scene in Palma and loads of time for vineyard visits and adventures around the island.
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The best bartenders are made by a combination of education and experience. Nothing can replace the experience you gain in a real life bar, but we can certainly set you up for the strongest start possible with our bartender courses.
We’re proud of the educational program, academies and community that we have built over a decade of drinks education. No matter what your tastes, experience or aspirations are, we have a course for you!
