Seth Brammer

Experiments in Hospitality Education

Blind
Cocktail Labs

What changes when you can’t see the label?

Preparing for the lab. My Instagram post, March 18, 2019.

Work

A workshop format for tasting, comparing, and building cocktails with George Kaiho.

Scope
Concept, workshop materials, event production, and co-hosting
With
George Kaiho — co-host; Jettison — venue; Seth Brammer — archive photography (except the separately sourced Martini Edition image)
Project
2019 · Hospitality education, Dallas

Leave the labels behind

At the first lab, participants tasted ten spirits blind, then built Sidecars using smell, taste, and intuition. The free format gave hospitality professionals a place to experiment together.

Around the bar at Blind Cocktail Lab.
Numbered bottles kept the spirit identities out of view.
Glasses and tasting sheets ready for the group.
At the bar during the first Blind Cocktail Lab.
Tasting glasses at the first Blind Cocktail Lab.

A shared experiment

Numbered samples and hands-on cocktail making at Blind Cocktail Labs.

Taste first, then build

Tasting sheets helped the group put words to what they noticed. Those observations became the starting point for a cocktail.

Tasting worksheet · Blind Cocktail Labs

From a tasting to a decision

Participants developed a drink and considered how to serve it: the recipe, price, intended guest, and the words they would use to describe it.

Cocktail development card · Blind Cocktail Labs

A format with several editions

The format continued at Jettison with further labs, including a Martini Edition, and extended into a Margarita Lab. Each edition offered a new way to test familiar ingredients.

George Kaiho at Jettison during the Martini Edition. Source: Brad Murano’s April 22, 2019 post.

Experiments in Hospitality Education

The series also included Zero Waste Cooking with Chef Joel Orsini, a free class at Izkina on May 6, 2019.

Original Experiments in Hospitality Education graphic.
Related projectFARMTender