Diageo Bar Academy Slovakia

We live in the platinum age of gastronomy.
Drinks have never been more beautiful, faster to serve, or richer in ingredients than they are today. The ultimate whisky highball lands on your bar top within seconds. The bartender pours it from a pre-batched bottle and tops it with soda — with such confidence that you almost forget what you’re watching.

The garnish is ultra-modern — and of course, zero-waste. You can feel the effort behind it. This isn’t just juice with store-bought syrup. The hours of prep that went into that pre-batched serve are worth every cent the guest spends.
But those hours show elsewhere too — in the stains on the apron, the messy hair, the tired eyes. As if all the professionalism had been poured into the drink… and none left for the person making it.We live in the platinum age of gastronomy – but only through the bartender’s eyes.

There are fewer guests than ever before, whether due to social and economic shifts, or because people are simply trying to live healthier lives and drink less alcohol.
In the U.S., a Gallup survey from 2025 shows that only 54% of adults drink alcohol — the lowest rate ever recorded.

But a decline in consumption isn’t the end of the bar world.
It’s a sign that we need to evolve faster than our guests do.
The battle for survival has begun — but it’s not just about selling drinks.
Bars and restaurants are not about alcohol. They’re about people.
Just as drinks evolve, so do our guests. And today, they seek a full experience, not just a good cocktail. Which means every host should be a professional people want to return to.

Young bartenders today leap forward by miles, diving straight into fermentation or redistillation. It’s not a bad thing – it’s simply the spirit of the times. But we can’t forget the basics of our craft. How to cut fruit properly, how to look presentable, how to hold a bar spoon the right way.
Progress can’t be stopped – but sometimes, it’s worth going back to the roots.
When someone becomes a lawyer, they don’t jump straight into Britney Spears’ divorce case. They start at the beginning, step by step.

That’s why Italmarket Slovakia brought Diageo Bar Academy to Slovakia – officially launching the project on October 27th at SPIN Cocktail Bar in Bratislava.
Diageo Bar Academy (DBA) is a global educational platform for bar and hospitality professionals, created by Diageo.
On their website – diageobaracademy.com – you’ll find e-learning courses, online masterclasses, and trainings focused on techniques, service, and modern hospitality trends.

But DBA isn’t just a website.
It’s a compass – designed so bartenders can return to the fundamentals and keep discovering new ways to grow.

Think of it as a pyramid divided into three levels: Essentials, Advanced, and World Class.
Each level contains specific modules covered in workshops.

·       Essentials includes four courses that cover alcohol production, service fundamentals, and the golden rules of selling. Participants complete a final test to prove their knowledge and skills before moving up.

·       Advanced expands on these foundations, adding managerial insights and “life hacks” through another four sessions, along with deeper cocktail creation.

·       After completing the full program, each “student” is ready to take part in the most prestigious bartending competition in the world — the Diageo World Class Competition.

Diageo Bar Academy has created something that mirrors real life.
A bartending career isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon. And you need to train for it.

In Slovakia, participants are guided by a dynamic duo from Sky Bar & Restaurant – Dominik Tapušík and Michal Dojčák, both determined to pass on their years of experience to the next generation.
Italmarket Slovakia chose wisely – long-term collaborators who live and breathe the craft. Dominik serves as a Whisky Advocate for Diageo’s Scotch portfolio, while Michal, World Class Slovakia Champion 2024, ranked among the global elite with a 13th place finish worldwide.

We may live in the platinum age of gastronomy,
but there’s always room for improvement.
“Italmarket Slovakia is one of the few suppliers that doesn’t just offer a solution, but a tool – one that helps people become better every single day,” says the project’s brand manager, Tony Velich.

No one is born a professional. You become one.
And Diageo Bar Academy has been helping people do exactly that — across the globe — since 2011.

This article was made in collaboration with ITALMARKET Slovakia a.s.