The Delightfully Peculiar Cocktail Academy

I used to drink gin… a lot of gin… back in my twenties. Those days are still kind of hazy for me… and this was a fun reminder of those days. In fact, this was the most fun I have had in a long time and it was all thanks to this delightful drink, Henrdick’s Gin! Our host was amazing and the drinks were so divine! The room our class was in was so beautifully decorated and fully stocked so we could make drinks and party! We started off with a gin education, followed by the story of how Hendrick’s came about and was made. Who knew there was such a science to it?! They use such fine ingredients… no wonder it is so tasty. The best part was that we got to make cocktails featuring this wonderful spirit. I feel like a pro now and can’t wait to make some gin-​infused cocktails at home. Heck, I think I may start drinking gin again more regularly… but only if it is Hendrick’s. WOWZA IT’S GOOD!
Thank you Hendrick’s Gin and Unilocal for a great time! Our host was the best!

Think Americana x Gin x Good Company! Seriously, how good does it get?
To start the lovely event, Mix Master Mark did a great job on the background history behind Hendrick’s gin. From the start, production to what makes it so distinct I was truly sold even without prior knowledge of Hendrick’s to begin with.
Sitting through this little educational bleb, we got to nibble on some finger sandwiches and bruschetta, some of my favorites being the Smoked Salmon and Tomato & Fig. As well as a standard starter cocktail, Gin & Tonic with a Cucumber Spear.
We got to make a series of drinks all showcasing the versatility of Hendrick’s gin in strong, fruity and refreshing drinks that were all up my alley. Hell, any gin cocktail is up my alley– I mean what? My favorite was the blueberry as it was made with a blueberry tea simple syrup and reminded me of summer! The huge punch bowl at the end was a huge success as it incorporated team work into it and of course the punch was fan-​freaking-​tastic!
Such a wonderful cocktail class showcasing all that Hendrick’s has to offer, a beautiful venue by the Capital Grille, Mix Master Mark and the lovely Unilocal for providing this opportunity to learn and get boozy with it.

This is one of the funnest things we have done in a while! Mix Master Mark was a great teacher and such a fun host. I was not a big gin drinker, but My eyes have been opened and I will be sipping Hendrick’s lemonades all summer long!!! what a great way to share your product!

So fun. SO FUN!
Thanks MixMasterMark and the Hendrick’s crew for putting on a great event. If the DPCA comes to your city, out of town Unilocalers, I recommend you attend. Mark’s a great presenter, the food is delicious, and the drinks are wonderful — and how much fun to craft them by your own hands.
Special thanks to The Gladly for hosting this one in their beautiful venue.

Tea sandwiches… bruschetta… adult beverages… can it get better than this? This event was a lot of fun. We got to learn how to make several cocktails (all with Gin) and then enjoy said cocktails. Each one was good in its own way. The cocktails were tasty and the recipes were fairly easy, making it perfect to replicate at home… and replicate I will! Thanks to Hendrick’s for this fabulous night!

Fun, entertaining, educational night. I love that this wasn’t just a demonstration and that we got to play as well! The host was funny and did a great job teaching and keeping you involved. The drinks… well they were just downright amazing! I didn’t really know if I liked gin or not and don’t think I really have ever given it a shot but I did and boy was I pleasantly surprised. While I still don’t think I could drink it straight, the drinks we mixed were each better than the last and made me a fan! I will be making the blueberry lemondade one all summer long! Gladly is a great spot and the finger foods were good and the drinks were downright amazing! Nice little goodie bag and I am very happy to have the recipe cards to duplicate the nights concoctions.

The place is gorgeous and super fancy looking. When we walked into the background, impressive was the first word that came to mind. We had an entire setup to mix drinks in front of us to glasses, squeezers, stirrers, syrups, gin, etc., but first they told us to grab appetizers. The sandwiches were delicious. I really loved the smoked salmon and chicken sandwiches. The tomato and fig bruschetta were pretty good too. We were served a gin and tonic with cucumber spear to begin.
As we were munching down, Mix Master Mark gave us a presentation on Hendrick’s Gin. And then taught us how to make drinks. We made a lemonade gin drink which was delicious. Didn’t know you can make a lemonade drink with gin. Then it was a blueberry green tea drink. Everyone at our table got to make their own and had a lot of fun talking and drinking. Then Mark did another presentation for us and taught us how to make punch for a party using Hendrick’s gin. It was delicious! Cinnamon punch tastes great!
It was a classy event and everyone had a good time. The servers were great bringing us fresh ice and toppings and whatever we needed. Thanks to them for helping out! And thanks to Mix Master Mark for such an entertaining presentation and instructions. It was a great time and I know everyone appreciates it. Too much alcohol for us to drink in the end because we made a huge bowl of punch!

An enchanted evening of whimsy, wonder, and getting wasted.
Hendrick’s aesthetic is impossibly detailed in a vintage-​quirky-​magical way (think hot air balloon graphics and croquet mallet cocktail stirrers.) I’m considering getting a full sleeve composed exclusively of the art on the goodie bags we were presented with upon arrival.
A few tipples, 36 salmon finger sandwiches, and several dozen fig & goat cheese toasts later, MixMasterMark walked straight out of the 19^th century and into the Gladly. He led us through the history of Hendrick’s (Scottish/​2 stills/​master ladychemist/​botanicals on fleek.)
Then, we drank. On each table was an array of equipment, simple syrups, fresh fruits, ice, gin and juice… laid back. We made each cocktail after MMM demo’d with flair and finesse. There was merrymaking, liberal gin slinging, lemon juice flying, and selfies on selfies on selfies.
A cucumber lemonade, groovy blueberry green tea lemonade, group project bowl of do-​drink-​the-​punch, and several off-​centered high fives later, we were unleashed into The Gladly (with more punch.) Mac ‘n’ cheese and Brussels sprouts over grits at the bar sealed off the session with a resounding hell yes.
I was already a fan of both Hendrick’s and The Gladly, but this weekend I’m gladly buying a bottle of Hendrick’s.

This was just fantastic. Exceeded my expectations. You’ve heard it before — I don’t like gin. But now I LOVE Hendricks. It was amazing to learn about the way that this gin is produced. MixMasterMark put on a fun, enthusiastic presentation and taught us to make amazing drinks. My favorite was definitely the cucumber lemonade recipe that we made first.
Not only were the drinks fantastic, but the food– oh my gosh. Huge shoutout to the Gladly for putting togetherer these hors d’oeuvres. My favorite was the bruschetta with the cheese and was it fig (?) on top. I could have eaten a thousand of these, but I politely only ate 3.
The entire experience was just so much fun. Got to interact with other Elites, drink amazing liquor taught by the brand ambassador himself, pair this with amazing food and even got a goody bag! Well Hendricks, ya won me over!

Fun, educational, and delicious! This was a great event where we were invited to learn all about Hendrick’s Gin and then had the opportunity to make cocktails with it. We started off with a simple gin & tonic served to us at the bar and then were served some yummy bites including tea sandwiches, bruschetta and mixed nuts. This was much needed as we were served 1 drink and then made 3 more cocktails.
Mix Master Mark put on an awesome educational presentation where we learned about the history of Hendrick’s, how it’s made and what goes into it. We then got to make our own cocktails; a cucumber lemonade, blueberry green tea lemonade and then the whole table made the Tenured punch together. All of these drinks were fantastic and are easy to recreate. I can’t wait to make these at home.
After the event we were able to mingle in the bar, and enjoy the rest of our drinks. I of course had to order the Chopped salad and my husband had the duck meatloaf, both were amazing. Thanks Hendrick’s, the Gladly and Unilocal for the education and a fun night!

Loved this event! I’m obsessing over gin right now. I loved learning how to make these fabulous cocktails. It’s the perfect complement to the AZ heat. I look forward to entertaining by making the gin lemonade one very soon!

All of these events are just ridiculous. I mean… come on: 4 different gin drinks, enough to get me feeling «Las Vegas Good». That’s a side of me you folks haven’t seen since the 2013 Great Gatsby event *tips a 40 in remembrance*
Folks, this was a fun event, period. Although I nearly nodded off in the presentation of what gin is, where it comes from, and how Hendricks actually makes their gin… I pulled through! And what came out of this was an amazing opportunity to enjoy some really finely crafted cocktails. Now I am poised to be a master cocktailer… A cock of the walk shall you say?!
I give them 5 stars all the way through for the gorgeous venue (The Gladly), the great host, the wonderful flavors of the mixers, the drink of choice (Hendricks Gin), and for giving this to me for being an Elite Member of Unilocal… Why thank you so much :)

I love gin! But I had never heard of or seen Hendrick’s before, so it was exciting to have a little tasting party centered around it.
After sitting through a 20-​minute lecture on the history of the product, and how it’s made (everyone was gradually buzzing off the complimentary gin & tonics at the beginning), we received step-​by-​step instructions on how to make a couple of basic cocktails. I totally loved the cucumber lemonade, and I suppose the blueberry variant was refreshing as well.
By the end of it all, @MixMasterMark (pretty cool brand ambassador) could barely keep our boozed-​up crowd under control while explaining the group project: The punch bowl!
In the end, we found ourselves enjoying our creations at the bar of The Gladly. It all felt a little hurried, but this is still a good event that had me sold on a product.

Five gin drinks, six appetizers and Mix Master Mark = One fun event (carry the headache)
I am not a Gin drinker. However, after tasting the cocktails we created at this event I am adding Hendrick’s gin to my bar. I also enjoyed sipping the gin straight which was smooth and subtly complex. It was cool to taste the flavor different garnishes brought out of the gin.
I think the deal with this kind of event is Unilocalers get a no-​cost event and the vendor gets the possibility of positive social media and word of mouth. In that «spirit» Hendrick’s Gin is a good fit for Unilocalers who imbibe. The company puts an emphasis on style and uniqueness, just like Unilocalers. As soon as you see the apothecary bottle it is clear they care about heritage and enjoy being old school. This is a quirky fun drink for awesome people.

«I feel bad for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.» ― Frank Sinatra
[Here’s the real review now that I’m sober]
I’ll be the first to admit that gin is not my choice of alcohol. It’s not a great mixer drink like vodka or rum and it has a strong distinct taste that only an older person can enjoy. This class has changed my life!
Walking into the swanky establishment known as The Gladly, we were told to wait as they were still setting up after the 6PM class. Once we were inside, we were greeted with a gift bag, a strong gin and tonic, and some tasty bruschetta and tea sandwiches. I especially liked the salmon sandwich and the cucumber one. I suppose coming into class with only two tacos for lunch was my downfall and the bread consumed only helped me soak up the booze faster but yaaaas! Let’s have some fun!
About 30 of us imbibed on the gin and tonics and ate our cute little sandwiches and then «Mix Master Mark» took the stage. He gave us a history on why Hendrick’s is far superior than other gins [they really are — botanicals, made in small batches, and a duo distillery process!] and how a peculiar gin company in Scotland, where whiskey tends to rule the roost, made a wonderful product because of the cutest chemist lady ever. After that comes the exciting part: Let’s make some draaaanks! We watched Mix Master Mark work his magic before he released us slightly-​buzzed ducklings into the wild jungle full of fragile glass, a citrus press, and long swirly spoons. We made a Cucumber Lemonade [sooo refreshing], a Blueberry delight [MY FAVE], and a merry group-​made Winter Tenure Punch [it really does taste like Christmas from the bitters]. With gin this good and smooth, I’m a fan. Hendrick’s is KING!
The Gladly offered the class a wonderful space at the back of the restaurant and really took care of us. My tablemates [specifically Kazi H. — okay, really just Kazi H.] would get a new bucket of ice and promptly drop it and we kept running out of garnish but they refilled everything with a smile. I want to come back and try their food!
Thank you Mark, Hendrick’s, and The Gladly for inviting us Unilocaler and our +1’s! It was a super fun experience and my views about gin has changed!
A toast,
«Drink until the sun comes up;
Drink until the sun goes down.
If you drink on both occasions,
You will never wear a frown!»
Cheers!