General Membership. Step One before any qualifications or certifications is to apply for general membership. Membership in the Council of Spirit Masters is open to anyone interested in spirits and bartending regardless of race, creed, color, age, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation. People working in the field as well as liquor salespeople and any other related occupations tend to form the primary membership with various levels of certified members contributing to the knowledge base. The benefits include all that accumulated knowledge, message boards, industry news, and nationwide events. The cost is only $35 a year and that money is used to maintain the roles, update websites, improve the library of resources, offer occasional special events, and keep the Council running smoothly.   

 

Level One. CSA. Certified Spirits Associate. This Introductory Level is the first stop for anyone getting serious about cocktails and spirits knowledge. The cost is only $45, so a facility could afford to certify all of their staff at very little expense. There is no requirement for real world bar experience on this level, and the procedure is quite simple. A downloadable simple spirits manual can be studied, or a three-hour class can be attended, followed by a short, written test. This can be done on site in your own facility or online. The result is a bronze lapel pin and certificate for framing.

Level Two. CSE. Certified Spirits Expert. This Intermediate Level is for someone who has real world experience. A slightly longer series of training sessions and deeper study as well as a live action bar test demonstrate that this person is indeed a bar expert. The cost here is a minimal $125 if no extensive training is required. Evidence of at least a year of bartending experience combined with study of more advanced materials and passing a more complex written exam is required. A speed pour random classic cocktail challenge must be scored at least two out of three correct. The result is a silver lapel pin and certificate for framing.

The Live Fire Mixology Rider. CB. Certified Bartender. This additional rider or stand-alone qualification is available added to the other ratings, or it can be done on its own. This CB designation is for folks who do not desire to study the history or technical details but want to prove they can bartend well, or for those with the other ratings that want to add another qualification. This is a Live Action rating and can be added or stand alone. It is a speed bartending test with five random drinks and a stopwatch. The drinks must be done at an expert speed and properly. This is a difficult test, but perfect for those who are less book smart and more live action oriented. $99 covers this testing procedure.

The Instructor Qualification. CSI. Certified Spirits Instructor. This designation is available for those who wish to teach about spirits and administer these tests who have at least five traceable years in the bartending field. To apply for this designation, one must have completed at least the CSE level and CB Rider, in other words, everything below it. Then they receive a special instructor test and must teach a sample class to other instructors. At that point they are qualified to teach the information in seminars and administer the tests and use the title CSI after their names or on business cards. The cost for this rare qualification is $150.

Level Three. CSM. Certified Spirits Master. This Advanced and Final Level covers everything before it and includes all those qualifications, and yet outranks them all. For starters a resume, recommendations, and other proof must demonstrate the applicant has ten or more years in the bartending and spirits field. This is a lot, and unprecedented, but we are talking about the title Master here. These ten years can include a mix of liquor sales, bartending, and other related endeavors. The applicant must pass all the previous tests and score five out of five on the live fire speed pouring. The total cost is $350, and they will receive not only a gold lapel pin and nice certificate for framing, but a plaque to hang in their facility stating clearly their qualification as a Spirits Master.

If you want to be certified but you do not have enough knowledge or experience yet, we will train you.  We will help in any way we can.  Just let us know your situation so we can figure it out.