How Cornman Farms makes mixology classes magical
You don’t have to host, or be invited to, a wedding at Cornman Farms to enjoy our world-class cocktails. In fact, you don’t need a special occasion at all. From tiki-inspired drinks to maple-spiced concoctions and cocktails you can literally set on fire, our monthly mixology classes are open to anyone who loves a great drink and an even better story.
What takes a cocktail from good to great? Some of America’s most storied bartenders would argue that the answer is secret ingredients. Donn Beach is almost as famous for guarding his recipes as he is for founding Don’s Beachcomber, the country’s first tiki bar, in Hollywood shortly after Prohibition ended.
Donn had numerous spice blends and syrups that he’d make himself, away from the prying eyes of people he feared would copy his inventions. His staffers weren’t even privy to the ingredient lists for potions such as Don’s Mix, a fusion of grapefruit juice and cinnamon syrup that gave many drinks at his establishment a certain je ne sais quoi.
Beth Vandergrift has another theory: fantastic stories elevate cocktails to legendary status. The cocktail historian and former Zingerman’s Roadhouse bartender brings those tales to the fore when she teaches cocktail-making classes at Cornman Farms in Dexter, Michigan.
“The bar is my drinkable museum,” she quipped at a recent Tiki-themed class, explaining how she uses her anthropology degree and her mixology expertise as a libation learning guide. After that, she led students through the zany history of tiki culture, a uniquely American craze that shaped mid-century nightlife, fashion, music, and more.
Tiki isn’t a place but rather a state of mind, Beth told the group. It’s a melding of runaway imagination and cultural appropriation that captured the hearts of men returning from military service in the South Seas and theatergoers enjoying Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 Broadway smash, “South Pacific.” Before long, their friends and neighbors were bananas for this mashup of Polynesian-inspired decor and Caribbean-inspired drinks. It offered a tropical getaway in the most un-tropical of places, and to people whose daily grind was not exactly carefree.
At each of Beth’s Cornman Farms cocktail classes, students learn to make two special drinks, break and mingle, and then reconvene to tackle a third recipe and toast their new knowledge with the friends they’ve just made. Beth shares fascinating anecdotes about the evening’s cocktails – and the people and places behind them – as she demonstrates how to craft them like a pro.
Classes also feature Cornman Farm’s cuisine, the specialty of Kieron Hales, the venue’s award-winning chef and co-managing partner. Students enjoyed island-style beef empanadas, spicy sweet potato and ginger soup, rum-soaked tres leches cake, and more at the tiki cocktails class in the farm’s charming red barn, which is also a popular Michigan wedding reception site. Several of the farm’s historic buildings and outdoor spaces host intimate weddings, elegant elopements, pop-up dinners, and other special events.
Yarns in the barn
Beth’s teaching repertoire extends far beyond tiki cocktails. Over the past decade, she has offered classes on everything from maple-flavored party drinks to Halloween “witchcraft cocktails” that students got to set on fire.
“I encourage people to make the same drink with different methods at home, so I’ll do things like show the difference between a shaken drink and a stirred one,” Beth said. “This can help them to figure out their personal preferences.”
At the tiki cocktail class, students created three rum-based drinks. They crushed ice, smashed mint leaves, and ground their own nutmeg to make their bartending adventure as authentic as possible. Each student also learned about the origins of orgeat while crafting a Mai Tai, explored the mystery surrounding Donn’s Mix while fashioning a Zombie, and heard a head-spinning tale of egotism related to the Painkiller they created from dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, and cream of coconut.
Curious about the Painkiller story? Here’s a brief rendition: Man loves signature drink at woman’s tiny tavern in the British Virgin Islands. Woman refuses to share her recipe with man. Frustrated man reverse engineers drink, makes a batch, and serves it to the patrons of said bar. Patrons supposedly like his version better. Man claims it as his own and uses it to build a rum empire.
Yarns like this are what draw many people to Cornman Farms cocktail classes. The tiki class participants were no exception. In the spirit of speakeasies, they shared their first names for this piece.
Chris and his wife, Lesli, attend as many Cornman Farms events as they can, including Beth’s cocktail classes and dinners lovingly prepared by Kieron. “Beth brings so much history into these classes and makes it incredibly interesting. Plus, we take her cocktail recipes home and use them,” Chris said. “Coming here is a great way to end a week. We meet people with similar interests, and it just feels so joyous and celebratory. You feel like you’re walking into a warm embrace when you come here.”
TJ and his wife traveled to the farm from Ohio. They frequented tiki bars while they were dating and later started vacationing in Hawaii. The evening’s theme presented a chance to revel in those memories while learning something new. “We love Zingerman’s and its events, which we’ve attended a few times,” he said. “We signed up for this class so we could learn how to make tiki drinks and modify them to our tastes.”
Another Chris, a tiki aficionado, felt like the tiki class was designed just for him. “I’ve been really into tiki bars for a decade and always try to visit one when traveling,” he said. The second Chris’s companion, Liz, got hooked on Cornman Farms events at a high tea celebrating Prince Harry’s engagement to Princess Meghan. “A fashion blogger was the guest, and people wore fascinators to the event. I love how the events here combine really good food and an interesting presenter who really knows what they’re talking about,” she said. “I learn things I probably wouldn’t learn anywhere else. The stories tie it all together. I think they’re what make it really special.”
Our monthly mixology classes are open to anyone who loves a great drink and an even better story.
Join us for an upcoming cocktail class, pop-up dinner, or another special event!