Lincoln’s Scarlet Hotel teaches basics of making cocktails

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - While it’s easy to go out and buy a cocktail, there’s an art to making one on your own. That’s the idea behind a new class, that’s teaching all things mixology.

At the Barred Owl in the Scarlet Hotel, half a dozen people gathered on Sunday to learn the basics of making a cocktail.

It’s bitters, booze, and water. But, there’s a lot more that goes into making a good cocktail. For longtime bartender and mixology teacher Sean Jones, cocktails are where science meets art.

“This is what I’m passionate about, is bartending, and this is what I get to creative at,” Jones said. “This is my creative outlet, and I want to share that with people.”

It’s the first course of its kind at that Scarlet, which opened on Nebraska’s Innovation Campus last spring.

Jones wove lessons in history throughout the hour-and-a-half long class.

“It is going to be the basics of what counts as a cocktail and how to stir drinks, how to shake drinks and what is in some of your favorite classic cocktails,” Jones said.

The class cost $55 to join and came with hors d’oeuvres and three drinks for students to experiment with.

“I figured I can have my own little signature drink or two for friends,” said mixology student Brandi Dederman.

For Jones, the teaching is all about appreciation for the craft.

“I hope they can enjoy their drinks more when they go out and have it,” Jones said. “They can enjoy watching the bartenders and, ‘Oh, I know why he’s doing that now.’ or, ‘I know why she shakes that way.’”

The Scarlet plans to hold more events like this in the future.

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