The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM), in partnership with New Holland Brewing, will offer a series of three cocktail classes in conjunction with the newest exhibit American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Classes will be held on the first three Tuesdays in October (October 6, 13, and 20). Each class will focus on a different selection of cocktails based on either pre, during or post Prohibition.
All classes will begin with a historical overview of the cocktail scene during the time period, and discussion around the origins of the cocktails highlighted for each class.
Participants will then learn the recipes and get to taste these iconic mixed drinks.
Classes will highlight cocktail making techniques, tools and tricks of the trade. Learn how alcoholic beverages changed because of the 18th and 21st amendments.
Classes begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the Meijer Theater at the GRPM.
Admission to American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition will be included with the cocktail class ticket price. Tickets are $10 for non-members and $2 to members.
Visitors should plan to see the exhibit prior to the class starting, as the Museum will be closing when the class releases.
American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition explores America’s most colorful and complex constitutional hiccup, spanning from the inception of the temperance movement, through the Roaring ’20s, to the unprecedented repeal of the constitutional amendment. American Spirits opened this past Saturday at the GRPM and will run through January 17, 2016. For more information, visit grpm.org.
Pre-Prohibition Cocktail Class The first cocktail class in the series will take place on Tuesday, October 6. New Holland Brewing will lead the class in how to make three pre-Prohibition drinks; a Manhattan, a Daiquiri and an Aviation. Participants will learn how to make them in this engaging class, sample the drinks and learn about what the era before Prohibition was like. As an added special during ArtPrize, this class is being offered for only $6 to non-members and $2 for members.
Prohibition Cocktail Class
The second cocktail class in the series will take place on Tuesday, October 13. New Holland Brewing will lead the class in how to make three Prohibition era drinks that were popular during 1920-1933; a Margarita, a Mojito and a Sidecar. Participants will learn how to make them in this engaging class, sample the drinks and learn about what the era during Prohibition was like.
Post-Prohibition Class
The third and final cocktail class in the series will take place on Tuesday, October 20.
New Holland Brewing will lead the class in how to make three post Prohibition drinks; a Fitzgerald Spirtz, a Mai Tai and a Vesper. Participants will learn how to make them in this engaging class, sample the drinks and learn about what the era after Prohibition ended was like.
The GRPM will offer a variety of engaging community and educational programs to complement the exhibition. Programs vary from free with admission to an additional cost to participants. For a full events schedule, visit grpm.org/Calendar.
American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition The world of flappers, bootleggers, temperance lobbyists, and organized crime legends comes to life in the American Spirits exhibition. This extensive collection will showcase over 100 rare artifacts, including: temperance propaganda, flapper dresses from the Roaring ’20s, Carry Nation’s hatchet used during her barroom-smashing raids, and authentic items used for making moonshine and other illegal potent liquors. Interactive elements and immersive environments will bring to life the sights, sounds, and experiences of the time period. Visitors have the chance to take a quiz to find out if they are a “wet” or a “dry,” learn the Charleston in a re-created speakeasy and play the role of a federal Prohibition agent chasing rumrunners in a custom-built video game.
At the end of the exhibition visitors will explore the legacy of Prohibition in today’s regulatory landscape. Displays will show why and how laws differ from state to state and how the idea of drinking responsibly evolved.
American Spirits is a national touring exhibition created by the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and curated by Daniel Okrent, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. The exhibition includes 17 artifacts on loan from the Collection of the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
Support for American Spirits is provided by Amway, Anheuser Busch, West Side Beer Distributing, Experience Grand Rapids, Long Road Distillers, New Holland Brewing, Alliance Beverage Distributing Company, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, Brewery Vivant, WoodTV 8, 101.3 The Brew and Mlive Media Group.
American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.
