Get set for a heady career

KOCHI: It’s not all about the lure of liquor, a career in bartending has much more going for it. Neither is it the shady career of yesteryear. Bartending today is not just popular but glamorous too, to say nothing about the pay package.There are several bartending institutes in the country. The duration of these courses range from short-term one month courses to longer ones of more than a year. A three-month course can cost as much as 20,000, the fee varying according to the duration and the content. Training in mixing cocktails and mocktails, flairing, juggling and training on the content of wines and spirits are some of the components of the courses. But Kerala does not have many institutes offering the course. “The reason lies in a cultural perception. People in Kerala feel that if an institute offers a course in their state, it is not good enough. They prefer to join institutes out of their state. We have tried and failed to start bartending institutes in Kerala. But here 30 percent of students are from Kerala,” said  Prasanna Ganesha, Director, BMann’s Institute, Chennai.“The basic salary is Rs 8000-10000 per month. It then moves to Rs 20,000-25,000,” said Utpal Laha, Head of Department of Bar tending, Indian Institute of Bartending.  After a few years in bartending one can launch into more lucrative options like bar management, beverage consultant etc or move to the liquor industry. Apart from regular jobs in hotels and restaurants, bartending also finds an increasing demand in private parties, weddings, corporate business meetings and so on. “One night can earn you between Rs 1500 to about 7000. But freelancing is usually done after gaining some experience first,” said Prasanna Ganesha. The course is also preferred by students of hotel management. The bartending course has an interesting mix of students. “Some of our student s are house wives,” says Prasanna Ganesha. “They take to the course so that they can have small parties in their houses without depending on bartenders. Many also opt for it as a hobby or as a part time job,” he added.