SideTour: Pre-Prohibition Cocktails

Josh discovered this website, SideTour, and posted about it on the CitiHabitats Facebook page. He sent me the link and I started looking through all the different available "experiences." The different activities range from urban farming to dumpling tastings to a tour of Manhattan's great graffiti. We both thought Capture the Craft of Pre-Prohibition Cocktails with Modern Twists looked really interesting. Anyone can go to a bar to drink, but how could would it be to meet up with a small group and learn how to make some classic drinks. And for like $30 it was a bargain. We both signed up.

This past Saturday was the event. It was so much fun. We made our way to Brooklyn on the L train (a first for both of us). The SideTour was in Brian Quinn's apartment, which was gorgeous. He is an expert bartender and a wonderful teacher. You could feel his enthusiasm for the art / science of cocktails. I figured that it'd very academic - we'd sit and he'd "teach" us about the drinks and then he'd make them and we'd drink them. No! This was completely interactive.

There were seven us and we gathered around the large bar each had our own sets of mixologist tools (cups, strainers, jiggers). Brian would explain the fundamentals and then we'd make the drinks ourselves. I didn't really like the brown drinks - I think they were made with whiskey. But the drinks with gin were amazing. My favorite was a Gin Fizz - lemon juice, gin and and egg white. I thought it was going to be gross, but it was delicious.

Side note. There was a gay couple in the group. They were standing next to me and were absolutely adorable. I could see the way the one guy, Jordan, look into the other guy's eyes, Jordan. The look of pure happiness and love was sickeningly sweet. I just stood there and felt sad while reminiscing about my recent breakup.. It's such a precious feeling. Oh well. Good for them.

Afterwards, Josh and I went back to civilization...I mean Manhattan. Shockingly, I really enjoyed the hip, eclectic, hipster atmosphere of Williamsburg. It felt like a tight community of people who were anything but snobs - I loved that. We ended up going to a bar in Chelsea where we hung out for a while. He wasn't drinking and I continued sampling my new favorite drink. Eventually we ended up at Shake Shack, which I don't really remember.

It was such a fun night. I felt so young again. Just having a great time and being myself. The SideTour was a great experience. I highly recommend it to anyone. You'll learn, meet new people and have a great time.