The culture of Ice in bartender schools

 2 minutes to read Fabio's point of view about Brema's Ice

Eclectic, determined, lover of old style with an eye to innovation. If Professor Fabio Lunghi (now a teacher of the "Bartending" course of "Flair Academy" since 2009) were to choose a cocktail that best interprets his personality, he would certainly opt for a Twist on a Sazerac (a famous New Orleans).

From student to teacher, thanks to constant study and a lot of training in the field (or rather behind the counter). How do you become a teacher in a bartender school?

It was a crescendo, I started as a student and the transition to teacher was a natural evolution for me, given the passion and desire to grow in this area. There is no typical student, it is certainly not the school that makes distinctions, the only thing that unites those who decide to attend training courses is the desire to excel and continually improve. The teacher's task is to help students in their training through notions and concepts, but also through those teachings that are not found in books. In 2003, when Flair Academy was born, the world of bartending was very different from now. The mixing proposal in cocktail bars was very different and suited a public not as well informed as nowadays, and there were very few specialized schools in the beverage sector. Today all this is changing, one step at a time a generation of more aware and prepared bartenders is growing, both in terms of work techniques and the quality of the equipment they use. A change that, at least in part, we feel we have supported over the years, thanks to the thousands of girls and boys we have trained, and the continuous dissemination work we carry out, in our classrooms and on our blog.

How important is it to know in depth the equipment that is used inside your activity?

Is it essential to know and maintain the best working tools for a bartender, an example among all? Ice. Opaque cubes that melt in a flash? This happens because the ice is made too quickly (thus incorporating air bubbles) and with unsuitable water. The high transparency of the ice cube indicates that it was produced with pure water, which compacted properly during freezing. The more transparent it is, the purer it is, the higher the quality. Ice is, to all intents and purposes, a real ingredient of every cold drink: it can cause alterations in flavors and taste balances that can frustrate the efforts of any good bartender or research into the raw material. It is necessary to have a valid machine to obtain high quality ice, but it is also essential to prepare the water in the right way and to carry out periodic maintenance of the ice machine. Cleaning the manufacturer is essential to obtain an excellent product.