Ten budding St. Croix mixologists shook and poured their own creations, like star fruit margaritas, peppermint coquito, and sugar apple infused rum with honey and cinnamon, alongside traditional cocktails from manhattans to dirty martinis, as their final bartending exam at the Captain Morgan Visitor Center on Tuesday.
The students are at the end of an eight-week training program called Project Bartender sponsored by Diageo, Bellows International and the Department of Labor.
One after another, each student came behind the bar and began mixing up their original specialties and taking drink requests from a panel of the island’s chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs who tippled and took notes on each drink. They graded each student not just on the drink but the time to be greeted, speed of service, overall experience and likelihood they would consider hiring the student.
"That’s really nice; it’s like apple pie," exclaimed Laura Hyland, owner of The Waves at Cane Bay, enthusing about one drink: Kadeem Liburd’s creation named Gud Mawning, a concoction of Captain Morgan 100 proof rum, pureed apple, ginger syrup, orange juice and a spice blend.
"That drink is awesome," said William Loman, Carambola Beach Resort’s executive chef.
"It’s a good tiki-sort of drink," agreed Jesse Card, who taught the class in 2010 and who is about to open John Eddie’s Lowlife Refuge, on the Christiansted boardwalk in December.
"They were in class, learning the ins and outs for six hours a day, twice a week, for eight weeks," said
Brandon DeCloux, a master mixologist and educator. DeCloux taught the course along with Frank Robinson, a St. Croix native who took the same course in 2010 and who currently tends bar at the visitor’s center. "This is their final exam; their practicum," DeCloux said. 
The students will have received more than 220 hours of instruction, ranging from hands on professional bartending with an emphasis on responsible drinking and service to broader professional skills required to work in the hospitality industry, according to Diageo.
It’s not just about learning to make drinks but about learning the trade, said DeCloux. "So it is also coupled with an internship, with employment being the goal," he said.
In the coming weeks, the students will be placed in internships at area bars and restaurants including Brew Pub, Eat at Cane Bay, Wave’s at Cane Bay, Palms at Pelican Cove, Tutto Bene, Buccaneer Hotel, Marriott Renaissance Carambola Beach Resort, Divi Carina Bay Resort and Salud. By the end of the process, it is hoped that all the students will have jobs and all the restaurants will have solid, well trained bartenders on their rosters, DeCloux said.
Robinson said the course helped give him a background in making the drinks and many of the principles of hospitality, but to do well, he said, students need to take a personal interest above and beyond what is shown and taught to them. "You have to do some outside study on your own, in addition to what you learn at class and on the job," Robinson said.
With the shuttering of the Hovensa refinery, St. Croix’s largest employer, tourism and hospitality are one of the few areas that may be ripe for job growth in the territory, and skilled bartenders are often in demand.
The program’s done well placing its students so far, DeCloux said, adding that the top student from the last class, Chivonne Soto, is now working as a bartender at the Omni Hotel in Hartford, Conn.
The students finishing up their work Tuesday included Cirgie Bell, Mikhail Munoz, Makieda Sheam, Michelle James, Brittany Frontal, Kadeem Liburd, Ashley George, Itahlee Henry, Eustachia Peter and Chantal Harrigan.
Project Bartender is part of the "Learning Skills for Life" program offered through the University of the Virgin Islands Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning Center and sponsored by Diageo USVI. This broader program has provided 32 local students with full scholarships for technical hospitality education and life skills training, including culinary training at the St. Croix Technical Education Complex, according to Diageo.
“Globally, Diageo is committed to improving the circumstances and career opportunities for individuals in the markets in which we operate,” said Dan Kirby, Diageo USVI vice president for operations, in a statement.
