After bartending for years and wanting to advance beyond traditional bartending, I decided to pursue my mixology education and certification. I knew that through hands on experience alone, I would never learn about the things that exist beyond a small town bar inventory. I chose A Bar Above to begin my pursuit of a thorough education and understanding of spirits, and I’m glad I did because they taught me well. Through this mixology program, I was able to begin my journey by learning about the vast array of spirits, spirits which are not commonly found in small town bars. I was able to learn about the distillation practices, the differences between them, and how to utilize them in different types of cocktails. I also learned how to make my own cocktail ingredients. I plan to take the mocktails course next. Since pursuing my certification, I have started my own mobile mixology business where I create exquisite menus for events. I challenge myself regularly by creating new and innovative recipes. This cocktail pictured is my newest Spring recipe, a twist on the classic Ramos Gin Fizz, called Crema Di Fiori Gin Fizz. This cocktail blends an infusion of jasmine with lavender cream and elderflower tonic and is absolutely delicious.