Mixology - The Origin Story
A few years back, Quinn decided to learn how to make an excellent mixed drink. It was a hobby with bitters. In the early days of the pandemic, she realized a surprise basket of fancy cocktails left on a doorstep might brighten the days of neighborhood friends and family who were especially stressed and isolated during those dark times. One thing led to another and then the LA TIMES wrote an article....
By May of 2020, the popularity of her “Booze Ninja” visitations combined with the growing needs of her favorite charity – the Sante d’Or Small Animal Shelter – Quinn started a Zoom mixology class, where, every week, attendees throughout the world were given fun and informative lessons on making the classic American cocktail.
After every class, these strangers would stick around, chat, and build friendships. During the darkest days of the lockdown, Quinn’s weekly mixology sessions became the local pub – a safe place where people could swap stories, laugh, and enjoy a well-made drink – a well-made drink that they made at home.
Two years, thousands of attendees, one engagement and several hundred fancy cocktails later, Quinn has since expanded her classes to include private parties, charitable fund-raisers, and corporate events. She’s hosted wedding showers, anniversary parties, surprise birthday parties and college reunion meet-ups. She teaches. She goofs around. People have fun.
People are saying…
Mixology Drink of the Week
About Mixology Classes
Each class takes about an hour, during which time I make between ten and a dozen drinks in keeping with the theme of the day. I try to keep things informative and relaxed, certainly not stuffy or, worse, pretentious. I don’t toss bottles around or set things on fire. I do show everyone how to build a respectable, well-made cocktail and share what I can about bartender lore, oddball historical facts and whatever goofy nonsense I feel like talking about that day. Each session is structured but not scripted. I am especially proud of my skills shaping the presentation so that everyone -- from rank amateur to seasoned barfly – has an illuminating and engaging experience. I want you to feel like you just wandered to a beloved neighborhood saloon where your favorite cousin happens to be tending bar.
Several days before the class, every attendee will receive a detailed list of what ingredients to have on hand to participate making that day’s signature cocktail. Afterwards, everyone will receive a recipe booklet with detailed instructions on how to make every cocktail created during that class. There are several different ways to participate:
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Do you have a birthday, anniversary or special holiday coming up? Maybe a shower (wedding or baby)? Is there a group of friends who love to celebrate together but can’t make the trip? Why not host an online cocktail party! You pick the theme and I’ll emcee. Maybe toss in a trivia contest based on facts about the guest of honor? (I’ve done several of these. It’s thrillingly awkward but some embarrassing factoids are just too perfect to keep secret.) We can easily add a mocktail or two for the teetotalers in your invite list.
One hour class with open post session: $485. Guest count: 25
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People are gathering F2F but not every company is eager to assume the responsibility – and logistics – of public gatherings. To meet your team-building goals while avoiding the stress of a post-COVID gathering, why not schedule an online cocktail class? If you’re planning a work session, sales presentation, instructional seminar, client meet-and-greet, or even your annual holiday party, I can work with your team to create an appropriate menu and make sure every attendee has a good time, enjoys a unique experience, and learns a thing or two about creating (and enjoying) a fancy cocktail. Whether your company has for five employees or five hundred, we can custom tailor a fun, stylish and memorable event.
One hour class with open post session: $785. Guest count: 75
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My personal Mixology adventure began to support a non-profit animal rescue shelter here in Los Angeles. I really admire the hard and creative work non-profits do, day in and day out. In my experience, these employees and volunteers are people who generally enjoy a perfectly-made cocktail, especially if they don’t have to spend a lot of money – or put on hard pants – to get it. If this sounds good to you, please reach out using the form below and indicate it’s for a charitable event. Chances are pretty good we can work out something to fit your budget.
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“I want to give you as a present!” Well, okay. But punch some air-holes in the box, please.
Oh. Wait. You mean you want to give a mixology class as a present. That makes a great deal more sense.
Imagine that loved-one who never asks for anything, never needs anything, and no longer wears neckties. These people are very hard to shop for, but you know what many of them like? Bourbon. Or Tequila. Or maybe something more exotic: like 20-year-old Kentucky corn whiskey at $5,000 a bottle; or a French single-malt aged in cognac barrels; or English Gin made from red ants; or three-penis liquor from China? Whatever the case, you can gift this special person a Private Mixology Class and I can custom-tailor the menu to suit their taste. Better yet, they can invite any number of friends with similar tastes and everyone will think that this present – and, by extension, you – are a genius; which, in the end, is all you’ve ever wanted.
I can provide a sweet-looking gift card that you can customize and send by email or print out and stuff in an envelope.
[Uh, and just to be clear, I’m not doing a three-penis liquor class.]
Mixology Classes
Here are a few classes I’ve given that people seem to enjoy. Think of these as a place to start. Each class is custom-tailored for the season of year, the chosen ingredient(s), the skills of the attendees and, of course, a general sense of fun.
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MARGARITAVILLE
Dig a little further into America’s favorite wingman for a night out, learning the basic elements, some of the history and a few variations you can easily make at home. By the end of class, you will understand the Margarita so well that you’ll be able to put your own personal spin on it. But your friends who hate cilantro will continue to hate cilantro; I can’t work miracles.
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SOUR? I HARDLY KNEW HER.
Don’t let the word “Sour” in a cocktail scare you off.
Some of the most delicious, well-balanced and delightful cocktails are technically sours and after this class, you will be able to make them at home with brio. You’ll also learn how to make that seemingly impossible cloud-like layer of egg white foam to top off your sour, just to dazzle your friends even more.
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TINY BUBBLES
Champagne, prosecco, cava, crémant, Sekt, Rosé…
A sparkling wine makes a fancy event fancier and a regular Wednesday anything but. Learn what makes each category of sparkling wine different, then mix up a couple of delightful cocktails for each one. I promise you, no Mimosas – bottomless or otherwise – will be poured in the presentation of this class.
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I’LL TAKE MANHATTAN
This is the the first cocktail anyone should learn to make well. In this class, you’ll learn a whole island of Manhattan variations and how to create a stylish, tasty cocktail without breaking a sweat. You’ll be intimidating friends and family before the night is out.
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THE LAST ROARING TWENTIES
Roll down your stockings and tuck that flask in your garter because it’s time to step back to the first golden age of cocktails: the 1920’s
Learn the basic framework of every classic drink being prepared at your local hipster hangout and then make it yourself at home; only better because, hey, sweatpants.
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COCKTAILS ONE-OH-ONE (THE BASICS)
“But what if I’ve never made any mixed drink, ever?”
I got you. Cocktails are recipes and recipes are building blocks. With one class, I can walk you through the building blocks of the top six most-iconic cocktails in a way that is easy to remember, simple to understand and fun to create. Afterwards, invite your snobby mixology friend over and then quietly wow them.
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DRINKS WITH TERRIBLE NAMES
As Quinn often says: “Mixology is folk art recorded by drunks.”
Sometimes, drunk people say pretty ridiculous things and over the years, good drinks were saddled with genuinely terrible names. In this class, you’ll learn about several delectable concoctions you would never feel comfortable ordering in public.
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BLOODY (MARY) GOOD
Mary, she’s not just for brunches anymore. She’s also a bit of a world traveler. Starting with the basic components of this beloved tomato drink, Quinn will show you variations from seven countries and three continents. You can keep the celery garnish if you want; we’ll never tell.
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STUPID BLUE DRINKS
Blue Curacao is delicious, and also so very blue. It’s hard to take a drink that color seriously. But who said cocktails had to be serious? Learn several different ways to make an inexpensive and enchanting liqueur into your own personal Hawaii.
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COCKTAIL CONFIDENCE
Do you always order a Gin and Tonic because you’re afraid you’ll “get it wrong”? Do you wonder about that wall of bottles behind the bartender but are afraid to ask what’s what? This class is designed for people who are intimidated by bars, bartenders and cocktail menus. We’ll discuss flavor profiles, mixology fundamentals and basic saloon etiquette. The goal of this class is to not simply learn how to order a drink like a pro but to enjoy the entire cocktail process.
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MAD (MEN) DELICIOUS
These are not your father’s cocktails.
Oh wait, these are your father’s cocktails because when they are well made, using classic ingredients and they are delicious. Slip into your long-line girdle and repressed feelings, then go summon your inner Don Draper!
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A BESPOKE COCKTAIL
“I don’t see what I want to learn in here! I am bereft!”
Be not bereft. Whatever delights you, whatever theme you have – a color, a season, a flavor, a country – I can happily build a class around it. I built a class around Groundhog’s Day so I can certainly create recipes to match your specific needs. Just ask. I’m right here.