Cocktails Add a New Spin for Whiskey Clubs
By:Sally Kral
“Cocktails are a supplementary feature of events hosted by the Dram Devotees of Bucks County in Pennsylvania. “When I do larger events, such as my Halloween ghost tour, which involves telling haunting stories and pairing different whiskies with each story, I’ll end the night with a nightcap cocktail,” says Laura Fields, founder of the club. “Then when I do sit-down tastings where I’m discussing all the histories of the brands and covering a lot of information, I usually give people a cocktail to start so that they have something to sip on while they wait for that first dram—it keeps them satiated and it also gets the appetite ready and sets the palate.”
“For the Dram Devotees, cocktails have also been a great way to entice new members to join the club. “We do cocktail-focused events during the summer where I teach people how to mix real pre-Prohibition cocktails, and just the word ‘cocktail’ helps draw people in and inclines them to try something new,” Fields says. “Cocktails seem to be a nice segue for most people—even those who may not normally drink whisky cocktails but might drink vodka or gin cocktails.” For these types of people, Fields will take a familiar recipe and replace the usual base spirit with whisky. “It’s a nice transition and a way to introduce people to the much more dense and interesting flavor characteristics that whisky has to offer. We’re broadening people’s horizons, one drink at a time.”