Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Korshak.
Hi Caroline, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I come to mixology from a love of flavor! Perhaps more from food than traditional bartending (though I have done a lot of that too)! With many years in retail and hospitality behind me, I know I always enjoy helping other people get the very most or of their time off!
After my son was born, I spent several years freelance bartending – mostly weddings! It’s great work! I loved creating signature drinks on the fly (before they became the rage)… it’s fun to see how quickly you can get a whole wedding party drinking the same pink cocktail!
When Covid hit, I went home and didn’t get asked to work in 20 months! So, I played around in my kitchen. Cooking, concocting and the result was Abstract Mixologist!
I wanted to share my ideas for making really great drinks at home. Show people some of the formulas for making delicious cocktails but using things that you can easily access – things maybe we already have in our kitchen! Using local and seasonal ingredients and putting them together in a fun way without having to buy up half the liquor store!
So now I host Cocktail workshops for big or small groups. In your home, at your community center, or with your team at work. I bring EVERYTHING needed to make 3 craft cocktails, we talk tips and tricks for entertaining at home, what to buy, where to buy it, shortcuts for drinks for a party or just for yourself! It’s fun, lighthearted as a I like to say… we learn a little and laugh a lot!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Starting up your own business comes with so many challenges! You have to draw on many skills you may not have, learn a lot on the way and remember to ask for help! I find all of this difficult! But one of the most difficult things is staying true to my mission. Making sure the message and information, I’m sharing in my workshops is what I really believe!
For example, I really care about “real ingredients “! I home-make a lot of the syrups I use in my workshops and explain how you can too… ensuring I am using real sugar and fruits in season! Or I source carefully made products from other makers who also care! We’re drinking here… but we’re doing well!
I also hold on to the way I do my classes! Zoom nation such as we are these days, I get asked regularly to host virtual classes. But really, my style is suited to in-person, I love sharing my knowledge and experience directly! I love seeing repeat guests and hearing how they use my recipes at their events and with friends! So, I guess saying no to business opportunities because they don’t fit my style has been a challenge!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My father was a diplomat, so I tell people I basically grew up at a cocktail party! I think I made my first cocktail when I was about 8. It would have been a gin and tonic with frozen lemon instead of ice… because I’m English and we really don’t do ice!
I’ve worked in bars from Manila to London to Plano and before I taught cocktail making, I taught cooking round the corner from Harrods in London! I went to school with royalty, and my first job in Texas was at a country bar in daisy dukes and cowboy boots! My classes are filled with stories!
Who better to show you fun ways to entertain!
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I love the connections Abstract Mixologist cocktail events have brought me! I work with a lot of residential communities around DFW. These events are organized by the HOAs in order to bring residents together and help them make friends! I love that my workshops help them do this. Each time I return to a community I get to see these friendships develop!
Pricing:
- Cocktail workshops for groups of 6 to 12 start at $400
- Cocktail Workshops for groups of 15 to 25 start at $600
Contact Info:
- Website: abstractmixologist.com
- Instagram: @abstractmixologist
- Facebook: @abstractmixologist
Image Credits
JMatt Studios
