The Cocktail Lab: Holiday Edition

A 90-minute, hands-on cocktail workshop built around one advanced technique: foam. Build two festive drinks with silky, bar-quality texture. Leave with a shopping list and a party plan ready for hosting season.

What this class is

The Cocktail Lab is a seasonal workshop series from Fine Art Bartending. Each cocktail-making class is 90-minutes. You'll learn one advanced technique from our professional bartending curriculum, and two finished drinks you build and drink yourself.

This edition is built for hosting season. The technique of the night is foam and texture, the difference between a drink that tastes good and one that feels luxurious. You'll learn the dry shake, the professional trick behind a silky, stable foam with no egg white in sight. You'll also learn how a hard shake over fresh espresso builds a natural crema all on its own. Then you'll finish both drinks with playful holiday garnish work: sugared cranberries, candy cane rims, and cocoa stencils.

Every drink is poured zero-proof in class. Real spirit profiles, real technique, all the craft of the cocktail with none of the morning after, which matters in December more than any other month. Every recipe also works both ways. Your take-home cards include the zero-proof build you made in class and the full-proof version for your home bar.

The two cocktails on the menu

• The Mistletoe Sour · a festive cranberry sour crowned with silky foam
• The Candy Cane Espresso Martini · peppermint, fresh espresso, and a natural crema cap

What you'll learn

• Dry shake: why you shake without ice first, and how to keep a foam stable.
• Shaken crema: how shake mechanics alone can build a foam cap.
• Playful holiday garnish work: sugared cranberries, candy cane rims, and cocoa dust stencils.
• How to jigger, shake, stir, and strain the way professionals are taught.
• A holiday theme, a ready-made seasonal shopping list for hosting a cocktail party at home.

What to expect

• 6:00 · Arrive, welcome sip, and station intro
• 6:10 · The technique: foam and texture, with a live demo
• 6:25 · Build your first cocktail
• 6:50 · Build your second cocktail, plus garnish work
• 7:10 · Turn it into a party: hosting tips, seasonal shopping list, and the instructor's recommendations
• 7:25 · Wrap-up, recipe cards (both versions), and photos

Who this is for

Anyone. No experience required, just an interest in making genuinely great drinks. Ideal for holiday party hosts, office groups, date nights, and anyone who wants a signature drink ready before the season hits. Every build starts from the core ratios taught in our Commercial Bartending Course. This class is for everyone, and it's also a great way to extend your knowledge if you've trained with us.

What's included

• 90 minutes of hands-on instruction with a professional bartender.
• Both drinks you build, you drink in class!
• Take-home recipe cards for both drinks, in zero-proof and full-proof versions.
• A seasonal shopping list and hosting tips so you can run the whole night yourself.

Logistics

• Date: Monday, December 14 · 6:00 to 7:30 PM
• Location: Fine Art Bartending School, 319 Pender St W Unit 10, Vancouver, BC
• Price: $69 · Class size capped at 12
• Age: 18+. Every drink poured in class is zero-proof.

The rest of the series

This is the final Cocktail Lab of the year. Missed Fall Flavours (September) or the Halloween Edition (October)? The series returns in the new year.