The Brown Fox is a rather jolly, classy, Tavern in West Perth.
The bar area is big and spacious with wide, sweeping windows, shiny brass and old, rubbed leather chairs and benches on the broad balcony.
Serious students studying hard (Photograph by D Sutherland-Bruce)
As well as a popular pub/restaurant/function centre they run a series of Tuesday Tutorials at 5:30pm. On the first Tuesday of the month, this is a Cocktail Class and the one I attended.
Other Tuesdays offer Wine, Ciders and Sliders and Whisky Appreciation nights. All tutorials are $30pp and include matched nibbles.
The class consisted of around twenty people of all ages, degrees of knowledge and the only thing we all had in common was a love of booze and a cheerful propensity to be entertained and convivial.
Our tutor was Alex, a charming young lad from Cardiff who only arrived in WA in January, but has quickly settled in. He was very knowledgeable, highly practiced and professional and helpful.
Half-time nibbles (Photograph by D Sutherland-Bruce)
We first prepared an Amaretto Sour to Alex's detailed directions. Sour cocktails were hugely popular in the eighties and Alex is seeking to resurrect them. The cocktail is created from an egg white, Amaretto, Bourbon, lemon juice was sugar syrup, shaken vigourously.
We made these , tasted them deeply and then moved over to the nibbles of fresh crusty bread, Chorizo sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, Prosciutto ham, various cheeses and so on - delicious and deliciously fresh and tasty.
We moved back to the tables, now re-set with fresh, clean implements and made, what Alex assured us is Perth most popular cocktail - an Espresso Martini. Made with Vodka, Espresso, Kahlua, Frangelico, vanilla sugar syrup and lots and lots of shaking, using Alex's tricky shaker.
Espresso Martini (Photograph by D Sutherland-Bruce)
The tutorial lasted about an hour, was a great deal of fun, and I had a great time. The really lovely thing about these sorts of classes is the collegiate air and immediate breaking down of barriers as we all work at a common goal.
Excellent value for money, with the added bonus of being able to stay afterwards and have dinner there with your new-found friends.
I am really, really, looking forward to the whisky tutorial.
Very highly recommended indeed.
