To Do: Cocktail Classes At EatBar

EatBar's Gina Chersevani with Forest Flora, her porcini mushroom cocktail

Are those mushrooms ... in a cocktail? Oh yes, they are.

A mushroom consommé to be precise, made with Pernod and mixed with Domaine Canton and Bluecoat gin. It's a hearty, warming fall drink I got to try at a recent media dinner at Tallula. And that's just one example of the inventiveness coming out of mixologist Gina Chersevani's mind.

The EatBar bar chef is kicking off a series of cocktail classes Wednesday night, starting with "Stocking the Home Bar, The Showdown: Gin vs. Vodka." The classes cost $48 per person (or $220 for all five classes), and guests are treated to cocktails and snacks created by Tallula head chef Andrew Markert. Cocktail students will also receive printed recipe cards and a jar of a housemade bar garnish to use at home.

Classes run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and include:
• Oct. 29: Witches’ Brew, Contorted Concoctions
• Nov. 12: Thank God for Wild Turkey, Bourbons and Brines
• Dec. 3: Holidays Over Ice, Pairing Cocktails with Food, Easy Elegant Entertaining for a Crowd
• Dec. 17: A Toast to Remembering New Year’s, New Year Cocktails to Remember All Year, Champagne Cocktail Kit — Glasses, Garnishes and Champagne

For more information, or to make a reservation, call Rodney Salinas at 202.905.4215.