When Scofflaws Den gets asked to create special cocktails, whether it be for a wedding or other event, we’ve modeled this service after the process for choosing a wedding cake. The recipes are theirs now so I won’t include them here. In this post I want to tell you about some of the fun, and not-so-fun, aspects of this process.

I started by sitting down with the couple to ask what they had in mind; any particular spirits, styles, dis-likes, allergies, etc. in order to figure out exactly what they want. The bride is from Kentucky so she requested something with bourbon. She also wanted it to be fall themed since it was a fall wedding and I found out there was a history with relatives making and sharing fresh apple cider. They didn’t want anything with a licorice flavor or anything overly herbaceous.

As we talked it also became clear that his-and-her punches would be best. For one thing the caterers would be serving the drinks. They would not be trained bartenders and as such I didn’t want to create anything labor intensive to mix, shake, stir and serve. Second, since these drinks would be served during a finite time frame, it would be better to have something pre-batched that could be poured over ice and served to more people in a short time.

With these points in mind I began creating recipes. Because the bride-to-be had more specific desires as to her drink the recipes were pretty easy to come up with – bourbon, apple and fall spices were going to be in the mix. In the end, I presented the couple with three punches for the bride. One was bourbon, apple cider, lemon, pimento dram, sparkling apple cider and bitters. Another was bourbon, becherovka, apple juice, vanilla liqueur, sparking apple cider and bitters. The third was bourbon, apple cider, concord grape syrup, lemon, a spice tincture and sparkling water.

The groom’s punch was a little harder to figure out. He really didn’t have any restrictions on ingredients so everything was at my disposal. The groom-to-be is a prolific homebrewer so I decided to do something with hops. And this is where the real fun/frustration began. The question was how to use the hops. To begin, I started a hop and gin infusion. This turned out to be a bad idea. My guess is that I allowed the hops to infuse for too long but the result was a bitter mess. This stuff made Malort taste like fresh lemonade.

For my second attempt, I made a hop and grapefruit “tea” which I carbonated. Mixed with gin, some simple syrup, fresh grapefruit juice and dry cura?ao. This turned up much better. It was still on the bitter side but certainly nothing a little tweaking couldn’t fix. The final recipe for the groom’s punch was probably the simplest and best tasting.

After creating a very light, citrusy, gin punch, I dry-hopped the punch. Basically, I quickly infused the hops into the punch directly. This gave the punch the aroma of hops without overly bittering the punch.

So after I had these 6 different recipes, I had the couple over to hang out and try each punch. We discussed what they liked and didn’t like about each one. I also made it clear that if they didn’t like any of them, I’d take the notes from this tasting back to the drawing board.

In the end, they picked the easiest two punches to make. Each one hit the couples directives and even more important, they thought each punch was delicious.

I’d like to introduce everyone to our first contributing author Ashley Schmidt. Ashley, meet everyone. Everyone, meet Ashley.

Ashley is a bartender at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, DC and will be contributing articles on Scofflaws Den from time to time. She’ll be writing about her experiences behind a small intimate cocktail bar and a faster paced high-volume cocktail bar. She’s also free to share her thoughts on cocktails, spirits and mixology in general. Here is her bio:

Ashley is a craft cocktail bartender at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington DC. ?How did this all begin? ?She started as a shot girl on the weekends at Martini Bar in Florida and slowly worked herself up the ranks as customers took to her charm and charisma for life.?Her love for craft cocktails began in Washington DC at a small craft cocktail den on Mount Pleasant Street called Last Exit. ?It was here she learned the art of mixing cocktails and gained understanding of the meticulousness of each spirit’s essence. This neighborhood bar gave her the time to practice and create. ?Almost a year later she would approach Jack Rose Dining Saloon to begin a new chapter in her bartending:: mixing craft cocktails and?catering?to high volume patrons.

Her love for bartending?can be related to her love for the world of science. ?In her mind, creating cocktails is like understanding the art of science; it needs to be appreciated and understood done to the smallest nitty gritty details. ?Having an academic background, with a masters from Tulane in public health, she currently works another job in the pursuit of a global health career as well. ?Ashley has a love for helping people and making life more beautiful along the way. ?Bottoms up and cheers to discovering a whole new world.

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.

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!