Bridgeview Liquor

Taste traditional and newer herbal liqueurs from all across Europe with Evan Christie. While the bittersweet amari of Italy have come to represent a whole category of liqueurs, it is important to remember that most European nations have their own history of herbal liqueurs. Like the Italian amaro, they are often descended from medieval medicines, only to become pleasure beverages later on. Some are similar enough to amari to fit in that category while others retain their own distinctiveness in […]

Taste sparkling wines perfect for Spring with Laura Botten. With spring blossoming all around us, what better way to enjoy the season than with a glass of delightful bubbles? Far too often, sparkling wine is confined to the celebratory season, but it’s also great to enjoy the renewal of nature with one of the most refreshing and lively types of wine! We are also heading into the season of the spritz, those delightful cocktails that need a good bubble beverage […]

Learn about how wind affects wine with Anita Bender. Terroir - this French word is for the idea that wine should express a sense of where it was grown. Perhaps the closest English translation is “placefulness.” It encompasses all the characteristics of vineyards - climate, soil, elevation, orientation - each of which can have a surprising impact on the final wine. In our Terroir Focus classes, we want to shine the spotlight on a specific aspect of terroir and see […]

Join Black Frost Distilling founder Jace Marti for a tasting of his spirits and chance to learn about their whiskeys and rums. Black Frost Distilling represents the partnership of a sixth-generation brewer, Jace Marti, and a sixth-generation farmer, Nate Gieseke. Both harbored the ambition to craft terroir-focused spirits born in the fields of Minnesota. Located in New Ulm Minnesota, Black Frost produces whiskies and rums with an unquestionable commitment to quality and an unwavering passion for flavor.   In this […]

Taste a variety of cask strength whiskies with Evan Christie. There is always an allure to the boldest, the strongest, the most powerful, though sometimes the features are only to be had at the expense of finesse, subtlety, and balance. Yet in the world of whiskey, finesse and strength are often not mutually exclusive. Cask strength whiskies - meaning whiskies whose alcoholic strength is not adjusted after coming out of the oak barrel - often provide a panoply of flavors […]

Learn about and taste the rums of Mexico with Evan Christie. While Tequila and Mezcal are undoubtedly the spirits most identified with Mexico, the tradition of rum production is nearly as long. While agave spirits flourish in arid regions, the tropical zones of Mexico are ideal for the production of sugarcane. In recent years there has been increasing attention paid to the artisanal rums of Mexico, often crafted by small producers and with traditional methods.   In this class, Evan […]

Taste cocktails made with top shelf spirits with Evan Christie! You will sometimes hear people divide spirits into ‘mixing’ and ‘sipping’ categories, as if to imply that if a spirit is of a high enough quality, its subtleties will be lost in a cocktail. While this can be the case for some mixtures, generally the better the inputs, the better the outputs. There is something truly luxurious about mixing a cocktail with top-shelf spirits as its base.   In this […]

Join Sommelier Josh Voytek in exploring this one grape with two names. Join Certified Sommelier Joshua Voytek in an exploration of the grape known as Pinot Gris on some labels, and Pinot Grigio on others. This grape sees some of its finest expressions in France, where it is known as Pinot Gris and often is more ripe with potential oak aging, but is also grown extensively in Italy, where it is known as Pinot Grigio, and can be quite light […]

Taste the national spirit of China and learn about its historic production and classification with Evan Christie. What is the most consumed spirit in the world? Could it be whiskey, that broad and expansive spirit made in so many different places, or vodka, whose inoffensive nature appeals to so many drinkers? To the surprise of many in the US, the most consumed spirit in the world is Baijiu (pronounce bai-ZHOE), the national spirit of China. Little seen outside it’s homeland, […]

Taste the range of whiskies made in this new and fast growing category. with Evan Christie. While American craft distilleries have been making single malts for years, it is only in the last few that the regulators have caught up and created an official category for these spirits. Traditionally, single-malt whiskey - produced from 100% malted barley at a single distillery - has been the star product of Scotland and a major part of the whiskey industries of Ireland, Japan, […]

Taste spirits with no knowledge of what they are, and work together to guess as much information about them as possible. Join Justin Blanford for another round of blind spirits tasting. In the collaborative environment, expect to use your senses to deduce everything you can about a spirits - where it is from, how it is made, how it is aged. Expect a wider range of spirits in this class with fewer prototypical examples and more variation from the norm. […]

Explore the wines of Greece with sommelier Josh Voytek. Join Certified Sommelier Joshua Voytek on an exploration of the wines of Greece. Fresh off his recent trip to Greece, Josh will explore some of the wines from this ancient area and why Greek wines are worth seeking out. Although wine played an important part of Ancient Greek civilization, in more modern times, Greek wines have been underrepresented on the international stage by the better known Mediterranean wines of Italy, France, […]