Spirits will run loose and warm up bodies this January at Roxanne’s annual Whisky Wonderland event, which will offer whiskey tastings, live music, artisanal snacking trays and chances for residents to hone their bartending skills.
The event usually offers a lineup of tastings of over a dozen top-shelf whiskey brands, but this year they are adding the Take Home Knowledge series. There will be three 30-minute sessions that will teach attendees how to practice their whiskey-crafting skills at home.
“We kind of figured that when we first started doing these events, people were more exploring the whiskey because they’re just getting their feet wet, so to speak,” said Jim Torres, owner of Roxanne’s. “But now it seems like they’re so much more advanced and they’re asking for more.”
Women Who Whiskey LBC, a female-led whiskey enthusiast group that meets once a week at The Hawk bar, will teach attendees how to make their own whiskey punch. The punch uses spices and various fruits to create a festive drink, which Torres compared to a sangria, that people will be able to take home and make again on their own.
Local cocktail enthusiast JP will teach a class on how to make a classic old fashioned, a boozy prohibition-era whiskey drink that combines bourbon or rye whiskey, an orange peel, angostura bitters, a sugar cube and a few dashes of plain water to make a surprisingly smooth concoction.
“We wanted people to not only just come out to taste whiskey, but definitely take home skills that they can use so they can become their own bartenders,” Torres said.
Devon Butler, a bartender at Roxanne’s exhibition room, will be teaching a class on how to fat-wash whiskey. Butler will be mixing bacon fat from local barbecue spot Shady Grove Foods with Jackrabbit whiskey in order to transfer the flavors. Attendees will be able to take home their shelf-stable, fat-washed whiskey, along with the knowledge on how to do it at home.
“It’s delicious and it’s surprising,” Torres said. “You take the whiskey and then all those harsh notes get really tamed down on whatever you’re fat-washing it with and it makes it really easy to drink.”
Each session will provide residents with the appropriate whiskey and supplies. Spaces for each class are limited and sold separately from general admission tickets.
Roxanne’s is also looking into getting a snow machine and hot chocolate for children who attend. Shady Grove Foods will be serving up their signature smoked meats and Jackrabbit whiskey sauce during the event for patrons to purchase.
Attendees can enjoy live music performances from local groups, such as Long Beach Jazz Angels, The Alexanders Father and Son Duo, The Suitcase Stompers and Shy but Flyy. A portion of the event sales will benefit Long Beach Jazz Angels, a non-profit created in 2007 that teaches children how to play and perform jazz music.
Roxanne’s is offering free admission for those who work in the service industry. If a bartender or server would like to attend, send Roxanne’s a message on Instagram @roxannesbar to receive a code for entry.
General admission includes 10 whiskey tastings, a tasting board and access to vendors. The $50 Gift of Whiskey package includes 10 tastings, an artisan snack tray, a complimentary cocktail, a Whisky Wonderland T-shirt and a souvenir Jackrabbit Whiskey to take home.
There is one VIP session still available for $50, which includes everything on the Gift of Whiskey package and an hour-and-a-half session inside The Exhibition Room, which includes five additional drink tickets for top-shelf and exclusive whiskeys.
Whisky Wonderland will be hosted by Roxanne’s at 1115 East Wardlow Ave. on Jan. 15 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
