62. February 9th, 2011 Picture.

Wednesday night Ratty and I headed to Back Bay Social, a new-ish restaurant in the Back Bay, for a little Valentine's day cocktail class.  We've been to a few classes like this before, thought not at Back Bay Social, and usually they are just alright.  Sometimes the cocktails aren't that great, or aren't creative to the point where you'd actually like someone to teach you how to make it.  Other times you'd only get a small sip of the drink, hardly what I'd consider a 'tasting'.  This time however, the event was pretty awesome.  The demonstration area was amazing, white clothed tables with stacks of fancy glasses and lots of house made mixers and infused vodkas.  The bartenders wore button down shirts and white aprons - you could tell that the restaurant really took their time in crafting a cocktail, and showed us step by step how we could create the same ones at home.  On the menu were the following drinks:

Periodista: Run, Apricot Brandy, Orange Liquor, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, garnished with a lime wheel. [Photo accidentally got deleted - I'll add it back!]

Pink Lady: Gin, Apple Jack, Lemon Juice, Grenadine, Egg White, Lemon Garnish.

Ruby Slipper: Whiskey, Orange Liquor, Grenadine, Proscecco, 7 Up, Orange Garnish.

Chocolate Raspberry Espresso Martini: Espresso vodka, chocolate vodka, Framboise, Espresso Liquor, Espresso.

Now, don't all those drinks sound yummy?  Okay, maybe not the fizz one, I am not totally into raw egg yolks but I totally appreciate the 1920's flapper-esque vibe it signifies.  I mean, who wouldn't want to be a flapper with fizzy drinks and swizzle sticks?  I love a good swizzle stick and fringe dress.  


Anywho!  The drinks.  Yes, the drinks, the whole reason we were there.  The group was relativly small, so we had the ability to chat with the bartenders as they mixed up our drinks, 'why do you use that?', 'how do you make that simple syrup?' and the like.  They whipped up batches, telling us how the drink originated and the many variations you might be able to make.  After each demonstration, samples were lined up on the table, very generous samples I might add.  There were thinks I liked and didn't like about each drink.  We've already discussed my aversion to raw egg yolks, I am SURE I am not the only one, I am also not the biggest fan of gin.  I know it's the same as vodka, only distilled with juniper berries, but I don't love the taste of pine - call me crazy.  I thought the chocolate raspberry martini would be too heavy, and I was only half right.  It was pretty heavy, I am sure I would only be able to stomach one in a sitting, but I became obsessed with their homemade espresso vodka. It was so smooth and tasty, offering a serious caffeine kick.  If it were socially acceptable, I'd want to drink it every morning - it was honestly that delicious.  Sadly, it is totally NOT socially acceptable, so I'll have to sick to my regular lattes.  Sigh. 

{Our fabulous bartenders/instructors.}

Where was I?  Oh yes, the homemade espresso vodka.  I asked the bartender how they made it, and the process is extremely labor intensive as you can imagine.  They soak 1 part vodka to 1 part ground espresso, let it sit for 3 months, stirring daily at first, then letting it sit untouched towards the end.  Then they strain it, chill it and serve.  Maybe I'll try to make a small batch at home, unlike the 30 gallon batches they made at the bar.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tasting, it was thoughtful and well organized.  The bartenders were beyond knowledgeable and extremely patient in answering our questions.  Ratty and I were both extremely impressed, and we definitely plan on attending future ones!