Crafting Classic Cocktails

“Now that we’re done with the puree, we’re going to strain it to make sure we get rid of any lingering seeds” Jervis watched intently, making notes here and there in the notebook he had been provided once he stepped foot into The Rabbit Hole. He had always wanted to learn mixology, in addition to the millions of other hobbies he wanted to learn, and once he caught word that Hops was offering lessons in her free time he jumped on the opportunity the first chance he got. Mixology might be a useful skill, one he could use to expand the current offerings he had at his Haberdashery - Tea shop combination.

His fellow Gluttony bun continued her instructions, surprisingly Hops seemed to be a very good teacher, but that might be due to years and years of practice and how familiar she was with each drink, “After that we’re going to take our glass and pour around one to two ounces of our puree on the bottom” Hops explained before taking a long, dainty flute glass in her paws, carefully pouring the peach-raspberry puree they had created earlier into the container before setting the glass onto the bar so she could receive a chilled bottle of prosecco from behind the counter. 

“Can we use any kind of wine alternative or does it have to specifically be a prosecco?” Jervis piped up examining the bottle that Hops had pulled out before him. A small hum resonated from the pink bun as she took a minute to ponder the question.

“Really you can use any kind of sparkling wine, but it has to be a brand of sparkling wine cause if you use just a plain, non sparkling wine it’ll become more of like a sangria instead of a bellini” Hops explained grabbing one of her bar spoons before returning back to the glass, pausing to make sure that she effectively answered Jervis’s question before returning to the demonstration. The fluffy gluttony bun nodded in response, there were so many different types of drinks and alcohol combinations he could already tell he was going to need more lessons to even begin to comprehend all the possible cocktails he could make. 

“Now we’re going to add the prosecco and stir as we add it to the glass, this will help combine the puree and the alcohol and help to reduce the amount of foam that will form as we add the prosecco” Hops proceeded to add the alcohol stirring all the while explaining her usual process when crafting these popular cocktails. Once she was satisfied with the consistency of the drink she tapped the bar spoon off on the side of the drink before pulling out a pink little bag adding a dash of something else to the glass. “My secret ingredient” She quickly explained once she saw the confusion on Jervis’s features. “I add it to all the drinks I make, gives it just a little something special” she hummed giving the drink one final mix before she slid it towards the gluttony bun sitting across the bar from her.

“And that’s how you make a Peach Hellini!” She exclaimed looking exceptionally pleased with herself, “Give it a taste and let me know what you think!”

Jervis examined the drink in awe before picking up the flute glass and taking a long sip of the carefully crafted cocktail, “Wow!” He exclaimed staring at the bubbly, boozy beverage in his paws, “This is amazing Hops!”

“Would you like to give it a try yourself now?” Hops asked motioning for her fellow gluttony bun to come back behind the bar with her. Now that she had given a thorough demonstration it seemed it was Jervis’s turn to try and craft some of the signature cocktails that were often served at The Rabbit Hole

“Yes please!” Jervis exclaimed, eagerly following after her. He certainly still had a lot to learn, but at least now he was going to get his paws dirty by attempting to craft these classic cocktails by himself. Hopefully the drinks would taste even better after he put in a little hard work and got to take part in the fruits of his labor after these fun lessons!