Mixologist Ryan making his mark

Jamaica has had more track and field successes per capita than any other country in the world. Chances are Jamaica can produce the most mixologists per capita if the Diageo Learning for Life programme continues to churn people like Ryan Mitto.

A master mixologist in the making, Mitto graduated in February 2011, having completed a six-month course in bartending, under Project Bartender, one of several skills-training initiatives being undertaken by the Diageo-led Red Stripe company in Jamaica. These projects form part of some 59 similar initiatives implemented in the Caribbean and Latin America, in response to the need to better the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the Americas where Diageo operates.

A beneficiary of the Heart Trust/ NTA-endorsed training course, which was interrupted by the Tivoli incursion, Mitto, an inner-city youth, topped the class and was offered a mixology kit and a scholarship to attend the Bars To Go Training Institute to do Level Three supervisory management. He received the Trailblazer Award and was valedictorian for the programme that year. Mitto was offered employment by the institute's master mixologist, Patrice McHugh.

among the best

With his flair, professionalism and undeniable desire to be one of the best, Mitto has gone on to win the hearts of consumers everywhere he goes. He has gone on to win two local bartending competitions, with stunning displays of mixology skill, as he continues his journey to be a master mixologist.

An automotive technician by trade, with a three-year diploma from the Jamaican German Automotive School, Mitto made the transition when he was spotted working at a restaurant and bar in Kingston.

"I was working when Allison Walker of Red Stripe, which was having a Christmas party there, asked me if I was trained, because she noticed I was not looking at the quantity of drinks I was pouring to make the cocktails, which sometimes turned out too strong and other times too weak," Mitto recalled.

"She asked me if I wanted to get trained in bartending, and the rest is history," Mitto continued, noting that he took the course seriously and was never late or absent. "Now I am the local and regional champion and Red Stripe's ambassador, and next year I am going against 12 of the world's best mixologists for the global final."

Not surprised by Mitto's achievements, Brand Manager LeVaughn Flynn recalled, "Ryan was eager to learn and had the right personality for the beverage industry. We are as proud of Ryan as he is happy."

The latest bartender course has been the most successful so far, with all the students receiving paid internship for three months by some of Red Stripe's key customers in the hotel sector, including the Sandals chain of resorts, Iberostar, Riu, and Hilton Ritz-Carlton, along with entertainment clubs, such as Pier One, Margaritaville and Blue Beat, all located in Jamaica's major tourist resorts on the west coast.