Dry January is Over: Up Your Mixology Game at Cocktail Class (while Eating and Drinking)
Dry January is over, people. We repeat: Dry January is OVER. And the best part is, it won’t be back for 11 whole months. This is cause for celebration. Real, fancy-cocktail-style celebration. With so many people re-entering the drinking world this week, we thought we’d reassess our cocktail game. We’re hitting this from three angles: The first was upping our mixology skills by taking a cocktail-making class. But not just any old cocktail class: We took a tea-infused cocktail class at one of our favorite restaurants, Sanctuary T, with our new favorite cocktail guru, Ben.
What did we love about this class?
Ben’s vibe was casual and laid back – it felt more like we were hanging out with a friend than being taught, and loved learning something other than the usual Manhattan, Old Fashioned, et cetera. After all, we could open up any old book and learn how to make those.
Instead, we ate delicious food (included in the class price) and learned how to make our own simple syrups and use them in perfectly composed cocktails. Each cocktail was something we’d never seen, would be easy to make at home (Ben doesn’t feature any drinks in the class that require fancy bar tools), and had a flavorful tea element.
To give you a taste, we’ll share Ben’s recipe for a Jasmine Cooler, our fave of the three cocktails, and something we will definitely be rocking poolside this Summer.
The Jasmine Cooler
Ingredients:
- Two oz. vodka of choice (we used Prarie Organic Vodka)
- One oz. Jasmine Syrup*: Jasmine Tea, Sugar, and Water
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Seltzer, to finish off drink
How To:
1. Make Jasmine Syrup: Combine 3 tsp. of high-quality jasmine tea with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup boiling water in a heat safe container, stir until combined and let cool to room temperature. strain out the tea and store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks. yields 1 cup of syrup.
2. In a tall collins glass, combine vodka, jasmine syrup*, and the juice of half a lime. fill with ice and top with seltzer. Garnish with a lime wheel and a mint sprig.
Hanging and drinking and noshing on a Monday night was the perfect way to start off the week, and we are definitely going to go back with our friends for a birthday, bridal shower, or just because we need a li’l Monday pick me up.
We recommend you do the same.
Check out Ben’s Class on CourseHorse: www.coursehorse.com