Making delicious cocktails seems like witchcraft... What ingredients are needed? What's the difference between all the different spirits? How do you make simple syrups and find good flavor combos? Is it possible to mix and match and create your own cocktail recipes without recipes?!

Well now that you're not going out nearly as much any more, let us help you bring the bar home! We're here to help you stock your home bar with all the essentials, and teach you how to become an expert-level cocktail making MACHINE.

Join us for a special 3-part series that dives into the delightful world of spirits!

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Part 1: Tools and Ingredients

We will dissect: different types of bar tools and what they do, glassware, common ingredients you will need behind almost every bar and what essentials you need for your home bar to entertain like a boss!

Part 2: Spirits

Essential knowledge of different types of spirits commonly found behind a bar! Ever wonder what makes gin and vodka different? Scotch and whiskey (aren’t they the same)? Don’t like tequila because of that terrible hangover you got from college? Fair, but have you had REAL tequila? In this episode, we will dive into the mysterious world of spirits.

Part 3: Essential Cocktail-Making Techniques

For the last episode, we will cover different techniques used when making cocktails. Together, we will stir, shake, and build drinks and then drink them! YUM!

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Originally recorded on: December 2, 2020

As the first person in her family to work in hospitality, Carolyn Yu (She/Her) had little early exposure to restaurant or bar culture. Having developed artistic talent at a young age, she chose the path to become a tattoo artist, but missed the adrenaline of running a buzzing room and meeting new people, so she found herself first on the dining room floor and eventually behind the bar.

She’s been very fortunate to have been mentored by some of the best in the business. Her first coach instilled into her that the pinnacle of being a good bartender is being well rounded, and that the bartender is an asset to the guests’ experience. If you’re incredible at making drinks but can’t keep your guests happy or your station clean, you’re doing it wrong.

Beyond the bar, Carolyn acts as the Communications Director for the Canadian Professional Bartenders’ Association and runs a tattoo business at a private studio, donating proceeds to charities such as Mission Blue-Sylvia Earle Alliance, a global coalition with a goal to protect a worldwide network of marine protected areas and a variety of Black Lives Matter initiatives.

Part 1 - presentation slides

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Part 2 - presentation slides

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Recipes covered in Part 3:

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El Diablo

‍1.5oz Blanco tequila

0.5oz chambord

.75oz lime juice

.25 simple syrup

3oz ginger beer

Build in glass

Collins, lime wedge

Amaretto Bourbon Sour

1oz disaronno

1oz woodford reserve

1oz lemon juice

.75 simple syrup

1 egg white

Dry shake, wet shake

Coupe, bitters swirl

Improved Negroni

1.5oz Hendricks

.75 Campari

.75 sweet vermouth

Stir, strain into fresh ice

Rocks glass, orange twist

Cuban Old Fashioned

2oz Flor de Caña 12 year

1 barspoon of sugar

2 dashes apothecary cacao & coffee bitters

1 dash angostura bitters

Middle sugar with orange peel and bitters

Add rum and stir in serving glass

Rocks glass

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