Best Online Cocktail-Making Classes

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If you’re at all familiar with MasterClass, you might’ve already seen cocktail legends Lynnette Marrero, and Ryan Chetiyawardana’s signature shakes splashed across the homepage once or twice. There are few people better suited to teach you the ins and outs of making excellent cocktails, and they keep it light and entertaining along the way.

Marrero, one of the driving forces behind New York City’s Llama Inn and all-female charitable bar competition Speed Rack, kicks things off by sharing her perspective on cocktail culture. Chetiyawardana (Mr. Lyan), from London, segues into the spirits chapter with some insight into what goes into making a world-class cocktail. The series is made up of 17 videos covering different subjects, the majority of which are between 15 and 30 minutes long.

With this class, you’ll explore the world of cocktails through the lens of the drinks family tree—an innovative and approachable way to understand the cocktail composition and how drinks are connected. MasterClass costs $180 for an annual membership ($15 monthly), and this allows access to all of the site’s other classes across a multitude of different subjects.

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When Death & Co bartenders make cocktails, they do it right—and that goes for pretty much everything else the company does as well. Its merchandise, for example, isn’t just any bar swag—there are cropped crewnecks, limited-edition drink vessels, and a boutique nail polish collaboration, to name a few.

The bar group with locations in New York, Denver, and Los Angeles launched a series of online packages for bartenders at every skill level, from blossoming home bartenders to active professionals. The collection of Death & Co virtual experiences includes three flat-rate, cocktail-specific options:

• Cocktail Making 101 ($750 for a one-hour demo and a 30-minute Q&A)
• Cocktail Development ($500 for one hour)
• Advanced Techniques ($500 for one hour)

Death & Co also offers a one-hour virtual spirits-focused class ($500) for those interested in learning about a single spirit category.

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In New York City's NoMad neighborhood, cocktail lounge J.Bespoke welcomes guests through its personal and private, virtual cocktail classes hosted by one of their bartenders. These classes are fully customizable without being overly complicated. Essentially, you'll kick things off by selecting a cocktail from the bar's menu; from there, the team will send you all of the ingredients, bar tools, and anything else that's necessary to make the drink come to life. There's no limit to how many guests you can invite.

The pricing depends on which drink and day of the week you've selected. Some of the most popular cocktail choices for these classes include a nitro cold brew martini (Reyka vodka, Amaro Montenegro, cold brew coffee from the café in front of the bar, and honey), a botanically charged Old Fashioned, and a shaken gin drink with fresh watermelon juice, lime, tarragon, and ginger. You can book a class by emailing the host at J.Bespoke.

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When you’re shopping around for your next online cocktail class, an entirely virtual bar is a great place to start. The team behind Hey Bartender has created a one-of-a-kind online drinking experience, one that’s designed specifically for the virtual setting and connects you with pro bartenders who learned the trade at some of the best cocktail bars in the country.

Each class is customized based on defining and designing your ideal event using the forms on their website. Hey Bartender caters to all kinds of corporate and social events—birthdays, team building sessions, happy hours, fundraisers, and more. The team will create your experience through a craft cocktail lens, and you can opt to have the spirits and supplies shipped to you and your guests ahead of time or simply have Hey Bartender draw up a shopping list for you. Prices vary based on a variety of factors.

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Countless bartenders across the country now offer virtual cocktail experiences, from custom private Zoom sessions with the owner of Queen's Park in Birmingham, Alabama, to a ticketed, event-style class with Three Lumps of Sugar's LaShan Arceneaux. A go-to for businesses and individuals alike is the New York-based Silver Sun Group, which teams up with industry veterans like Yolanda Báez of Broken Shaker in Miami and Erik Delanoy of Classic Car Club Manhattan.

Entrepreneur Darnell Holguin, a decorated bartender himself, is behind the concept alongside partner Elvis Rosario. The latter has tended bar at Bathtub Gin and a handful of iconic restaurants across New York City. Together, they provide tailored and meticulously planned cocktail classes as team-building workshops for various companies and private groups celebrating a special occasion or just looking for a fun way to gather virtually.

Price, format, and duration vary for Silver Sun's classes, and those participating will choose from a menu selection of six original cocktails (and receive a kit) before the event. Outside of the cocktail realm, Silver Sun also offers classes in a similar format around baking, cooking, spirits, and wine tasting, and more.