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Fun at The Wine Bin
This past weekend a friend and I attended a cocktail making class at a local wine store, The Wine Bin. Located in Ellicott City, Maryland, The Wine Bin offers bi-weekly classes in the store. Among the classes listed, I immediately noticed a tiki cocktail class on the schedule. Um, yes please, sign me up for that one!
When I called to sign up originally, I was sad to learn that the class was full, but Friday afternoon I got a call that they added a class and I could come in at noon for the cocktail class. For $25 each, my friend Heather and I got to make 3 different cocktails. Plus, we earned a $10 credit to use in the store. WIN!! We arrived early so we could check out everything the store had to offer. There is a cheese and meat display case, a chocolate display case, local beers and IPAs, gifts, and of course WINE! So. Much. Wine. They even have a sliding door to the wine cellar. They offer wine tastings on site, are dog friendly, and also offer summer movie nights. The Wine Bin has it all. Check it out if you are ever in Ellicott City, Maryland.
The Tiki Cocktails
Okay, onto the tiki cocktails. Maria, the course instructor, was amazingly friendly and fun to hang out with. She prepared all the ingredients we needed and offered some history and information into tiki cocktails. She demonstrated each recipe and then passed around the ingredients so we could make them ourselves. The first cocktail was named “Beautiful Day.” 
I was skeptical of this one because it has both tequila and gin in it and I do NOT like tequila or gin. But when I say this drink was beautiful, I mean it. We used a botanical gin, so it tasted less like a Christmas tree and added a nice spice to the drink.
After “Beautiful Day” we moved onto “I Need A Beach.” This was my favorite drink. It is a rum drink and so incredibly delicious. I could drink this all day. But drinker beware, it doesn’t taste like booze, so it will sneak up on you quickly! And, at this point in the class, I was already feeling the effects of our delicious creations but, I pushed on because we still had the “Ellicott City Hurricane” to make. This cocktail was also a rum drink – as most tiki drinks are rum drinks – and was just as amazing as all the other cocktails.
Two Yummy Tiki Cocktails
"Beautiful Day"
5 blackberries
3 mint leaves (plus more for garnish)
¾ oz of gin (use a botanical gin)
¼ oz of tequila
1 oz of watermelon juice
¼ oz of lime juice
¼ oz velvet falernum
Top with club soda
"Ellicott City Hurricane"
1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
½ oz passion fruit puree
1 oz orange juice
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz grenadine
¼ oz cappelletti
Meghan's Favorite Tiki Cocktail
"I Need A Beach"
¾ oz dark rum
¼ oz white rum
¾ oz mango nectar
½ oz lime juice
¼ oz simple syrup
½ oz guava juice
1 full dropper of ginger bitters
More from The Wine Bin
In addition to the recipes, we also learned how to use some common bar tools. I had never used a shaker, muddler, or strainer before. A big thanks to our host, Maria, who was patient with all of us as we learned how to navigate these tools and create our drinks.
After going to this class, I will definitely keep tabs on The Wine Bin’s class schedule. I had so much fun learning about these tiki drinks and I’m excited to share more adventures in cocktail recipes.
Whatever your drink of choice, please drink responsibly.
Bourbon Tasting Review
Tim and I rated each of our tastings on a 4-star scale. We also highlighted flavors, heat, or odors that helped us to ultimately decide which was our favorite for the day. To assist in what these flavor characteristics might mean to you, let’s take a look at what we generally drink, so you can possibly pinpoint what you might like to order the next time you stop at State Fare or your local bar.
Katie Linford
3 Apr 2019Wow! That looks really fun!!!
wineyparent
3 Apr 2019Meghan had a blast! She’s really looking forward to other classes they offer.