Overview
Your chance of being stuck behind the bar at a ritzy do may be slim, but it doesn’t hurt to know a few cocktail basics just in case. Eagle Street Pier’s Riverbar & Kitchen have taken the initiative to save you a lot of possible shame with their exciting cocktail masterclass led by barman Jeremy Shipley.
Shipley may not know how many packs of Skittles make the perfect Skittle Bomb, but he’s got the classy end of the cocktail trade down pat, and the tricks to prove it. He’s been mixing cocktails longer than you’ve been drinking them and was awarded Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine’s Best of the Best Bars in 2006. He also co-authored top-selling cocktail book Shaken.
The masterclass kicks off at 6pm on August 28 and involves a hands on approach to cocktail making, with all aprons, glasses and gadgets provided. You’ll begin by making the Hotel Georgia, a classic twist based on the ‘50s era and model of how old-school gin drinks have become all the rage again. Dinner party favourite the Mojito will have you sky-rocketing to top of the class (extra grades for more rum) and the Plum Shino, a wonderful variation on the Whiskey Sour, will conclude the evening with a sweet bang.
Tickets are $45, which works out to be three Eagle Street Pier-priced cocktails anyway, and a life-long lesson in mixology on the side makes this real value for money. After all, give a man a drink, he’ll be drunk for the day, but teach a man to mix…