Thanks to the generosity of one of our sponsors, we are hosting a Tipsy Tech Twitter Essay Contest, the winner of which will receive a full scholarship for the 12-wk course Tipsy Tech: the History & Practice of Cocktail Mixology.

Contest Rules:
Tweet why you should win the scholarship
Include the #TipsyTech hash tag in your tweet
Retweet the original tweet about the contest
You must be able to attend classes in Austin from 6-8 on Tuesday nights.
You must be 21 to enter. Age verification will be made at first day of class.
Regular attendance is requested; failure to attend without prior notice may result in loss of seat to another student.
Tweet must be made before midnight on the night of Monday, February 8 2010
Winning tweet will be announced Tuesday February 9

We are excited to announce that Maker's Mark whisky has partnered with us to present Tipsy Tech. Distillery Diplomat Adam Harris will be joining the conversation on American Whiskey on April 6th, kicking off our month-long Mint Julep Outreach campaign. Along with Harris, members of our internship program will be out in Austin bars teaching bartenders how to make a proper mint julep, and teaching customers how to enjoy one. After learning the classic julep, the participants will be invited to enter the Tipsy Tech Mint Julep Contest, in which contestants make Julep variations, the best of which will be presented to the masses at Derby Day Austin, May 1.

There are still some individual tickets for remaining Tipsy Tech lectures.
2/23 Week Two: History—Prohibition & Beyond

3/2 Week Three: Introduction to Tools, Techniques & the Spirit of Hospitality

3/9 Week Four: How to Taste Spirits & History of Distillation

Spring Break week off

3/23 Week Five: Rum
History, styles
Classic & Modern Rum Cocktails

3/30 Week Six: Brandy & Cognac
History, styles
Classic & Modern Brandy Cocktails

4/6 Week Seven: American whiskey
History, styles
Classic & modern American whiskey cocktails

4/13 Week Eight: Scotch & Irish Whiskies
History, styles
Classic & modern scotch cocktails

4/20 Week Nine: Gin & Vodka
History, styles
Classic & modern gin cocktails

4/27 Week Ten: Vermouths, Amari, & Miscellaneous Debris
Aperitivo & Digestivo wines & cordials
Sherry, port
Liqueurs

5/4 Week Eleven: The Spirits of Latin America
Tequila, Mezcal y Sotol. Aguardiente, Cachaca, y Pisco.
Classic & modern cocktails

5/11 Week Twelve: Testing Out:
Will be done on an appointment basis following the last class and will cover:
History
Recipes
Practical
Updated Class Info

Updated class info after the jump. This Web site is currently being remodeled and comments are temporarily disabled. Please email info at this URL with questions or comments.

A great little neighborhood watering hole has come to the North Loop neighborhood, brought to you from the hands of Pam Prichard. Pam has converted the Lilliputian space (is it even 1000 sq ft?) from whatever the hell it used to be into a cute neighborhood bar.

What the Tigress lacks in space it makes up for in devotion. She has a Kold Draft ice machine, one of only about half a dozen in town.

We recently held our graduation party for the first round of Tipsy Tech students at Pam's bar, a sort of breaking-in before the public opening the next day.

Tipsy Tech instructor Lara Nixon taking one last opportunity to instruct bar owner Pam Pritchard

Mindy Kucan (center) had just returned from New York for the Japanese Cocktail showcase and was sharing some of her wisdom with us

We poured a pitcher of Martinez cocktails while Pam got the bar set up

Adam Bryan, left, formerly of East Side Show Room, was a part of the Tipsy Tech intern program; Adam Harris, right, was our guest lecturer on American Whiskey and is the local Distillery Diplomat for Maker's Mark

Karin got a score of 99% on her written and practical exams, and as the top of the class gets a scholarship to the Advanced Course this fall

Pam was a participant in the Tipsy Tech program. After a career in the laboratory business, she decided to make a change of direction and open a bar. Stop by the Tigress and show Pam some love.

Important note: Pam is committed to single-handedly bringing back the Continuous Roll Towel, which I am now sold on after hearing her argument for why it is the greenest available hand drying option.

We continued our Tipsy Tech Summer Series last week with a discussion of all things Tiki. Our tour of the tropics began in the early days of Repeal and Don the Beachcomber's bar in Hollywood, and we sipped our way through the rise and demise of postwar Tiki culture, before docking at the recent Tiki revival of Smuggler's Cove, Painkiller, etc. I introduced the group to 'sage of the seas', Jeff "Beachbum" Berry, and gave a plug for his new book, Beachbum Berry Remixed.

Thanks to Tipsy Tech intern Zach Rose for the pictures:

The first article of business with any cocktail class is of course a cocktail. We made Singapore Slings, Mai Tais, and Trader Vic's Navy Grog.

I found this ginormous shell punch bowl at the Goodwill and decided that if I filled it with enough rum I could claim it as a Tiki artifact.

The small figure is a Benihana-style tiki mug of which there are numerous variations. The larger item is a ceramic "Gurgling Cod" water pitcher that I intended to convert to a giant tiki mug by filling it with a potent elixir, to be sipped from 18" long straws

We wrapped up our Summer Series with a brief survey of Brunch Cocktails, a completely un-opinionated selection made by yours truly. The list of drinks that I would have done if left to my own devices could have gone on for days--you will see no Death in the Afternoon, for example, though that seems like a lovely way to wash down some corned beef hash.

We started off with the St Germain Cocktail—The signature cocktail of St. Germain liqueur, created in 2006 by Simon Difford, or at least that's what I read on the internets. This is one of my favorite simple champagne cocktails and I love to show it off when discussing "brunch" drinks because it is so much better than Her Tiredness, the Mimosa. I hate her ass almost as much as I love the St. G. And especially since they started producing the St G carafe, which spells out how to make the cocktail, so anybody can do it. I rounded up a carafe for each of the participants in tonight's class and sent them out into the world to spread the good word.

Irish Coffee—one of the most misunderstood drinks in the book, that I have already elaborated on here, so I will only touch briefly on it. This is a cocktail that is fabulous when made properly, and a truckstop trick nightmare when done improperly, which is how I feel it is most often done. Hot coffee, rich simple syrup, Irish whiskey, and thickened heavy cream. That's all it gets--no Bailey's, no Creme de Menthe, and no Readi Whip.

Ramos Gin Fizz--created in New Orleans in the 1880's and was popular until Prohibition...and never seen on a menu these days because nobody wants to shake that sh!t as long as you have to shake it to make it right. Some colleagues of mine have reportedly devised a plan to help alleviate this: they add a dollar to the price for every subsequent order for the drink after the first one on any given shift. For example, the first Ramos is $10. The 5th one is $16, and so on. I don't know if this is rumor or fact but I sure do like it

Bloody Mary—the history of this drink is debatable and frankly I have never been a huge fan of it. Two things that are important to me when discussing this drink: 1) when the drink was first brought to the US in the early decades of the twentieth century, it was made as a gin drink called the Red Snapper due to the unavailability of vodka in the US at the time--can you imagine such a glorious era when a vodka shortage led to gin drinking? 2) As with all cocktails, the commercial mixes available at the grocery store are not the way to go. Make or buy tomato juice and season it yourself.

Brandy Milk Punch—this is a famous cocktail in New Orleans, where they make it with whole milk, brandy or cognac, and a little sugar, sometimes a little vanilla and/or nutmeg. We decided to replicate the Green Pastures version, because it is basically a boozy milkshake and who wouldn’t want one of those?

What we did not make tonight: The Mimosa, may she rest in peace

The Fall semester for Tipsy Tech intro course has been set. Not all of the guest speakers have been confirmed but this is the basic outline:

September 14 : Introduction and Cocktail History from Ancient Times to Prohibition

September 21 : Cocktail History--Repeal to the present

September 28 : Tools, Techniques, Introduction to Distillation & Tasting Distilled Spirits

October 5 : Rum & Cachaca

October 12 : Brandy & Cognac

October 19 : North American Whiskey, with Adam Harris, Maker's Mark Distillery Diplomat

October 26 : Scotch, Irish and Japanese whisk(e)y

November 2 : Gin and Vodka

November 9 : Aperitivo, Digestivo and Bitters

November 16 : Spirits of Latin America

November 23 : Off getting Tipsy with family for the holidays

November 30 : Testing Out--Written (Practical is scheduled on one-to-one basis)

December 7 : Class "Project"--4th Annual Drink Local Night featuring Tipsy Texan Cocktail Contest. Brought to you by Edible Austin magazine, sponsored by Peche/Cedar Street

When: Tuesdays from 6-8pm

Where: Classes will be held at the Twin Liquors Marketplace at Hancock Center in the Training Room

Format: Space is limited, sign up soon at www.theblueruin.com (tipsytech.net coming soon) “Walk-in” registration for single classes may be made up until noon of the class day. Email info -at- tipsytexan.com with questions

The support system for Tipsy Tech is our incredible interns, without whom we could not run the course so smoothly. We still have a couple of slots left in the internship program.

There are five areas of specialization within the internship program which are described after the jump. You do not have to pick just one area, they are there merely to help organize the activities, and to suggest an area of study.

For more information on the Tipsy Tech Internship Program, or to register your interest, please email David at info @ this url. The internship is part of the full introductory course--schedule and registration at www.TipsyTech.net . Interns will complete the course, though the course fee is waived and there is only a $50 fee for materials.

Spring 2010 Intern Mindy Kucan leading a discussion on proper use of tools. Mindy now works her magic at Houston's legendary Anvil Bar & Refuge

The fall semester of Tipsy Tech starts today. There is a new registration system at TipsyTech.net, and there are so many exciting things in store for this season:

1) The lineup of guest lecturers is awesome. Bobby Heugel (Anvil/Houston; DrinkDogma.com) and David Suro (Tequilas Restaurant/Philadelphia; Siembra Azul) will make a return appearance for our Spirits of Latin America class. Brand Master Apprentice Aaron Rodonis of Bacardi will be here to talk rum. Hugo Chambon will walk us through the Cognac region of France. Adam Harris will take us on a tour of Bourbon Country with the seminar on American Whiskey. And many more

2) The Advanced Course starts later in the month and will cover in-depth what we really only get to scratch the surface of in the Intro class. You do not have to have taken the Intro course to sign up for Advanced course topics. They are open to anyone.

3) Field Trip! Intro course students who sign up for the whole course will get to go on the Balcones Distilling facility tour which was a great time in the spring. Chip Tate was recently featured on the cover of Edible Austin magazine, and it is a real treat to get to spend time with him

4) Retro Holiday Cocktails--we will be doing a couple sections of this class, covering one of my favorite topics, holiday drinking. If your family is like ours and has an abundance of children, you know very well the benefit of the holiday tipple. We will cover these in grand fashion.

5) Drink Local Night--whereas the Derby Day Austin event was the class project of the spring semester, the fall semester will show off their stuff at Drink Local Night. This will be the fourth year for this event, sponsored by Edible Austin magazine, and hosted by Peche/Cedar Street. Attendees will meet the distillers of Texas, and sample great cocktails made by the best bartenders in town, featuring the spirits of Texas.

In the Tipsy Tech seminars on Monday nights, we have been exploring topics in more detail that we only touch on cursorily in the Intro class. Last week we were talking Prohibition and speakeasies, and I couldn't think of a better place to host the talk than in an actual Prohibition-era speakeasy. Prohibition-era speakeasies being comparatively hard to come by, I was delighted when my colleague Nate Wales at La Condesa offered to allow us to use the space below the restaurant. Now in use as a private dining room/special event space, the cellar was once storage for the general store that now stands across the street, occupied by Lamberts. It was reportedly a speakeasy during the Noble Experiment, and on Monday night we toasted its bibulous past, albeit with laptops in hand and without risk of being busted by the authorities.

The main themes of the discussion were 1) Prohibition started a long time before the passage of the 18th Amendment; 2) Prohibition was a lot wetter than most people realize; and 3) Prohibition lasted a long time after the passage of the 21st Amendment, and persists to this day. Finished up with a case study of a project I'm working on in the Tyler, TX area today, which is one of the largest "dry" communities in the country. (By "dry", I mean that they consume millions of dollars a year in alcohol but you can't buy so much as a can of beer inside the city limits.)

We did a handful of Prohibition era cocktails including the Twelve Mile Limit (sourced from Ted Haigh's book); a gin Alexander (above) and the Mary Pickford.

Thanks to the hard work of Twin Liquors's Sandra Spalding and Margaret Jabour, we have cleared a final hurdle in moving forward with the third season of Tipsy Tech. Slightly reformulated for regulatory conformity and rebranded Mixology 101 at Twin Liquors, we have preserved the guts of the original Tipsy Tech format.

Course details and registration are at TipsyTech.net.

We are proud to announce fourth semester of Mixology 101 classes at Twin Liquors Marketplace at Hancock Center. Twelve weeks of classes where we discuss the history of spirits and cocktails, and perform tastings (within allowable regulatory guidelines). Classes are Tuesday nights from 6-8pm, and start 9/13. Registration fee ($275) covers course packet, instruction, and guarantees a seat in class. Space is limited so sign up at TipsyTech.net.

Classes are perfect for enthusiasts with all levels of interest or knowledge. Each semester we have had everyone from engineers to bank tellers to folks who just like to take a cooking class. You can take the entire course, which delivers the best value, or pick any single class or group of classes.

Last year's class won us an Austin Chronicle "Best of Austin" Award.

The new semester of Tipsy Tech is about to begin, and we need your help to make it happen.

This semester, Tipsy Tech will accept up to three interns in various areas of specialization (described below) for San Antonio classes and three for Austin classes. Tipsy Tech interns are the support structure for the class, and are an indispensable part of its success.

Depending on the area of specialization, Interns will help produce the class; work on our many events throughout the semester; blog, tweet, document and write about the program and goings-on in the community. There can be overlap between internships, and one intern can adopt multiple areas of specialization. The internship program is flexible, and we are open to developing a structure with you that benefits all parties involved.

In exchange for your dedicated work, you will gain crucial experience working with some of the best talent in this industry, both locally and nationally. You will meet distillers, brand ambassadors, top-flight bartenders. You will see behind-the-scenes construction of bars before they open, and taste products before they even come to market. You will have access to and network with an amazing group of people.

The internship is part of the full introductory course schedule. Interns will complete the course (attend at least 10 of 12 classes, with prior notice of absence). The course fee ($295) is waived, but there is a $50 fee for materials.

Deadline for application submission is Sunday February 12.

For more information on the Tipsy Tech Internship Program, or to register your interest, please email Tex at info [at] tipsytexan.com with reasons why you are interested, a resume and supplementary materials if applicable.

(More info after the jump)