A few years back, I really got into making cocktails at home. This was for a few reasons. First, I enjoy the ritual of shaking up a classic cocktail, and the process slows me down from my usual habit of just drinking four fingers of whiskey over an ice cube. There are plenty of resources available to learn how to mix up a proper drink, from decades of cocktail recipe books to innumerable websites dedicated to sharing obscure old and seemingly random new combinations of spirits and mixers. In fact, there are so many places to learn about bartending that it can be overwhelming.
City Winery in SoBro has stepped up to demystify the mixology process with a series of classes they're calling “Bartender Bootcamp.” Pros from City Winery like bar manager Emily Schroeder and bartender Hayley Teague will share their years of experience in fun presentations for just $35 per student. You can justify that as the cost of the cocktails you make during the class (not to mention the whiskey you might waste making mediocre cocktails at home).
The first class is called “Shake vs. Stirred” and will be held on Thursday, March 28, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. It will focus on classic cocktails and their presentations, the reasons why some cocktails are shaken or stirred, plus proper shaking and stirring techniques. Class No. 2 will be “Simple Syrups and Easy Cocktail Modifiers,” on Thursday, April 4. During this class, Schroeder and Teague will teach students how to modify classic cocktails, create simple syrups based on herbs, fruit and tea, and explore some delicious liqueurs.
Each class will stand alone, so you don’t have to attend them all. But if you want to be the life of your next cocktail party, sign up for some seriously fun education at City Winery’s ticketing website.
