Meet your trainer
My name is Matthew Highley, and I’m a hospitality trainer and certified Master Bartender with over 20 years of experience in the industry.
I started my bartender journey in 1999 at TGI Fridays in Leeds, where I fell in love with not just bartending, but creating great guest experiences.
The UK was at the heart of a growing bartender culture, and I was lucky to benefit from strong training programs, eventually achieving Master Bartender certification and discovering a real gift for training and mentoring others.
In 2003, I moved to Romania and launched the country’s very first bartender training academy. Over the next 17 years, I trained thousands of bartenders and hospitality staff, worked with countless international and local brands, helped launch numerous venues, and ran one of Romania’s most iconic bars.
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Through this work, I helped build bartending and cocktail culture in Romania from the ground up.
I noticed early on that, unlike the UK where training is often built into venues or chains, most independent Romanian bars had no formal training in place.
Many staff, even with years of experience, had never received proper instruction. Worse, bad habits are often passed down from one untrained person to another, and social media is full of misinformation about drinks and service.
This isn’t anyone’s fault—it’s just the way the industry developed—but it meant that basic standards were often missing, and venues were losing out on better service, happier guests, and stronger teams.​​​​​
That’s why I created the BBSB Crash Course. I wanted to provide a fast, efficient, and essential induction program that gives anyone entering hospitality everything they need to know on day one. It’s about teaching the right way from the start, fixing bad habits, and giving people the confidence to succeed. Even experienced staff who have never had proper training benefit from it.
What does in mean to be a master bartender?
To become a certified Master Bartender is one of the most prestigious titles in the bartending world.
This certification is earned through a rigorous six-month program of practical and written exams, testing every aspect of bartending—from hundreds of cocktail recipes to advanced pouring techniques, service standards, and working flair. To pass, candidates must demonstrate exceptional skill, knowledge, and professionalism, scoring at the very top in every area.
The title of Master Bartender is one of the highest accolades in the bartending world, representing an extraordinary level of skill, knowledge, and commitment to excellence. Achieving this certification requires completing a rigorous program of practical and written exams over a period of around six months, designed to push bartenders to their limits and ensure they meet the highest standards of service and expertise.
The Master Bartender program is renowned for being the most intense and comprehensive bartender training certification ever created, requiring a minimum score of 97% across all assessments to pass—a feat that very few achieve. Passing demonstrates not just technical ability, but dedication to guest experience, professionalism, and leadership in the industry.
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The exams cover:
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Four recipe tests covering 150 drinks each (600 full recipes in total)
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Three-hour intensive pouring test, including two-hand, double-hand, and mixed bounce pours
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Theory and knowledge exams
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Front and service bar observation exams
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Working flair exam​
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Achieving Master Bartender status signifies dedication to the highest standards, guest experience, and the ability to mentor and lead others. Very few bartenders reach this level, making it a mark of true expertise.
It is my hope than in the very near future I can implement the same program in Romania enabling the best of the best to achieve master bartender status.