When you live in Manhattan, there’s an embarrassment of riches for what you can do any night of the week. There’s a film premier at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Monday, drinks at Polo Bar on Tuesday, a birthday dinner at Carbone on Wednesday and a work dinner at The Grill on Thursday. We know; time to break out the violin for how busy your social schedule is. It’s easy to get into the flow of restaurants and events, but sometimes you want something different – to get out of the regular circuit, and meet new people.
When you live in Manhattan, there’s an embarrassment of riches for what you can do any night of the week. There’s a film premier at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Monday, drinks at Polo Bar on Tuesday, a birthday dinner at Carbone on Wednesday and a work dinner at The Grill on Thursday. We know; time to break out the violin for how busy your social schedule is. It’s easy to get into the flow of restaurants and events, but sometimes you want something different – to get out of the regular circuit, and meet new people. Ideally, while learning critical life skills, like how to make the perfect cocktail. Welcome to the Liquor Lab in Soho.
Liquor Lab is an interactive cocktail experience, which makes intricate cocktails easy. Think of it as a cooking class, but for your favorite cocktails. Better yet, not only do you get to make the drinks yourself along with the renowned bartenders, they also teach you all about the ins and outs of the cocktail history. Why you shake some drinks and not others, why certain garnishes can make or break the cocktail, why you’re using a lowball glass instead of a martini glass – and whatever other fun facts you’ll arm yourself with for your next cocktail party.
There’s a class for everyone. You pick your poison – from Whiskey and Classic Cocktails, to destination-inspired classes like Iconic Cocktails of New Orleans, and even a GoT Cocktails and Watch Party class. There is, of course, plenty of time in between the drink-making to enjoy each cocktail, mingle, and make ample use of the photo wall and photo booth. The class leaders are also there to answer all of your questions, elaborate, or walk you through the recipes again. So not only do you go home just a little more informed and decidedly satisfied (the drinks are objectively delicious), you also leave with a list of recipes of the cocktails that you had just spent the night making. After that, it’s really up to you.
And although most of us are probably not going to seek a career in bartending after the evening is over (we like it better when someone else makes our Old Fashioned), we’ll certainly come back for another class. Just when you start to think you’ve run out of new things to do in Manhattan.
