Participants will taste four gins. Then everyone will learn how to make two cocktails and the basic skills needed to replicate these tasty drinks at home, as well as fun ways to impress your friends and families with homemade ingredients and fun garnishes. At the end of the class, everyone will leave with recipe cards and instructions on how to impress your family and friends!

Please note: This class is demonstration style.

About the teacher:

When Kaleena moved to Chattanooga, TN in 2013, a career in the hospitality industry was the furthest thing from her mind. An aspiring musician, she left Syracuse, NY to join an opening bar team with no bartending experience whatsoever. That leap of faith was a turning point for Kaleena - she immersed herself completely in the world of hospitality. From certifications to educational programs, she approached every opportunity to learn and hone her craft, learning from some of the industry’s leading innovators, mentors, and distillers.

Her interest eventually expanded outside of bartending and restaurant management, and in 2016, Kaleena began studying herbalism, volunteering at a local urban farm, and began making bitters at home as a hobby. A true stubborn New Yorker, Kaleena successfully lobbied to reform a House Bill in Tennessee in 2017, which allowed bitters makers to be regulated as non-beverage products in Tennessee. Shortly after, she signed a lease on a manufacturing facility, and Kaleena launched The Bitter Bottle, the first legal alcohol based bitters in the state of Tennessee.

Since launching The Bitter Bottle, Kaleena has worked with a number of entrepreneurs and businesses helping to build brands, coach small business owners, and provide education and beverage inspired events to her community. In 2022, Kaleena began to separate this work from her work with The Bitter Bottle and Goldcraft Co. was born.