Cocktail Class – Disco Drinks Remixed

Prohibition dealt a heavy blow to American cocktail culture, but it did not kill it outright. Nostalgic love of classics like Old Fashioned, Manhattans, and Martinis kept the classic scene going, while Tiki bars crafted the post-prohibition era’s most creative and exciting drinks. Eventually, other cultural trends would overtake these impulses and lead the American cocktail to its low point. A taste for lighter flavors lead to the increased prominence of vodka, an ingredient which generally adds nothing but booze to a drink, and the rise of convenience foods swept aside recipes calls for fresh juices and complicated rituals, replacing them with pre-packaged mixes, preservatives, and shortcuts. This was the state of the American cocktail by the 1970s.

The term “Disco Drink” is very much an unofficial one, but the rise of the style of drinking is very much associated with the rise of disco, though the fall of the music style did not match a decrease in popularity of the beverages. Unlike our other cocktail history classes, this class will not just document the drinks of an era but seek to reimagine them with  Prepare your palate for a retro ride of 1970s and 80s drinks substituting the less-than-ideal ingredients and shortcuts of that era for quality ingredients and an eye towards balance and full flavor.

Must be 21+ to attend.