The 21c Museum Hotel in Lexington is one of our favorite spots downtown, so when the team invited me + some friends to attend one of their classes from the new cocktail series they are putting on at Lockbox (the hotel restaurant) I jumped at the opportunity. We ended up having the best time and were so impressed.
Let’s talk details…
First off, if you are not familiar with the 21c brand then you should know–it is not your average hotel chain. Each location is a full art museum (with rotating exhibits) and nestled inside you will also find boutique hotel rooms and a fab bar + restaurant.
Lockbox draws us into the Lexington location regularly. We go often for brunch (the fruit salad is on another level) and also like to kick off a night out with a cocktail at the bar, even as a local. The vibe is nice and you can sip anything from a craft cocktail to a chilled glass of champs while wandering around the floors and chatting about the art.
The above pics are snaps of the bar area.
Lockbox is stepping up their game though because now they are also focusing on throwing some small events throughout the year.
I love when a hotel puts an emphasis on hosting locals on the regular. It’s nice when they draw people in and don’t make the grounds seem exclusive to travelers, right??
So, the cocktail class we went to was one of these events. It was a part of a summer cocktail series they’ll be doing and the focus of this class was pop culture (drawn from the Pop Stars art exhibit that is live now). Love how they are making each one a specific theme. Who doesn’t love a theme, right??
My friends and I kind of assumed we would be making the cocktails ourselves and the bartender would be teaching us. However, that was not the case. In fact, it was so much better!
Here’s the overview:
- The classes are held at a long table in the area between the bar and restaurant.
- They are from 3-4 on Sundays.
- The cost is $35.
- That includes snacks to share (seen above), three full sized cocktails served to you in your seat throughout the hour by the staff, a printed menu and explanation from the top-notch mixologist, Norma Beekman.
For this class, since it was pop culture themed, Norma had planned ahead and chosen three cocktails featured in famous movies. Then she put her own spin on each one!
1.5oz GIN
.5oz PEAR EAU DE VIE
1/4oz SPIRIT DE JUNE
LEMON ZEST
The first drink that came out to our table was a Vesper martini. It is famous because it was featured in the James Bond movie, Casino Royale. This drink ended up being my FAVE. LOVED IT. It is a very boozy drink, but the taste is just right to sip on.
MILLER HIGH LIFE
LIME
EGG WHITE CLARIFIED BLOODY MARY MIX
Next, they brought us this Red Eye–which just looked like a beer to me. But, as you can see from the ingredients, it’s not that simple. The Red Eye is famous from the movie Tom Cruise movie, “Cocktail”, and it known as a hangover drink. I loved this one too–but I am also a fan of a Bloody Mary made with beer instead of vodka (that is a version I do at home sometimes) and a michelada so it makes since that I would like this as well! ps–Norma left out the aspirin that is included in the original recipe! haha!
1oz COOKIES n’ CREAM + CACAO INFUSED HALF n’ HALF
1oz VODKA
1oz KAHLUA
GRATED ESPRESSO BEANS
And finally, we ended with the White Russian that they brought out last. I will be honest, dessert drinks are not my thing. I will say that this one tasted amazing. It wouldn’t be the type of drink that I could finish, but it was definitely the best dessert cocktail that I have ever had.
The way they designed this class was perfect. We loved being able to just sit and chat for an hour while they brought us yummy cocktails to try. Who wouldn’t?? And it is a nice way to have some social time on the calendar without making a huge commitment. One hour was perfect! And it really is a great bang for your buck!
After we realized what we had gotten ourselves into, we immediately asked when the next class was. It’s on July 14th and has a tiki beverage theme! Once we heard that we all checked our calendars and said, “will you put us down for 6 tickets, please?” because we wanted in!
Oh and I can’t sign off without giving some love to Norma. She is so impressive and clearly has a passion for bartending/mixing. You should hear her talk about how she gets some ingredients in and takes days to prep them for her cocktails! She told me she is working on perfecting a Bloody Mary recipe that will be on the menu as soon as the tomatoes come in at the farmers market. I will be back for one of those ASAP! xx
