29 Bartenders from some of Accra’s finest bars have been certified by Guinness Ghana in the art of making luxury cocktails and drinks after a six hour intensive training session. Guinness Ghana, a Diagio PLC subsidiary, invited one of the world’s acclaimed mixologists, Tim Judge, to help build the capability and confidence of the Bartenders to “improve consumers drinking experience”. The closed door training took place on Tuesday September 17 at Paloma Hotel’s Lexington Bar in Accra. The Bartenders selected for the training came from the Lexington Bar, Rhapsody’s, Shaka Zulu, Hollywood Boulevard, Villa Monticello, Honey Suckle, Monsoon Restaurant and Krystis Restaurant/Club. The training session opened with an introduction to Diageo’s global competition aimed a rewarding the world’s best bartenders. This was followed by lessons in the core characteristics of Diageo’s Luxury brands portfolio and what makes them the lifestyle options for luxury consumers. These brands include Johnnie Walker Super Deluxe (Blue Label, Platinum Label and Gold Label Reserve), Ciroc Ultra-Premium vodka, Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray No. Ten gin, Tequila Don Julio and Ron Zacapa Rum. The training concluded with some luxury cocktail training with these brands which will be available in all the participating bars. In an interview with Tim, he said “I am amazed by the way Ghana is developing across all sectors including tourism and is becoming the destination for tourists. As part of my job, I have visited most countries across Africa and admit Ghana has some of the best bars and can compete at the international level. It is therefore important that bartenders, who are at the heart of great drinks and great nights, need to be equipped to deliver world class cocktails”. Tapatheo, one of the participants Bartenders, said he had been Bartending since 2010 but the engagement with Tim and exposure to the world of opportunities for bar tendering has challenged him to strive to the best in Ghana.