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Holiday Cocktail-Making Class: Four Festive Drinks with Diana Pittet
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- Jigger (for measuring ingredients)
- Cocktail shaker
- Bar spoon
- Cocktail strainer
- Citrus juicer
- Small saucepan
- Champagne or sparkling wine (dry)
- Cognac (optional)
- Bitters (e.g., Angostura)
- Sugar cube
- Lemon twist
- Red wine (dry)
- Sugar
- Cinnamon stick
- Whole clove
- Lemon peel
- Orange peel
- Madeira (or substitute sherry, Marsala, or Port)
- Gin
- Boiling water
- Dark brown sugar
- Honey
- Lemon (half)
- Ground cinnamon
- Cinnamon stick
- Whole clove
- Nutmeg
- Cognac & dark rum (or use one of them, or substitute bourbon)
- Sugar
- Egg
- Whole milk
- Nutmeg
A former Latin teacher, Diana traded in the classical world for classic cocktails after she earned a master's degree from NYU in Food Studies. She is the co-founder of Night Owl Hospitality, a cocktail catering company on the Jersey Shore, where she also runs a whiskey club. This autumn, Diana returns to NYU to teach a graduate class on the history, culture, and politics of drinking. An avid traveler, Diana aims to visit a total of 50 different countries by the time she is 50.
Not suitable for children under age 13 (sensitive content).
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
Sadly, I didn't make the cocktails during the lecture, but one participant did. She said the drinks were delicious. I have the recipes now and will be trying them later. I loved the class, nevertheless. It was joyful and fun.
This is a great class to learn how to make these vintage Christmas drinks and also to learn the history around them. Diana is knowledgeable and obviously has the best job in the world - knowing everything there is to know about cocktails through the ages. The class goes at a great pace and was fun to follow along with. And I’m not just saying this because I had 4 amazing Christmas drinks!! 🤣. Definitely a class worth taking!
While I enjoyed the champagne cocktail tremendously, I am still intrigued to try all the single cocktails especially the eggnog in a glass. As always, Diane is so charming and full of skills with lots of cocktail history.
I’ve attended quite a few of Diana’s cocktail conversations, and she always does a lovely job. This event introduced me to a couple new drinks, and guided me through an easy to make eggnog, which I’ve never made at home before. Diana also adds great value by proving the history of the drinks and the period from which they originate. I highly recommend her classes!
I did not know what to expect from this class, but it was thoroughly enjoyable. Diana Pittet is so knowledgeable about the history of cocktails, and communicates her enthusiasm well. I was glad that I had assembled the equipment and ingredients required to make 3 of the 4 cocktails and had my daughter's laptop computer set up in the kitchen so I could make and taste the cocktails as Diana spoke about them. Delicious! Although this class would have been informative and enjoyable as a lecture, complete with recipes, the experience was greatly enhanced by participation.
I would suggest repeating this class earlier in December next year, in advance of the Christmas holiday.