Cocktail Classes in Melbourne CBD

Three CBD bars open their counters to groups who would rather learn the craft than just order it. Bar 1806, named for the year the word 'cocktail' was first defined in print, teaches beginner, advanced and martini classes. Little Lon Distilling Co. pairs its gin with a mixologist-led session, and Eau De Vie Melbourne turns its speakeasy over to a hands-on masterclass.

Here is how each session runs:

• Bar 1806 Beginner: an informal hour of history and technique, with every guest mixing and drinking two seasonal classics and going home with the recipes.
• Little Lon Distilling Co.: building, stirring and shaking taught with the distillery's own gins, two cocktails each, for parties of eight or more.
• Eau De Vie Melbourne: 90 minutes on balancing a drink, with three cocktails per guest picked from three short lists and light snacks served.
• Bar 1806 Advanced: flavoured syrups, different methods and a classic of your own invention to finish.
• Martini night: Bar 1806's Martini Masterclass works through shaking versus stirring to find each guest's preferred style.

For a birthday or hens night, the room may decide it: chandeliers and live jazz at Bar 1806, a heritage cottage and heated garden at Little Lon, or booths, a library and theatrical smoke-and-flame serves at Eau De Vie.