Favorite New Sips: Law Bird's Cocktail Classes are Boozy and Educational Fun
Plus, a recommendation for a delicious locally made chili crisp.
In this post:
Erin writes about her cocktail class experience at Law Bird.
In booze news, The Lion won some cocktail competition hardware.
Bethia shares a new chili crisp discovery.
Cocktail Education
Favorite New Sips: Law Bird's Cocktail Classes
By Erin Edwards
Is Law Bird new? No. In fact, the Brewery District bar founded by Annie Williams Pierce and Luke Pierce celebrated five (fairly chaotic) years this month.
But that’s the thing about Law Bird, the Pierces are always spinning up new ideas. “Stale” is not in their vocabulary. During Halloween week this year, for example, they transformed the bar into an ’80s-style pizza shop selling their own sourdough-crusted Wolf Pizza alongside an animatronic wolf.
“Law Bird has always been a direct reflection of who we are, and one of the funnest parts [of owning a bar] is being creative and coming up with new concepts,” Luke says.
My favorite new creation from Law Bird this year is their monthly cocktail class series, something they plan to continue in 2025. Past topics have included amaro (a class I attended), a summertime gin, genever and aquavit class, Japanese cocktails, martinis and others.
As bar owners, much of Luke and Annie’s work takes place behind the scenes and not behind the stick every night. The cocktail classes, Luke says, have been a “fantastic way to connect with our guests a lot more.”
The October class I attended was “Amaro, The Dark Side” (a previous class focused on lighter apertivi). We received nine amaro tastings, a packet of useful info and much-appreciated palate cleansers such as crackers, chips and olives, because as Luke warned, “We’re gonna assault your palate a little bit.”
Leading the class was Annie, a one-time theater kid and born storyteller who commands the room with a mix of educational content and witty banter. She described the flavor profile of one deeply smokey and woodsy digestif, Sfumato, as “the morning after doing too much cocaine at a barbecue.”
I tasted Sfumato, and that sounded about right.
We also received—count ’em—three cocktails to illustrate how Law Bird uses some of the amari we were sampling. It was a nice touch—as was the last page of the class packet, which had suggestions on how to build your amari collection at home if you have $100 to spend.
Upcoming Law Bird classes include “Unexpected Tiki” in December; “NA Cocktails” in January; “New Orleans-Style Cocktails” in February and possibly a class about Chartreuse in March. Follow Law Bird on Instagram to get a heads up when the monthly classes go on sale.
Two more classes we recommend:
The Junto hosts periodic cocktail classes in its swanky, leather-filled lobby, The Trade Room. The next one up is all about holiday cocktails, Dec. 12 and 19, and they’ll likely have a nice fire going. You can sign up here.
Easily one of the best experiences for wine-lovers in Columbus, Accent Wine’s somm-led classes fill up fast. Students typically taste six to eight wines (including some high-value bottles) on themes like Brunello di Montalcino, Spain's Priorat region, Champagne and others. Black Radish Creamery provides the cheeses. For class announcements, sign up to receive Accent’s newsletter on the shop’s website, and you can reserve your seat for upcoming classes here.
Notes
Around the Columbus Food Scene
Tickets are now on sale for Columbus Food Adventures’ final “Taste of” dinner of 2024. (Don’t worry, they’ll be back next year.) “A Taste of Casa Karmelitas,” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and Dec. 11. Guests can expect to enjoy several Mexican dishes as well as agua frescas and Mexican hot chocolate. Both dinners will take place at 934 Gallery, located at 934 Cleveland Ave. Reserve your seats here.
Congrats are in order for Bexley cocktail bar The Lion, which took home the top prize at last night’s lively Columbus Monthly Cocktail Competition at Vitria on the Square. It was the third installment of the event. The Lion’s milk-washed cocktail was the overall fan-favorite—in part thanks to its clever, flash-frozen whey garnish using liquid nitrogen. The Lion, which opened in September, is located at 2511 E. Main St .
Fyr’s “Visiting Chef Series” returns next month with a “Ten Hands Dinner” featuring Fyr executive chef Sebastian la Rocca and four local chefs. Tickets are now on sale for the Dec. 13 event. Participating chefs include Todd Goodwin (Hilton), James Anderson (Ray Ray’s Hog Pit), Brett Fife (Lindey’s) and BJ Lieberman (Chapman's Eat Market and Ginger Rabbit). $10 from each ticket sold will be donated to the Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation. Reserve your seats here.
Farmers Market Find
New Local Product: Mexican Chili Crisps from Bocado Flavor Co.
By Bethia Woolf
One of the many reasons that I love shopping at our local farmers markets is that you often find fun new Ohio-made products. Recently, I discovered Bocado Flavor Co. at the German Village Farmers Market, where they were handing out samples of their Mexican chili crisps.
Bocado was founded by Mexican-born chef Alex Plancencia and his wife, Ali. She’s the face you’ll likely see at the market. Alex is also the executive chef of local prepared meal delivery service Luxe + Lemons.
I am a longtime fan of Lao Gan Ma spicy chili crisp. Over the years, as chili crisp has become more trendy, I’ve tried all manner of artisan-produced chili crisps. I usually try one jar and revert to the O.G., Lao Gan Ma. Bocado just might be my new favorite.
I like that Bocado isn’t trying to copy the flavor profile of Chinese chili crisp but combining the idea and texture of chili crisp with their own Mexican flavor palette. Each of Bocado’s four varieties of chili crisp is made with a different Mexican pepper and has a novel flavor.
The four flavors are:
El Encantador (The Charmer): A fresh, herbaceous and tangy chili crisp made with pepitas, garlic, sesame seeds and jalapeño.
El Corazon (The Heart): A sweet and tart plum-infused chili crisp made with ancho chiles, prunes, brown sugar and garlic.
La Sirena (The Mermaid): A fruity, tart and sneakily fiery chili crisp made with dehydrated mango and morita chilis.
La Madre (The Mother): Vibes like a red salsa. This savory chili crisp is made with dried guajillo chilis, guajillo powder and paprika.
My favorites are La Madre and El Encantador, but I like them all. Plus, the chili crisps are super versatile, and the Bocado website has a lot of suggested uses beyond what you might initially expect. You can find Bocado’s line of chili crisps online, and, if you get lucky, you might find Bocado’s jars at a farmers market or independent markets, too.
Have a favorite local product? Let us know!