Boothby Center For the Beverage Arts

Great instruction, and learned a lot from the Mixology 101 course. I plan on doing the seasonal cocktail course as well, this would also be a great date idea.

They offer night and week-​long classes through Eventbrite, and I attended one of their Mixology 101 courses on a Wednesday night. I know, quite naughty for a weeknight… but it was educational ;)
The instructor, «H», has had 25 years of experience and is extremely well versed in the history and evolution of drinks in addition to little details that make big differences in the taste of your drinks. In the 101 course, we mixed four drinks: martinis and/​or manhattans (shaken and stirred), sour margaritas, and one of the best mojitos I’ve ever had! Four basic drinks that are also very versatile. He provided all the materials/​tools and was very generous with the drinks: D
The class size was quite large — about 35 students or so; needless to say, there wasn’t much individual attention with pouring/​mixing technique. There was adequate Q&A time though for everyone to ask their questions. I also liked that he e-​mailed all the students a cheat sheet summary with his notes on the class. That way you could enjoy yourself without worrying about missing out on something.
The venue is actually located in what looks like a condo complex, and we actually had to get buzzed in. The rest of the ground floor is in the process of being converted into a bar — Definitely something I’ll keep an eye out for.
This was a great introductory course and definitely an entertaining evening. He’ll be offering a Mixology 201 course soon, and I look forward to maybe attending that!

Had a fun time at Mixology 101, taught by the owner of Elixir. We started a little late (after 7), and got out around 10. During this time you learn a bit about 4 standard drinks that can serve as a template for tons more. In the first half we covered martinis and manhattans (cocktail formula), and the textural difference between shaken and stirred among other things. You get to mix up 2 drinks of these types, your choice. I ended up doing two manhattans, changing up the bitters and mixing method. H. encourages you to actually taste all the components going into your drink so you get a better feel for it all, which is cool. The 2^nd half covers margaritas (sour formula) and mojitos (Collins formula); you’ll make one of each. You’ll get a bit of history and science along the way as you go through all these drinks. All in all a good educational buzzing time! I hear the front of the venue is turning into a bar soon, so that will be extra cool…

We recently went to a gin cocktail class here. Wow. Period. What an experience. Didn’t really know what to expect, but had a great time and left (to my surprise) a bit over-​served. Not a bad thing as we stumbled over to 54 Mint for a great meal and then a cab home. Monday nights don’t get much better. Tuesday mornings don’t get much worse.

I took a basic cocktail class here a few weeks ago and had a very good time. H (the instructor and proprietor) definitely knows his stuff and it is always nice to hear someone talk about something they are passionate about and passionate about sharing the information. He mixed in (pardon the pun) the history of mixology with the hands on making and it was fun and informative.
It is also very clear that H loves to learn and is constantly working on his craft by traveling the world and visiting distillers and regions where the great spirits are made.
The class also just reinforces how simple, fresh and high quality ingredients make all the difference. Previously I had felt that making cocktails was an intimidating overly complicated process but H pointed out it is about balance and there are typically only a handful of ingredients, it will be fun to experiment in the future.
It was a great introduction to making some of the classics, we made martinis (shaken and stirred), Manhattans, Margaritas on the rocks and Mojitos, all delicious!
I highly recommend the class.
Patrick