Virtual Cocktail Classes

The quarantine may have inspired our COVID-19 online cocktail classes but they’ve proven so popular we’ve decided to keep the virtual happy hour going.

Every Saturday at five o’clock find Hawker Fare mixologist Dolly Valdez Bautista beaming behind the bar in San Francisco onto guest screens via Zoom. Dolly demonstrates how to make three cocktails revolving around a theme for home-based bartenders. To date, classes have taken us South of the Border, on a trip through the East, to the City of Love, and elsewhere around the globe as we’ve sipped drinks based around whiskey, gin, rum, vodka, mezcal, and other spirits.

Along the way we’ve learned plenty of tools and tips of the trade, tried new cocktails, and even crafted (and named!) a few concoctions of our own.

The hour comes with a side of history behind the liquors and cocktails of the day. For our Modern Whiskey Happy Hour our favorite bartender shared all about the colorful, hazy, shady history of whiskey, this most American spirit, beloved by mob bosses and millennials alike.

We’ve had guest appearances from chef friends, including Manny Torres Gimenez of Francisca’s, who demoed how to make his delicious arepeas. Sommelier Josh Decolongon, co-founder of Endless West, stopped by to talk spirits. His startup makes Glyph bourbon, a molecular whiskey that needs no aging or barreling. And we’ve kept it fun and fresh with additions like salsa instruction from Ryan Mead and Sidney Weaverling, who host Cuban dance classes at Rueda Con Ritmo. It’s a party packed into an hour!

Our public online cocktail classes draw both novice bartenders and seasoned mixologists. Some like to dress for the occasion, others come as they are. We also offer private parties for friends, families, and co-workers who want to celebrate over a delicious drink or two.

These virtual lessons are a terrific way to create community, have a bit of fun, and build better bartending skills from the comfort of home.

But don’t just take our word for it.

Here's what one guest had to say: “I have had the pleasure of attending two online cocktail classes run by Edible Excursions and they also hosted a private virtual cocktail class for my husband's birthday. These events have been highlights for us during SIP.  I highly recommend them.” -- Linda Kang, San Francisco

And this shout out from Becky Duffett at Eater SF: “I don’t really know how gin cocktails, arepa advice, and Thai takeout might mix, but I don’t terrifically care. These are fun people, and it sounds like drinks, dinner, and a show.”

Cheers to that and come join us!