Spirited away
The art of cocktail making is a delicate one, requiring a keen eye and patient hands. Fortunately, Beijingers who want to master the craft have an opportunity to study with two of the best bartenders in the city nearly every week. Bob Louison and Ariel Tang's "Spirit 'It'" cocktail class takes place almost every week, at renowned bars such as Zeta Bar and Face Bar. "We choose different places to help people discover different bars, and also create a new atmosphere for our participants," says Louison. Tang adds, "the culture we're making, you can't find anywhere else."
Grand Marnier and Andros sponsor the duo's cocktail class. These companies provide much of the alcohol and fruit ingredients used. Each class has a different theme, such as Moroccan, Malaysian and Irish cocktails. "We try to make each class a little different. We teach people how to truly appreciate the cocktails," says Louison.
A typical class involves learning how to make three unique cocktails from the ingredients provided. After this, Louison asks the participants to invent a new cocktail.