Cocktails In The Country

From Chanticleer Society
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Cocktails in the Country was a two day bartender training retreat that Gary Regan began in 2001. It was held at Painter's Tavern in his home town of Cornwall-On-Hudson. At these retreats, Gary would share with the small group of attendees (typically 10 per session) his thoughts and approaches on how to be a mindful bartender, how to approach creating a new recipe, and how to approach bartending in a way that will provide the best opportunity for success.

The format of the class evolved over the years, with a typical schedule of the more recent classes looking something like:

  • DAY 1
    • 11:00 am : Pick-up in Manhattan in a Luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
    • 1 pm : Arrive at Painters, check in, settle down, get to know each other
    • 2- 5 pm : The Mindful Bartender :
      This will be an expanded session of gaz’s Mindful Bartender Workshop.
      Topics will include:
      • Preparation for a Shift Behind the Stick
      • Tapping into Intuition
      • The Rewards of Mindful Communication
      • Effective BarSpeak
      • Dealing with Anger
      • Changing your Reality
      • Changing the World
    • 5 – 7 pm : Break for food and refreshments
    • 7 pm : Set up the bar
    • 8 – 11 pm : Organized Chaos
      Each bartender will be assigned a specific base spirit with which to create new cocktails, and everyone will take a turn behind the bar making drinks for us all to sample.
  • DAY 2
    • 10 am – 10:30 am : How to Write a Cocktail Recipe
    • 10:30 am – 11:15 am : The Secrets of Success
    • Noon – 2 pm : Lunch
    • 2 – 5 pm : Organized Chaos
      A second round of cocktail creation. Each bartender will be given a specific base ingredient with which to create a new cocktail which will be sampled and discussed by all and sundry.
    • 5 pm : Luxury Mercedes-Benz Sprinter back to Manhattan