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Any budding Tom Cruises who fancy their chances of becoming a top bartender are being offered the chance to hone their skills by taking a course in Plymouth - thought to be the only one of its type in the country.

Students learn to make 20 types of cocktail

As well as learning how to make 20 different kinds of cocktails, City College Plymouth's course teaches students how to free pour - the art of pouring accurate measures without an optic.

"It's much more difficult than you might think," says Rosie Bates, head of academy for hospitality at the college.

And that's just one of the things they learn on the course which is held at the college's fully-equipped training room, situated in Plymouth Gin's distillery building on the Barbican.

Students are taught the art of cocktail mixing from Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, an independent consultant who runs his own company, Bar Experts, and has helped Plymouth Gin develop its bar menu and training programme.

The course also ensures pub and bar staff are educated in promoting responsible drinking.

The course is held at Plymouth Gin's Distillery

Successful students leave with a City & Guilds level 2 qualification as well as a handbook - which is proving popular in its own right.

"Some people who haven't even been on the course have just bought the handbook," says Rosie.

"The course has been developed because of demand from the industry.

"There has never been a qualification specifically for bartenders.

"Existing training has always been along fairly traditional lines but has never addressed the needs of the professional bartender.

"We've had all sorts of people here, most obviously work in the industry but we've also had a few students who are about to go travelling and wanted to have a qualification which will help them to get work."

The first two courses were a success so it will be run again a number of times in 2009, starting in January.