Quench the mixologist in you with a cocktail class at Plant Riverside's Electric Moon Skytop Lounge
Stirred, shaken, swizzled or blended? Premium liquor or house? These and so many other questions can mystify and even intimidate the cocktail-curious and the cocktail enthusiast alike. But what if there was an interactive class where you could learn some classic recipes, the history behind them, and the best techniques to create them?
Surprisingly, a quick Google search of mixology classes in Savannah yields only two results: A two-hour class where you can make two cocktails of your choosing at the 1920’s style speakeasy inside City Market’s American Prohibition Museum, and a two-hour class featuring cocktails taught by a brand ambassador, paired with two signature appetizers, at Plant Riverside’s Electric Moon Skytop Lounge. At just $40, less than half the price of the former class, the latter option seems appealing to both palette and pocketbook!
I met with Marina Ramos, Plant Riverside’s Director of Bars and Lounges, who told me the monthly courses have been offered for over a year. With a goal of increasing their frequency, she’s already fielding inquiries about private events for Savannah’s infamous bachelorette parties(!). For such private offerings she will use her own bartenders as most of them “are really into mixology and competing in local bartending competitions,” but for the ‘Mix it Up at the Moon’ class, she calls on the expertise of the major brand ambassadors to create the recipes. “It’s brand education for both our staff and for the public. Most people won’t have the opportunity to go to a distillery,” she said.
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Shake it up
July’s class featured Bacardi’s Reserva Ocha and was taught by Will Sprewell, a Premium Rum Portfolio Specialist who jokes that he much preferred his pre-promotion title of Bacardi Aficionado. A long high-top table was set up with 10 sets of coupe glasses, jiggers and shakers, buckets of ice and, of course, all the ingredients needed for the two cocktails he taught. There were 10 people in attendance, an intimate class size that Ramos intentionally maintains so each participant can receive individual attention while fully grasping the information. As we gathered, we were served a Mojito and made introductions… an eclectic and increasingly rowdy mix of local female educators, a couple from Atlanta celebrating a birthday, and a couple from nearby Beaufort who had attended a previous mixology class.
Sprewell told us the history of Bacardi, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, founded in Cuba 1862 and now based in Puerto Rico. Throughout the evening he provided interesting facts about how rum is aged and distilled. We learned how to mix the Hotel Nacional, a classic spin on a Daiquiri created by a former Waldorf Astoria, New York, bar manager who moved to Havana during Prohibition. Bacardi Reserva Ocho [aged in bourbon barrels for at least eight years] is combined with apricot liqueur, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and 1 ounce of pineapple juice. Surprisingly smooth, the pineapple juice and apricot made it a little too sweet for my taste, totally masking the flavor of the rum.
I much preferred our second cocktail, the Old Cuban, a modern classic created in 2001, which Sprewell described as “an elevated version of a Mojito.” It is made with 1.5 ounces Bacardi Reserva Ocho, three-quarters of an ounce fresh lime juice, 1 ounce simple syrup, and 2 dashes of Angostura bitters. After we measured the ingredients into a shaker half-filled with ice, we added three mint leaves and shook vigorously for about 10 seconds to chill and give a little dilution. A self-described “violent shaker” who advocates getting “the elbow into it and shaking by your ear,” Sprewell then instructed us to strain and pour the cocktail into a coupe and top with champagne. Utterly divine, the drink was clean, light and perfectly balanced with just the slightest hint of refreshing effervescence.
Meanwhile, did I mention the increasing rowdiness!? This group was loud, boisterous yet engaged, and truly had fun while learning. Chef Carlos prepared a sea bass ceviche tower topped with avocado to accompany the first cocktail, and fittingly, a petite Cuban sandwich to pair with the second. Truly, an enjoyable, informative and delicious event.
The next ‘Mix It Up at the Moon’ on Aug. 16 features Buffalo Trace Distillery, the oldest continuously operating distillery in America. Taught by a Sazerac brand ambassador, it will highlight a Hibiscus Sour and a Peach Basil Smash cocktail crafted with Wheatley Vodka, as well as a Gold Rush and Chocolate Old Fashioned crafted with signature Buffalo Trace bourbons. Learning and appreciating four cocktails with fun people for just $40? Sign me up!
Classes are held at the Electric Moon Skytop Lounge on the rooftop of Plant Riverside Power Plant Building, 400 E. River Street.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: savannah-ga-mixology-classes-plant-riverside-electric-moon-skytop-lounge
