Student Testimonials (cocktail & spirits)

"You're the greatest!"
- Daniel Toronto

"April owns her bar! Her presentation and demeanor are awesome,
she is approachable and she knows her stuff! I loved her course."
  - Deidre Johnson

"I loved the infusions class I've been making cranberry& blueberry gins that my friends can't get enough of."
- Jon Hackett

"I had a great time, and enjoyed learning from someone with both deep knowledge and a creative spirit!"
- Cheri Lovell

"April's course offered a perfect balance of mixology history with enough basic technique to send my wife and I home with the confidence to get those cocktail making tools out of the cabinet and begin our own skills."
-Pete

"April's cocktail class was exactly what I was hoping it would be!
First off, you're just gonna have fun. She is very laid back, knowledgable, and goes at a pace that jives with all ages that are interested in cocktails. It's kind of like having a good friend of yours teach you about boozy beverages. What she says makes sense, it all gets backed up through hands-on mixing and drinking, and at the end of the class, you're left happy, buzzed, and with a new drink arsenal to make you feel a little more manly (or womanly) when you step up to the bar and turn down the rum and coke or the gin and tonic, for a Hemingway Daiquiri or a barrel aged Negroni."
  - Collin P 

"April is not a skilled instructor, she is fun to work with! That is the perfect combo. I keep going back for more classes with her and have been able to put my skills to use. She explains and instructs in a way that registers so you feel motivated to try out mixology by yourself - and with your friends! Highly recommend."
- Rachna H

"April's cocktail class was a great mix of fascinating history, practical and easy to understand direction
  and fun! She displayed a plethora of mixology knowledge, geared for both novices and
more experienced cocktail enthusiasts, all presented very engagingly."
  - Harish N

"April's class was my first experience of making cocktails, and by the end I felt like a pro. She walked us through the basics quickly and clearly: hawthorne strainer versus julep, stirring versus shaking, what ingredient to add first; lots of information, but her concise and friendly style really helped it stick. The class was a true hands-on experience as we made our own cocktails with helpful handouts which I still use today. I particularly enjoyed  learning variants on classic recipes, such as the original Old-Fashioned, quite different from the one we know today. Part of the class involved inventing our own cocktail, which April offered to sample and then provide feedback; somehow she managed to keep my monstrosity down, and with a few genius tweaks (mint leaves and soda to be exact) she helped me turn it into something I was proud of. 

I've since attended two more classes with April and can recommend her wholeheartedly for cocktail novices and veterans alike. She is always happy to answer questions out of class, which I find really impressive. I've followed her recommendations on vermouths and hugely improved my martinis and manhattans as a result. I've now acquired a reputation as "the cocktail guy" thanks to April's tips, which keeps me very busy at parties! I'm really looking forward to coming back for more advanced training soon." 
- Tim Cameron

"Thanks to April, I've discovered that a Hemingway daiquiri is my favorite drink - and, more importantly, I learned how to make one myself! April knows her stuff, and she is a very patient teacher. We had a full class at Astor Center and she still made sure
  that each and every person- from novices to experts - stayed on track and had an enjoyable time."
- Polly

"I thought my cocktailing skills were good, but April took them to a whole new level.  Ever since I attended her "Syrups and Infusions" class, I've been able to incorporate a whole range of new flavors into my drinks.  Who knew that carrot vodka and blueberry gin would pair so well in mixed drinks? 
Now I'm making cardamom syrup from scratch and "fat washing" my own bacon bourbon. 
I can't wait to take her "Advanced Bartending Skills" class!"
  - Zach K

"We attended two classes with April in the recent year. I must say the events were much more than expected: the information provided was really to the point, with a lot of professional insights (not found in books), the pace of the class was really fun and April has been really helpful on answering any after-questions that we came after on our cocktail making rehearsals. I really recommend it and it does make a big difference in your cocktail making capabilities."
-Oriol Plazas