In the Mix

Shake it up at these cocktail classes, wine dinners, tastings and more

The week ahead is filled with an array of alcohol-fueled events, from convivial cocktail classes, upscale wine dinners and tastings galore.

The wines of Sokol Blosser Winery from Dundee Hills, Oregon, will play a starring role during a dinner at River West's Carnivale on Wednesday, May 20. Executive chef Mark Mendez will cook a four-course menu to be paired with Sokol Blosser wines, which are all sustainably produced. Alison Sokol Blosser Spolijaric, co-president of the winery, will be on hand to lead guests through the meal and the wines, including Evolution, Meditrina, pinot noir and riesling. The dinner will take place at 7PM and costs $65 per person. Call 312-850-5005 to reserve your spot.

Learn from one of Chicago's best mixologists on Thursday, May 21 at Nacional 27's monthly happy hour cocktail class. Adam Seger will lead the interactive instruction, this time shaking up drinks using locally grown strawberries and rhubarb. (The River North restaurant maintains an organic farm plot at Harvest Moon Farms in Viroqua, WI.) You'll get to mix up strawberry-rhubarb batidas made with fresh sugar cane rum, and strawberry-rhubarb-basil-balsamic mojitos (talk about a mouthful). Passed appetizers and take-home recipe cards are included in the festivities, which take place from 5:30-6:30PM and cost $15 to attend. Call 312-664-2727 to make your reservation, or visit the Nacional 27 Web site.

You can also learn the art of margarita making on Thursday, May 21 at Arrowhead Restaurant & Bar in west suburban Wheaton. Arrowhead's bimonthly "Mixology 101" series continues with bar staff teaching participants how to craft various margarita recipes, including strawberry, pomegranate and mango. Cocktail samples, appetizers and live entertainment by acoustic rock band Avalanche will add to the fun. Arrowhead's mixology class will go from 7-8:30PM and costs $10 per person. Call 630-510-5070 to make a reservation.

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