Welcome to the WSBG
The WSBG exists as an organization of professionals and enthusiasts with an enduring mission to elevate the standard of bartending as a craft. The key to this goal is simple: we are a state- wide collaborative community dedicated to a heightened expectation of quality cocktails, spirits, wine and beer, the promotion and recognition of an excellence in service and an ongoing education of our membership.
Our Objectives
The WSBG is organized and operated exclusively for non-profit purposes. Its objectives are as follows:
- To form a state-wide collaborative community of bartenders and supporters.
- To advance the highest level of service standards within the bar industry.
- To create an educational platform within Washington State through community programs, seminars, festivals and media outreach.
- To contribute towards a greater knowledge of cocktail preparation, spirits, wine and beer.
- To secure a congenial relationship with the WSLCB and liquor companies to broaden our state's spirit portfolio.
- To promote recognition of Washington bartenders, spirits and distilleries nationally and internationally.
Current Officers
- President, Andrew Friedman, Liberty
- Vice President, Keith Waldbauer, Liberty
- Secretary, Rocky Yeh, Vessel
- Secretary, Andrew Bohrer, Mistral Kitchen
- Treasurer, Nathan Layman
- PR/Website/Membership Admin, Michael Kostin, Naga Cocktail Lounge, All Nations Bar & Restaurant
To contact an officer or if you have any questions, please use our Contact page.
You can also join our group on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
ARE YOU BARSMART?
"BarSmarts has been designed exclusively for Pernod Ricard USA by BAR, based largely on their award winning BAR Certification Program. BAR is a partnership of six of the most highly respected spirits authorities/educators in the U.S. including Dale DeGroff, Steve Olson, Doug Frost, F. Paul Pacult, Andy Seymour and David Wondrich."
The BarSmarts program is in its fifth year of operation, and offers two levels of BarSmarts education - BarSmarts WIRED (a strictly online course) and BarSmarts Advanced (an invitation only course with a combination of workbook, DVDs, online quizzes and a one day live event with seminars and live testing). This year, Seattle was chosen as one of the cities for BarSmarts Advanced, along with Washington, D.C., Orlando, FL and New Orleans, LA.
About 144 people signed up for BarSmarts Advanced Seattle back in January/February, and 122 people (including many WSBG members) attended the BarSmarts Live event, which was held on Tuesday, April 27th at The Grand Hyatt Seattle.
The night before the BarSmarts Live Seattle, Monday, April 26th, the BarSmarts team hosted a cocktail party at Rob Roy where attendees had the oppprtunity to meet the BarSmarts team, including the six BAR partners, the Pernod Ricard BarSmarts staff, and the judges that were flown in. The BarSmarts team also hosted a cocktail party at Ruth Chris in the Grand Hyatt Seattle, following the BarSmarts Live event. Later in the evening, many of the BarSmarts attendees and judges were celebrating at Zig Zag.
The BarSmarts team were impressed with the turnout for BarSmarts Live in Seattle, and said that it was one of the most successful BarSmarts Live events to date. They also said that they would definitely be back again soon.
Would you like to become BarSmart? We highly encourage you to visit the BarSmarts website and sign up to be on their mailing list. (The next round of BarSmarts WIRED will start July 1st.) You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. We will be notifying WSBG members by e-mail when BarSmarts Advanced will be back in Seattle.
Did you miss our last event?
JAPANESE WHISKY AND ICE BALL CARVING
It was a Japanese Whisky weekend with Suntory's Gardner Dunn.
First up was the Whisky Extravanganza held at The Rainier
Club in Seattle, Friday night, April 23rd, where Gardner Dunn was pouring tastes of Suntory Japanese Whiskys alongside hundreds of other whiskys from other distilleries.
After the Whisky Extravanganza, Gardner Dunn went over to Liberty on Capitol Hill to mix up cocktails with Japanese Whisky.
On Saturday, April 24th about 20 WSBG members met in the afternoon at Liberty to learn all about Suntory Japanese Whiskys. Gardner talked about Suntory, their history and the fine whiskys they are producing. There were tastes of Hibiki 12 and Yamazki 12 poured, along with some barrel tastings. Those that attended also received their very own Yamazaki ice picks.
Then the group moved on over to Mistral Kitchen to learn how to carve ice balls.
Afterwards, Gardner made a quick visit over the Naga Cocktail Lounge in Bellevue, along with Rocky Yeh, to check out the their amazing selection of Japanese Whiskys. Then he was behind the bar again, this time at Vessel, mixing up more cocktails with Japanese Whisky.
If you would like to learn more about Japanese Whisky, please visit Nonjatta.
Photos by Michael Kostin & Phillip Thompson
BUFFALO TRACE
On Wednesday, April 28th, a lunch was hosted at Mistral Kitchen with Buffalo Trace's head distiller, Harlen Wheatley, was in Seattle to talk about all things Buffalo Trace, and offer tastes of their products (Pappy Van Winkle Whiskeys, Blanton's Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Sazerac Rye, Weller Bourbon, Eagle Rare Bourbon and Elmer T. Lee Bourbon).