Saturday, June 10th at 2:30 PM at Dino’s Grotto I’ll be doing a class with Andrew Shapiro and Dean Gold there. We’ll talk about the cocktail itself plus the ingredients that go into it. You’ll get a chance to try a few different variations of the Negroni and even come up with your own version if you’d like! There will also be snacks.

This week is Negroni Week, and Dino’s Grotto is doing seven different variations of the Negroni, with proceeds going to Miriam’s Kitchen.

The class is $30 and you can get tickets here. Hope to see you there!

Bookalokal?is a company that connects local experts in various cities with people who want to experience local flavors, dishes, drinks or meals in a safe, comfortable environment. It’s free to sign up and you only pay the price of the event you want to attend. The hosts are verified by a Bookalokal employee so you can be certain you won’t sign up for an Evening with Indian Food and find a BDSM torture chamber instead.

We have scheduled three classes so far. Below are the descriptions of these classes.

Basics of Bitters
Most bars worth their salt have at least one kind of cocktail bitters on their back bar. But what are bitters? Why use them? Why does there seem to be a hundred different kinds on the market nowadays? If you enjoy cocktails and have always wondered about the mysterious dashes and drops your bartender is adding to that drink, this class will let you in on the secret! Learn the history of cocktail bitters, how and why they are used, and taste several different types of bitters. You’ll also get to try three cocktails where the use of bitters is not only called for, but essential. For those who wish to try their hand at making bitters at home, we’ll also discuss how to go about starting, what you’ll need and how long the process takes.

Home Bartending Basics
Come learn how to stir, shake and muddle your way to a successful cocktail party! You will learn the techniques of making cocktails, how to stock your home bar, and three recipes to show off your new talents. Oh, and the professional tools you use to practice your new skills? Yeah, you get to keep those! This class is a must for anyone wanting to throw a cocktail party!

Welcome to the Tiki Lounge
Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than relax with an icy, fruity, boozy tiki drink? This summer when you invite friends and family over for a cook-out and some drinks, throw in a touch of Polynesian flair by serving the best tiki drinks around! Learn the history of tiki drinks, the tricks to making them and hot Tiki became synonymous with Americana. And probably light things on fire.

Due to the limited seating in these classes, if there is demand, we will repeat them throughout the summer. We also plan on offering additional classes on various subjects and will let you know about those here and on Twitter.

Please click here for dates, times and cost of these classes.?

We hope to see you soon! Cheers!

?Everybody knows the Martinez, right?? asks Dave Wondrich before his demonstration. Open before him is one-time Esquire Magazine drinks writer, David Laskin?s, Wine and Liquor Handbook published in 1984.

?Gin. Vermouth. Stirred. A little splash of liqueur. A very elegant drink. The beginning of the martini, et cetera,? he says.

Jeff ?Beachbum? Berry listens intently. Wondrich looks down at Laskin?s recipe very closely and begins building it.

?First, we put into the blender cracked ice…?

The seminar, Dark Ages: Mixology, 1967-1988, is one of the last for this year?s Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) event in New Orleans. And for a week filled with deliciously sophisticated cocktails this particular discussion is a delightfully sharp turn backwards.

Wondrich, who also writes for Esquire, hammers home his point as he dumps some cura?ao into the blender.

?I?ll call that three dashes each right there… who gives a shit,? he says. This is Wondrich?s interpretation of the prevailing attitude towards cocktails around that time.

For Berry, the seminar was a slight return to the fern bar topic he?d covered with Smuggler?s Cove owner Martin Cate in 2010.

Since, according to the tiki expert, these bars were more about mingling with the opposite sex, the craft and attention to detail suffered.

?The reason why the drinks were so irrelevant was everyone was doing other drugs,? says Berry. ?Cocktails were basically what your parents drank – they were for squares.?

The seminar takes a jaunt through the worst of the worst and the best of the worst. Wondrich quotes Hunter S. Thompson?s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as well as Heywood Gould?s movie (and novel) Cocktail to show just how bad mixed drinks got.

?Right now we?re kind of having a little bit of backlash against the more precious edges of mixology but it?s worthwhile remembering that, you know, we don?t maybe want to go all the way back,? he says, ?You?re treating people poorly and there?s no excuse for that.?

Berry rifles through a series of hysterical photographs. Many provide only a glimpse of menus coming out of this era?s popular bars. Other images display the Three?s Company-style decor and fashion that filled those places.

?Vodka over gin. Vodka over whiskey. White rum over dark. Lighter over richer. Fruity over herbal. The rise of schnapps,? Wondrich says, ?Each one of those products in and of themselves are fine but when they take over the whole ecosystem you?re losing a lot of flavor, you?re losing a lot of richness, you?re losing a lot of interest in the drinks.?

The seminar culminates with a discussion of the legendary Harvey Wallbanger cocktail, which according to the speakers, was invented by a bartender named Donato ?Duke? Antone.

Harvey Wallbanger

3 parts vodka
1 part Galliano
6 parts orange juice
Add vodka and orange juice into a highball glass with ice. Float Galliano on top. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

TOTC volunteers not only provided samples of Galliano?s most famous cocktail but also distributed swag for attendees to wear donned with the infamous drink name printed on them.

Berry and Wondrich finish off the event with a recitation of the ?The Last Barman Poet? from the lampooned?Cocktail,?posted here for your viewing pleasure:

I am the world’s last barman poet.

I see America drinking the fabulous cocktails I make.
Americans getting stinky on something I stir or shake.

The sex on the beach.
The schnapps made from peach.
The velvet hammer.
The Alabama slammer.

I make things with juice and froth.
The pink squirrel.
The three-toed sloth.

I make drinks so sweet and snazzy.
The iced tea.
The kamikaze.
The orgasm.
The death spasm.
The Singapore sling.
The ding-a-ling.

America you’re just devoted to every flavor I got.
But if you want to get loaded.
Why don’t you just order a shot?

Bar is open.

We have changed the June 3rd class a Bitters class! I’ve had multiple people ask when the next class on bitters was being held and made the executive decision to offer it June 3rd.

Click here for the updated class schedule here.

If you just want to sign up for the Bitters class now, see below.

June 3, 2012: Bitters

If you enjoy cocktails and have always wanted to know about the dash or two of mysterious elixir your bartender is adding to your drink, this class will let you in on the secret. Learn and taste different types of bitters, their uses and the history of bitters. You?ll also learn some tips and tricks on making your own bitters at home.

Class is on June 3, 2012 and limited to 10 people, so get your tickets quick!

Cost: $50 per student
Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: June 3, 2012 at 5:30 pm

Along with a mainstay, Home Bartending Basics, I’m very excited about offering classes on tiki drinks, punch, tequila/mezcal and spirits from the good ole USA! The schedule is below and you can also click here to head over to our Classes and Consulting page.

May 5, 2012 at 3:30pm Spirits of Mexico

Celebrate Mexican heritage with a discussion on the national spirits of Mexico, tequila and mezcal. We will discuss, and taste, the differences between tequila and mezcal and learn how to use them in cocktails. We will also learn the importance of quality in these spirits and how important they are to many of the small villages who make artisanal tequila and mezcal.

Please note that this class begins at 3:30pm at Last Exit.
This class is $50 per student and limited to only 10 students.

May 19, 2012: Punch into Spring

When entertaining at home, having a punch or two for your guests keeps you chatting with them instead of stuck in the kitchen mixing drinks. In this class, learn the history of punch and the basics to punch making. This is not your parents neon green sherbet-topped fruit punch or the Rubbermaid tub of anything goes punch from your college days! This punch is based in traditional cocktail methods and culinary flavors.

Class begins at 5:30pm at Last Exit.
This class is $50 per student and limited to 10 students.

June 3, 2012: Bitters

If you enjoy cocktails and have always wanted to know about the dash or two of mysterious elixir your bartender is adding to your drink, this class will let you in on the secret. Learn and taste different types of bitters, their uses and the history of bitters. You?ll also learn some tips and tricks on making your own bitters at home.

Class is on June 3, 2012 and limited to 10 people, so get your tickets quick!

Cost: $50 per student
Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: June 3, 2012 at 5:30 pm

June 24, 2012 and July 15, 2012: Tiki Lounge

Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than relax with an icy, fruity, boozy tiki drink? This summer when you invite friends and family over for a cook-out and some drinks, throw in a touch of Polynesia by serving the best tiki drinks around! Learn the history of tiki drinks, the tricks to making them and how Tiki became synonymous with Americana.

Choose whichever date fits your schedule!
Each class begins at 5:30pm at Last Exit.
This class is $50 per student and each class is limited to 10 students.

July 1, 2012: All-American Spirits

Celebrate the forthcoming July 4th holiday with a class on the greatest gift America bestowed on the world – Cocktails! We?ll discuss how American ingenuity propagated the cocktail phenomena worldwide and sample some of the best American made spirits.

Class begins at 5:30pm at Last Exit.
This class is $50 per student and limited to 10 students.

Take a break from worrying about your taxes and learn everything you wanted to know (and probably more) about cocktail bitters. If you enjoy cocktails and have always wanted to know about the dash or two of mysterious elixir your bartender is adding to your drink, this class will let you in on the secret. Learn and taste different types of bitters, their uses and the history of bitters. You’ll also learn some tips and tricks on making your own bitters at home.

Class is on April 15, 2012 and limited to 10 people, so get your tickets quick!

Cost: $50 per student
Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: April 15, 2012 at 5:30 pm

 

March 4, 2012 & March 11, 2012

Come learn how to stir, shake and muddle your way to a successful cocktail party! Each student learn the techniques of making cocktails, how to stock a basic home bar and three recipes to show off your new talents. Oh, and the professional tools you use to practice your new skills? Yeah, you get to keep those! Two dates to choose from, this class is a must for anyone wanting to throw a cocktail party!

Class: Basics of the Home Bar
Cost: $75.00 per student
Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: March 4, 2012 or March11, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Each class is limited to 8 students.

March 25, 2012

Come celebrate the season premiere of AMC’s Mad Men and learn about the cocktails imbibed within the halls of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency! We’ll discuss the history of each ingredient and the history of the cocktails and learn how to make each one. Students will receive recipe cards to take home so they can recreate a Mad Men style cocktail party while watching the show.

Class: Drink Like Mad Men
Cost: $50.00 per student
Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: March 25, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Class is limited to 10 students.

April 15, 2012

Class: Bitters
Cost: $50 per student
Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: April 15, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Class is limited to 10 people.

Check out the DCist Weekly Feed.

Email Marshall@ScofflawsDen.com for more information and class tickets.

Each class is $45 per student and will be limited to 6 to 10 students depending on space.? Payment for classes will need to be made prior to class in order to reserve your spot.? Cost of consulting services will be based on your individual project and goals.? Classes will be held at Last Exit and the schedule will be announced as a post here on the Den and on the Scofflaw’s Den Facebook page.? If you are interested in setting up a class or tasting at your home, we can arrange that as well.? To sign up for a class or consulting service, please email Marshall@ScofflawsDen.com.

For more details on individual classes, new classes and consulting services, please check here.

Our Bitters class will be offered on February 12, 2012 at 5:30pm. Come learn everything you wanted to know (and probably more) about bitters! An essential class for anyone interested cocktails.? This class also makes a great early Valentine’s Day gift for that cocktail lover in your life.

Where: Last Exit, 3155 Mount Pleasant Street, N.W., Washington, DC
When: February 12, 2012 @ 5:30pm
Class is limited to 10 people, so sign up early!? Email Marshall@ScofflawsDen.com

Hope to see you on February 12!? Cheers!