#yelplovesbuf: Holiday Bartending 101 @ KegWorks

How could a bartending event at an excellent local store, stuffed to the brim with great people, not receive 5 stars?
Over the course of the evening, our bartending guides showed us how to make fun, holiday versions of White Russians, Moscow Mules, and more! He took time to teach us some of the science behind mixology, which is something inherently lacking in other bartending classes I’ve attended.
KegWorks is a pretty awesome place to start, but their fully stocked bar and excellent staff really bump it into the stratosphere of local businesses. After the event was over, all attendees were given a 20% discount off everything in the store. I used the opportunity to stock up on bitters (which, truthfully, I didn’t really know much about until this class) and some essential mixing tools.
I’ve always considered myself a beer and wine girl, but this class really opened my eyes to the joy of cocktails. Our girls group took a few of the recipes to heart and remade them at girls’ night later that week.
As always, Unilocal events never disappoint. Thanks to Alex and KegWorks for putting this amazing night together!

This was an awesome event and my first Unilocal event in Buffalo. I’ve really wanted to take a bar tending class for a while and this one did not disappoint. All of the staff were extremely welcoming and helpful.
The instructor Tim was great. He first explained in detail all of the basics of bar tending such as what tools to use. He also showed us some tricks of the trade like determining if the drink should be shaken or stirred. He demonstrated each drink first then allowed 2 people to come behind the bar and to try to make it themselves. We made white Russians, Moscow Mules, and this delicious drink will gin that I cant recall the name for. It was a small group so everyone got to participate and some way and there were lots of samples to pass around.
After the class I shopped around the store and picked up a few items that we used in the class so I could add them to my home bar. They really had a great selection to chose from and I enjoyed checking out all of the cool bar accessories and books.
Thanks to Alex and the staff from KegWorks for a great time. I’ll be sure to come to more events in the future.

What a great opportunity this was for many reasons! I am so glad I took the Journey to Buffalo. First and foremost, Buffalo has a GREAT Unilocal Community. Thank you for being so inviting and allowing us to join you. It was great getting to meet those of you whom I was already «friends» with and I got to make some new friends along the way as well! Shout out to Alex, the CM! You rock! Great event!
Thank you to Kegworks for having all 20+ of us. I loved the vibe and experience of this class. Great opportunities to learn and take home some new drink concoctions for the holidays. WOOT WOOT! Most notable mentions: White Russian, with cranberry infused vodka, Kahlua, cream (not milk), and both chocolate and cinnamon bitters. (Ps. I bought the chocolate bitters! super excited to use it) The Moscow Mule and the history of its copper mug. Who Knew??? Lastly, thank you for incorporating a Rum drink into the evening… per my adamant «request» to put it nicely. Haha
Seriously though, all the drinks were great. The opportunity to get behind the bar and «shake» or «stir» was great! Tim and staff were knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. They were even inspired to offer us a discount on merchandise purchased after the event, and soooo… Christmas has come early in my house!
Thank you again to everyone!!! Let’s do this again sometime!

Very informative class and a great store with everything you need to stock your home. Excellent instructors and great company like the other Unilocal event I went to.

Definitely my favorite event so far! Not only did I love the staff and shop, I learned about all the basic bar equipment and liquors you need to stock a home bar! We learned how to make several spirited (lol with spirits) holiday drinks including a White Russian (with cranberry vodka, chocolate & aromatic bitters), a gin and lime cocktail with mint and mint infused simple syrup, a classic mule, and a rum drink using one of their «craft cocktails in a bottle.»
Not only were these drinks delicious, the step-​by-​step instructions and demonstration was followed with Unilocalers behind the bar trying the recipes for themselves! It was fun to watch, fun to learn, and fun to taste.
I learned all kinds of things — which strainers to use when, what classes to use for which drinks, which drinks should be shaken or stirred, to always put ice lasts because an iced cocktail «dies» after two minutes (gets too watered down), and more! After the demonstration we were invited to peruse the shop and oh my goodness did I want EVERYTHING! I definitely plan on asking for a home bar set for Christmas (now that I know the essentials) and I will be stopping back at KegWorks for more goodies as I enhance my bartending skills.
We finished the night with a couple tacos, and man, what more can you ask for on a Wednesday?! If you haven’t been to KegWorks, go. It’s like a candy store in there. But for making boozy beverages.

This was my first Unilocal event in Buffalo and it was a super fun time! Kegworks is a fantastic store full of interesting inventory and it was generous of them to host this for us. The main bartender/​teacher, Tim S, was funny and inviting as he educated us on the basics of the bar and the typical equipment used. I don’t want to brag but 18 years ago I used to bartend at the most exclusive of all restaurants with bars, Swiss Chalet. I learned how to pour draft beer and that’s all I ever did. I actually learned far more in an hour or so with Tim than I ever did behind the bar at the beloved Swiss Chalet. Tim really went out of his way to explain all the equipment and why he was doing what he was doing. I found it interesting when he explained about slapping the mint. I want to find more excuses to slap my garnishes.
Tim had fellow Unilocalers come up behind the bar to make the drinks after he explained them and I thought that was awesome because then we had even more booze to split among us. I’m a lightweight so I had to hold back on how much I drank, Lord how I envy those with strong livers. All of the drinks we sampled were absolutely delicious. I was most surprised about the gin one, I was hesitant to try it because I thought gin was an old lady drink and would be bitter. No! That drink was tasty, it was like a better version of 7-​up.
It was delightful to meet some of my fellow Unilocalers, it’s nice to put a person behind the reviews. I got my first piece of Unilocal swag ever, a Unilocal glass with a cozy on it. My husband asked me if it’s to drink boogers and c*m out of (SouthPark reference). I think it’s a 16oz glass, so that’s an ambitious amount to collect.
All in all, it was a really fun time and I enjoyed learning about some fun drinks, consuming delectable drinks, meeting other Unilocalers, and getting to check out Kegworks.

This might have been the smallest Unilocal event I’ve ever been to, but small doesn’t not mean bad or boring! In fact, it was rather enjoyable for many reasons. The first, meeting some new Unilocalers — each one brought a unique personality to the group and if any one of them would have been missing — it wouldn’t have been the same.
I still cannot believe that I was able to attend a FREE event where I learned some of the basics of making drinks. However, wait for it — YES — and we sampled those drinks too! It was like going out to a cocktail bar and not paying for anything!
Then of course there was that sexy bartender — sorry Tim — NOT you — least not for me, but you are cute just the same. However, I’m talking about my fellow Unilocalers that got behind that bar and shook it like a champ!
Now — a shout out at Tim — though I had to remind him a couple of times about dying drinks :) it was all in fun and he was the perfect guy behind the counter. I enjoyed every second of the event from the moment I got there until the moment I left.
Thanks to Tim and KegWorks for hosting the event, Alex for putting it together and of course my fellow Unilocalers for making it a great night out!
Now, just a little shout out to the Rochester Hotties — glad you both made it out here to Buffalo — now we owe you a trip huh :)?

This was a pretty small event for Unilocal,but that doesn’t mean it was bad at all! So, we met up at Kegworks, at their in-​the-​store bar. Kegworks is a really fantastic place, but I’ll save that for a later review.
So we got started with some glögg, which is a slightly different (Scandinavian) way of doing mulled wine, basically. After that little intro, our guide for the evening, Tim, was off to the races, going over some of the basics of bar tools, what kinds of alcohol to stock for a basic bar, and some tips and tricks with certain tools.
First drink was a White Russian, done with cranberry infused vodka, Kahlua, cream, and some chocolate and cinnamon bitters. It was nice that not only did they show how to mix drinks, but they also showcased some of the ingredients and kits that they sell in the store.
The other drinks showcased were a variation on a Tom Collins, a Moscow Mule, and then, one of my favorite things, showcasing one of their craft mixers with rum. All the drinks were great, Tim was really knowledgeable and answered all our questions with humor and friendliness, and A great time was had by all.
They were also nice enough to offer all participants a discount on merchandise purchased after the event, which was a nice touch!
Thanks Alex and the Kegworks staff for opening their doors to us! I’ll be back again to take a homebrewing class!

So glad I made the trip from Rochester to hang out with my new Buffalo Unilocaler friends for an amazing fun experience in bartending! I always wanted the chance to get behind a bar a make some great drinks, and this was my opportunity!
Our instructor/​bartender Tim was the best, I loved how he started of explaining all the different tools behind the bar and how to use them. Now I know how to correctly stir a drink and how to shake a drink. He was so personable with our group getting everyone involved asking questions and explaining the history of items and alcohol.
Now the fun part, mixing some drinks! First up we made a white Russian with a holiday twist, we added a splash of chocolate bitter and cinnamon bitter that really blended well together. (I could see this as a popular holiday drink) My favorite was learning how to make a Moscow mule, 1oz fresh lime juice, 2oz vodka, lots of ice, ginger beer and a lime wedge for garnish, served in a copper mug! So good and super easy to make!
Tim, thank you for sharing your knowledge and Kegworks for hosting !
Thank you Alex for organizing such a fun event and everyone for being so warm and welcoming to me!