Lexington Bartending School

I recently attended a blogger event at Lexington Bartending School. We tried a few concoctions, and learned about the school. I posted a reel about the event on my Instagram, but I wanted to do a full post here as well. Plus, I love the pictures for this event, and wanted to share those as well as the videos (and all the yummy cocktail details). We tasted some surprising cocktails that were impressive and delightful, and gained some knowledge about cocktail making.

First, let’s talk a little about the school. They tech bartending basics, preparing bartenders for employment. Their bartending course consists of 60 hours of hands-on learning. They want their students to be employable immediately after receiving a Bartending Certification. We learned a few things in our short time in the building, so I’d imagine the full course is very helpful.

The bartenders made us a few delicious cocktails. I’m usually a little finicky about certain ingredients and alcohols (I know this is a cardinal sin in Kentucky, but I’m not a bourbon girl and it’s rare that I find a cocktail I like that includes it), but I was very pleasantly surprised by some of the drinks we were served. They seem to really have a thorough understanding of mixing flavors to come up with unique drinks.

The first cocktail we were served was a bourbon cocktail – the Bluegrass Conspiracy (a riff on a Hemingway Daquiri). Again, I wasn’t expecting to care for this drink very much. I usually try to keep an open mind at events and try everything, and this drink did not disappoint.

They made two more cocktails at once. We were asked if we preferred gin or scotch, and there was a pretty even distribution of hands. They wanted us to try the opposite drink to persuade us into trying something different. We ended up trying both (most of the bloggers in the group have all been friends for a long time and are happy to share so we were each able to try both). I love gin, and that cocktail (Island Rose, with botanical gin, rosemary syrup, lemon juice, grapefruit soda, and garnished with a smoked rosemary stem) was amazing and definitely something I’d order off a menu. I’d never actually had scotch (it just doesn’t sound like something my taste buds would appreciate), but that cocktail (Blood and Sand, based off the 1922 movie, made with scotch, blood orange juice, cherry heering, and Vermouth) was fantastic. I would absolutely drink both again.

My favorite bartender question is, “Do you want me to set something on fire?” The answer is yes every single time. They lit a sprig of rosemary on fire for the gin cocktail, and I was thrilled.

The last drink was very unique and right up my alley. They made a toasted marshmallow syrup that still has me drooling, and added it to an Espresso Martini. We tried the syrup on its own, and it was delightful. They also set a marshmallow on fire for the drink, so be still my heart.

Check out some of my blogger friends who also attended the event with me:
Alex (Lexfoodguide) – Blog // Instagram
Amanda (Caffeine and Courage) – Blog // Instagram
Derrick (One Sip One Bite Kentucky) – Instagram
Jess (Jess Here and There) – Blog // Instagram
Marie (Bluegrass Blog) – Blog // Instagram
Brittany (Her Mise En Place) – Blog // Instagram
Lynda (Lynda Brown Blessed) – Blog // Instagram
Erica (Erica Bivens TV) – Instagram