A Sri Lankan Cocktail Experience by Jungle Kade

Was booked a Mixology Masterclass (off the Silver Aisle website) with the #DrunkenLankan mix-master himself, which I attended with a fellow bevvy lover. True to title, Ash showed up sloshed, which only enhanced the entertainment factor of the evening. Each cocktail was brilliant and wonderfully flavourful — the mixologist also talked us through recipes, unique ingredients, specific techniques, and historical facts which made for an interesting and engaging session. Seeing as the theme of this experience was ‘Mix it like a Lankan’, every cocktail was based on local spirits from arrack, to gin, to vodka. I was particularly impressed by the twist on typically ‘whisky’ based drinks, i.e. the Arrack Old Fashioned and the Arrack Sour. A fave of mine was the classic Espresso Martini, and the one he mixed for us was delicious! There was also a delightful ‘Watermelon Curry Leaf Cooler’ which combined gin and ginger in a manner I didn’t know could be so good. It’s worth mentioning that although I’m not a fan of passionfruit personally, the welcome drink (which was a surprising mix of prosecco and passionfruit) somehow managed to convert this unbeliever. The hours flew by, which is why we didn’t get the chance to make our own cocktails – this was our only regret (however, fret not as this is generally included!). Tip: Try and tie down an early date because this guy tends to get very busy… Once he makes it happen, it’s super fun!

Ash, to be sure, knows his cocktail mixing inside and out, but that you can experience any Friday night at Uncles. No, what you get for your buck here is his time, attention and genuinely infectious company. As he regales you with the history of cocktail mixing, a tale of the man who invented ice (yes, really) or simply a little peak behind the curtain into his own life, there's genuinely not a dull moment. And through this he weaves in the actual lessons on the building blocks of cocktail mixing, which by night's end good luck remembering! But what you certainly won't forget is the experience as a whole, one you'd be smart to put aside an evening for, to let loose and learn something while you're at it.

This mixology experience was the perfect thing to on our last night in Colombo. We got to try the BEST cocktails, learnt a little more about Sri Lankan culture and had loads of fun whilst doing it. Ash was super friendly & knowledgable and personalised the experience for me and my friends. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to try something different, and have a good laugh at the same time :)

We had such an amazing experience sampling Ash's cocktails! They were all so unique and delicious and he has a really fun personality. I especially appreciated that he shared the history of cocktail making too, super informative!

The cocktail mixing course was amazing! Ash was a dream! Highly recommended for anyone who visits Colombo.

Wanted to try this experience with a friend and it was the best idea! We enjoyed a lovely variety of cocktails which were some of the best cocktails I've had in Colombo. Ash was a great conversationalist and we learnt so much about the history of the cocktail, ingredients, preparation methods and so much more. It was great fun and would be ideal for a date night too!

Loved the alternative date night experience with an experienced bartender who took us through the fundamentals of cocktails and also gave us some amazing drinks! Loved the location, food and honestly the drinks are so good the class was just a bonus! In a city where date nights can be limited to food, drinks or movies, this was a welcome interactive experience! Highly recommend it!!

Ash was very passionate and informative. We had a wonderful time. The cocktails were unique and thought provoking. We were quite tipsy by the end of it. Recommend getting some tapas along with this experience

Ash is amazing! We had the mix it like a Lankan experience in PST and each cocktail was better than the previous! Ash also knows his sh*t, we learnt so much about the history of cocktails, ingredients, spirits, the lot.highly recommend this experience if you want to get drunk with good cocktails and a fun bar tender!

This was such a fun night! Ash has curated a wonderful experience and helps us understand the basics of making cocktails with a Sri Lankan twist! We finished the night, very happy and inspired to make our own as well! Would love to do it again!

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