Hey, it’s Tuesday. It’s everyone’s favorite day of the week here on The Jackie Blog. Because instead of droning on an on about my cats or my preference of bathroom sink water over kitchen sink water or my discontent with adult life, I talk about something new I’ve tried.
If you don’t know the drill, check out the link at the top of this page called “What’s Lollipop Tuesday?”
I’d like to think I have a constant influx of newbies here that need to be told what Lollipop Tuesdays are. Let me dwell in my self-constructed reality.
Moving on. This past Sunday, I took the plunge and invested in an alcohol mixing class. Yeah. Mixing alcohol. They have classes for that. It’s called ‘mixology’. Isn’t that wild?
I had structured my entire day around this 3-hour long course, set at one of the hippest bars in the city. Because I’m incredibly anal and tightly wound, I called the morning of to ensure that the details I had taken down for the day were all still correct. I tried to talk myself out double checking everything, but sometimes the crazy really takes over and there’s no stopping me. And hey, wouldn’t you know the location was changed and the time was pushed back by half an hour and no one bothered to contact me to let me know?
Things like that do nothing to cease the crazy.
Anyway I showed up pretty livid and fully prepared to give the teacher a piece of my mind. What right does he have to run a class, charge a fortune, and then fail to communicate changes to that class to the attendees? I booked it two months ago! But just as I was all fired up in a mind-driven hailstorm, I was taken aback by how totally cool the thing was.
The thing. You know, the whole deal. The setup.
The new choice of venue had a huge wraparound bar, which was preset with mats, a variety of glasses, and all the cool tools one would need to make a killer cocktail. There were pretzels, chips, glasses of water, huge televisions to watch when you didn’t feel like listening to where the drink “zombie” originated or about the tiki trend of the 70’s.
So. Cool.
It. was. awesome.
We learned three drinks, which we made ourselves all at the same time. We did things like light oranges on fire and put twelve different ingredients into one single beverage. We used fresh fruit, we made our own whipped cream – it was glorious. The teacher had a great story about being a cocktail chef in Atlanta and so on and so forth. He had drinks that won awards, and he placed well in competitions. And while I was happy to know I didn’t just throw my money at any ol’ fella with a cooler full of liquor and a black shirt, I didn’t really care about all of that. What I cared about was that he was the kind of guy would come try your drink and tell you how to adjust it. He would come over and sneak a little extra rum into your glass if you like a stronger kick. This guy brewed his own coffee and brought it in canisters to be chilled and used for a super fantastic drink that was some sort of divine espresso manna from heaven. He even gave out his cell number to everyone so that if we’re at a party or the bar or even at home and we misplace the recipes he emails us after the class, we can ask him a question on the fly.
It’s always awesome to watch someone who is wrapped up in their passion, and even more awesome when they share it with you. Even if you have to pay. In fact, for such experiences I will very happily fork over my hard-earned American dollars.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t think I’ll be repeating any of those drinks. They were delicious and lovely, but it’s all I can muster to keep Frosted Flakes and milk in the house at the same time. I sincerely doubt I’m going to be able to keep cherries, pineapple, white rum, aged rum, brown sugar, whipped cream, and an armload of other ingredients stocked for when I feel like whipping up a cocktail.
But it’s still totally cool to know I can do it if I want. ♣
The Jackie Blog 
WOW lighting oranges on fire. Real Whipped cream- vintage! And using 12 ingredients for a single drink – oh the opportunities for spills and mess multiplied. Sounds like wild glorious fun. Escapism is not over-rated. Have fun
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Wild and glorious indeed. Now if I can just pull off Peg’s advice and whip it up casually at a party 😉
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I like that
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Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Hey, that sounds like fun! Jackie, you’ve GOT to try one of these drinks on all your friends at the next party you go to. Real casual, like.
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That would be so cool. Except for the box of ingredients I’d have to bring. But still – so. cool.
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And I hear bar-tenders make very good money.
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If they’re hottie mchotties.
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Oooooohhhhh! I want to go to that mixology class now! Sounds just like my idea of a fun evening.
It sure beats the coolness factor of a series of cooking classes I attended. I didn’t cook most of the food again at home. But I do make the “White Chocolate Soup” regularly. It was meant to be a fishy thing, I slightly altered it and now it is a vegetable soup with lots of white chocolate. A vegetarian version of chicken soup when I don’t feel up to par.
I think that espresso manna from heaven would be worth recreating. Good luck!
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http://www.thecocktailchefatlanta.com 🙂
Wait. Soup with white chocolate? I… I don’t understand. That sounds craaaaazy. I can post the coffee drink recipe if you want; it’s delish. But I don’t want you to feel spam-ilated if you don’t want it for realsies.
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Sigh. The classes are a little far from my neighbourhood. 😦
I can’t mail you a soup sample to try, if I did you wouldn’t be able to say what it is. The chocolate soup is simply a very creamy soup with veggies, spices and a lot of sins. 😉 I plan to post about my next batch, I’ll send you a link then.
I’d love to have the coffee drink recipe! 🙂
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figured as much but I wanted to show you the info anyway 🙂 woohoo posting about next batch.
Here’s the coffee drink recipe. I thought it was delicious and I don’t even really like coffee. Thanks for reading!
Espresso Martini a.k.a. Cocoa Bean Trifle
Espresso Martini: 1-1/4oz. Vanilla Vodka (substitute Raspberry or Orange Vodka)
1-1/4oz. Kahlua Coffee Liquor
1-1/4oz. Chilled Decaf Coffee
Garnish: Cinnamon sprinkle
Poured into an ice filled shaker tin. Shake well until frothy. Pour into chilled martini glass leaving plenty of room for the magic cream. Grab the cream and shake very well. It must thicken properly in order to float. Pouring the cream toward one edge of the glass… let it slowly move-spreading out covering the top of the drink. Don’t put too much!! Only till the cream hits the other side of the glass. Shake Cinnamon on top and the espresso martini is complete.
The Magic Cream: Heavy Whipping Cream
1- Teaspoon of Granulated Sugar
1oz. Frangelico (substitute Hazelnut liquor is desired)
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btw, this recipe is posted directly from the email they sent me to follow up after class, so please don’t hold me responsible for their inability to edit/spellcheck/reread.
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Thank you! 🙂
The coffee drink recipe is simple enough, if you ignore the oddly worded instructions and rely on good sense, I think. 😀
Using three different types of liquor, but decaf coffee is a hoot!
I’m thinking of Magic Cream on ordinary coffee …
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I don’t drink but it is always fun when you get to see someone in their element teach you how to do something whatever the class!
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I’d love to do a cooking course. They’re all so darn expensive. But I love the idea of learning how to cut things properly. And if I chop off a finger, it will make a good blog post!
…I’ll have to dictate it of course…
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Hi Jackie,
Many years ago, (in the middle 1960’s) when an area around “El Porto” in North Manhattan Beach**, Ca. was one of the Hottest Party towns in the LA area, there was a great bar named “The Frigate”
(As at the time, I was then a hard drinking guy, I had a bar tab I paid at the end of the month.)
A girl named “Tommy” a Frigate regular, who started having the bar tender mix her a drink she drank regularly. It was a shot of Kahlua, a shot of 151 Rum mixed with milk and poured over ice in a tall glass.
( Of course, the “WIMPS” only use 80 proof rum rather than the 151 proof )
IF a person likes “sweet” drinks, as I did, with 80 proof rum, it is a GREAT
ANYWHO, while some of us were sitting at a table and after watching Tommy finish off her second one of these new drinks, someone asked her:
“So Tommy, what are you going to call your new drink?”
Before she could reply someone said:
“You should call it an ‘Abortion’ as tat is what it looks like to me.”
And thus, this is how a drink which became “world famous” and which was (IS?) drank around the world was born. 🙂
Were I still able to drink without fear of my again suffering from “Jellnicks Disease” (which is more commonly called “Alcoholism”) I would LOVE to drink them as they are REALLY good
tasting.
AS FAR AS STOPPING DRINKING
Since I am on the subject, IF you know any alkies who want to stop and who either have the insurance OR can pay for it, THE MOST effective way to do it is attend Shick Shadle Hospital Aversion Program.
http://www.schickshadel.com/
I KNOW as for over 11 years I tried every treatment I could find to stop drinking and I failed every time. These included hospitals,
hypnosis, vitamin therapy, acupuncture, many meetings and jail.
‘Then I went to Schick and in less than 14 days, I had quit drinking. In fact, my last drink with alcohol in it was during my treatment and was on Aug. 20, 1983.
ON STOPPING SMOKING
And while on the subject of quitting things which are BAD for you, smokers who have stated drinking Noni Juice for other health reasons, found their desire to smoke totally DISAPPEARED!
While I’ve been drinking Noni Juice daily and when needed, using it topically for over 15 years, it still Amazes Me!
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Thanks for the alcohol tidbit – cool stuff.
Neil, please stop hocking noni juice. You keep getting put in my spam.
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I’m glad it turned out so great after such an inauspicious beginning!
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Me too! Though bad experiences tend to make better blog posts, I have to admit I don’t mind either way 😉
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