Elite Event: Hendrick’s Delightfully Peculiar Cocktail Academy

This was my first elite event in San Francisco and it was fantastic. After a bit of amiable chit-​chat and some gin and tonics, my friend and I joined the two dozen assembled for a sit down lecture on the history of gin and specifically Hendrick’s. If only all my college lectures were like this I’d have actually showed up to class all the time.
But this wasn’t just a lecture series. The second half of the evening consisted of a practical lab during which we all constructed three delightful summery cocktails right at our seats. Each table shared the resources necessary to concoct our delights and this was one of the best parts of the evening because not only did it give us some active way to be involved, it forced us to get to know our neighbors — fellow Unilocalers whose love for food and drink can be infectious, but needed that extra little prod to mingle. By the end we were sharing our tips for variations on the straight-​forward drinks we were learning to make and I’d have been happy if the evening just kept going and going.

Drinking is fun with friends and making cocktails is even more fun with friends. The evening started off with a mingling session at the bar where a wonderful arrangement of Gin & Tonics laid at the bar and up for grabs. I met some really awesome people and will be having lunch with them sometime. :P I guess that is why I like these events, you get to meet people who also love food and booze as much as you.
I really liked the décor. The bar was a vintage and had some very interesting bartending artifacts like an old school shaker apparatus, old liquor bottles, and medicine bottles for their homemade bitters. I liked the final touches by Hendricks too, like the pots of red roses and cucumbers. *I thought it was a interesting arrangement, but figured it has its purpose. Turns out Hendricks finishes off the distill with the two ingredients to give it the final flavors. #neat!
Hendrick’s representative MixMasterMark was very entertaining and I loved the interactive cucumber as a pointer presentation. The best part is the making and drinking of the cocktails. It was a lot of fun to make and the punch really brought the group together when our group decided to poor the rest of the Gin into the punch bowl.
Though the cocktails were good, I think I would have liked to see cocktail recipes that was drastically different than the others to showcase the versatility of Gin. Overall, my 1^st Elite event was fantastic and lived up to my expectation.

Woohoo! This was my 1^st ever Elite event, and I absolutely had a blast! WHY? The gin was pouring, great conversations, and most importantly– we all learned how to be gin mix masters! :) The staff at Devil’s Acre was very nice and accommodating, as the Hendrick’s MC was just awesome. He knew the make up of Hendrick’s well, but most importantly, he knew how to engage his audience. My group ended up pouring a whole bottle of Hendrick’s into our punch bowl at the end of the night. Muy fabulouso! Can’t wait til the next event!

I made a new friend at my first Unilocal Elite Event. His name? Gin… Hendrick’s Gin.
We started the night with finger food, gin and tonics, and mingling with other Unilocalers! The folks from The Devil’s Acre were incredibly friendly and the ambiance felt like an old-​style saloon. It was a perfect set up for a fun, casual, get together.
Then the cocktail academy started — led by the energetic and dapper instructor, «MixMasterMark». Mark taught us the history and process of Hendrick’s Gin with pictures and hands on experience. Through the use of simple ingredients, we made our own cocktails that tasted absolutely delicious!
For our last drink, we had to work in groups and use a big bowl to make punch. We needed tons of ice, tons of gin, and tons of ingredients. I enjoyed how the mixology class easily allowed us to interact with one another and… break the ice.
Thank you Abby S., Mark from Hendrick’s Gin, and The Devil’s Acre for hosting and making this night a memorable one!

What a great idea! A Unilocal Elite Event that exposed me to a great new gin (because I don’t usually drink gin/​like the flavor) and a fabulous bar. Hendricks’ rep was so informative and explained the big difference in their gin v. others… Devil’s Acre was rented out and not too crowded by Elites.
I enjoyed sitting at a table with other YE’s and their +1s, because the mixology activities pretty much forced interaction, which is something that doesn’t usually happen at Elite events unless you’re really outgoing.
My only disappointment was the «goody bag» was a small tea bag + paper recipe book. We usually get some great freebies at Unilocal Elite Events to share with friends, and spread the word on great products!

This Elite Event is a presentation of Hendricks cocktails and basic Gin mixology and my first SF YEE. Right off the bat we were presented a cocktail (gin/​cucumber) from the bar which was very refreshing. The small bites also complimented the gin experience we were about to have. That made me quite excited since I am generally not a «gin lover».
The mixology class was filled with history, heritage and fun information all presented in a very casual manner. There were visual aids as part of the presentation and «MixMasterMark» definitely made the show. Mark’s in-​depth knowledge of the history and process of Hendricks Gin is amazing.
All through the presentation we actually had to make the three cocktails that we sampled and drank with the third cocktail (punch) as a group effort. I have to say the hands on experience of making cocktails will stick with me. I love the lesson of simple good ingredients adding up to a great cocktail and Hendricks by far is the best gin I have ever tasted (IMHO of course). Added to the educational enjoyment was the ability to interact with all the other Unilocalers around me, we made a few friends as well… That was so much fun.
I also have to add, the Unilocal Elite staff was very warm, welcoming and inviting. We even got Unilocal Ice trays for checking in at the event. Nice!!!
Thanks to the Devils Acre staff for all the help and attention, Thanks to Unilocal Elite CM Abby S for such a great event, great work guys and gals, I am now a Hendricks Gin lover.
This Event is definitely Delightful and Peculiar…
and absolutely Five Stars…

A night of firsts: first Elite Event in San Francisco, first cocktail class, first time liking gin.
Classes centered around any particular brand of an item have a tendency to feel like repeated product placement – I’m glad that wasn’t the case. The background information given about the history and distillation process of Hendrick’s actually made me understand and appreciate the gin more. As a result, I have the cheeky advantage of being able to give a detailed response as to why this gin is now my favorite. And being a bit of an aesthetic nerd, I loved the way the brand of Hendrick’s fit with the Old Victorian vibe of The Devil’s Acre. A good match.
Being able to bring guests was a great perk – having a familiar face made it easier to mingle with new people (though gin did the trick too). Special thanks to Abby for running this community, The Devil’s Acre for hosting, and Mark for being enthusiastic and looking incredibly old school dapper. The roses were a nice touch. And thanks for replacing the blueberries after I continually ate them.
Can’t wait to go to more Elite Events!

What a spectacular event!
This was my first Unilocal Elite event and it did not disappoint. I’ve been to The Devil’s Acre, an apothecary-​themed bar in North Beach, several times and thought it was perfect for this event.
We were greeted with gin and tonic, as well as finger foods. It was nice to have the opportunity to mingle with the other Unilocalers before we sat down. Then it was time for the cocktail mixing session. I loved how interactive it was! We learned all about the history of Hendrick’s Gin and the distilling process which gave me a greater appreciation for gin. I actually have never liked gin before but I guess that’s because I was drinking the wrong kind! I loved the Hendrick’s Cucumber Lemonade we made first (with fresh squeezed lemons). Then we worked with our table to make a huge bowl of punch. It was a group effort and the result was amazing!
Thanks Abby S., Mark from Hendrick’s Gin and the folks at The Devil’s Acre for an awesome night!

Even though I’ve been to a couple of Hendrick’s events, I learn something new every time. We got to make a couple of cocktails and Hendrick’s definitely makes me like gin more than usual! The lemonade was DELICIOUS. Finally got the measurements down.
Thanks Unilocal for another awesome event!

This event was excellent, down to every detail.
Some particularly great aspects:
1) Social interaction: I met several Unilocalers, and the events’ set-​up encouraged conversation. It was wonderful getting to know the guests at my table as we crafted our Hendrick’s cocktails. This event did not have an ounce of the all-​too-​common Millennial problem of everyone staring at their phones to avoid social awkwardness.
2) Venue: Devil’s Acre is truly delightfully peculiar – a perfect setting for this event. I’m definitely going back!
3) Cocktails: WOW. I truly didn’t know which one I liked the best. The ingredients were superb, and the recipes were on point.
4) The Instruction: I’m a chemical engineer by education. So I absolutely loved learning about Hendrick’s unique distilling process, the «orchestra» of 11 botanicals, and some of the particulars of gin-​making. Also, I enjoyed hearing some of the tricks of bartending (put the cheap ingredients in first!), and learning how to make quality drinks. My eyes especially appreciated the tutorial on how to properly juice a lemon without getting blinded.
Overall: My favorite Unilocal event I’ve attended this year! A+ job to Abby for organizing this, Mark for being an excellent host, and Devil’s Acre for providing the ideal venue.

Soooo… I’m now officially a fan of gin? I don’t even know what happened tonight, just that the drinks provided and the drinks we made during the «cocktail academy» totally won me over to the dark side.
This really is a back to school summer event. With the tables and the Hendrick’s Gin placemats and supplies, it was hard to pretend I wasn’t enjoying this idea of school.
Love that event allowed everyone to mingle with their +1’s and each other by making us share the cocktail ingredients and create the final drink together: the alcoholic punch. What a great conversation starter! I only wish the event were longer to give everyone more time to chat with everyone, as the drinks finally kicked in and made everyone less shy ;)
Thank you to Devil’s Acre and Hendrick’s Gin for hosting such a wonderful event, I’m looking forward to making some of these cocktails at home!

Wow, helluva of an event!
A «small batch» group of high quality Unilocalers made this one of the best Unilocal events that I’ve been to (limitless alcohol was only a «minor» factor)
Hendricks is now my gin of choice for any occassion and I will have to go to try out devil’s acre again.
Thank you Abby /​Mark and the rest of the Unilocal & Hendrick’s staff.
This was truly an amazing event.
Cheers!