Highlights

• 🍸 Craft 2 Dutch-inspired cocktails with expert mixologist guidance
• 🎁 Take home a complete cocktail kit 
• 🔐 Receive sealed  recipe card for mystery third cocktail
• 🎨 Beautiful  studio setting in historic Plantage neighborhood
• 📚 Learn about Dutch craft spirits culture
• 🛠️ Master professional techniques: shaking, stirring, balancing, garnishing
• 👥 Small intimate groups (max 12) for personalized instruction
• ⏱️ Compact 45-60 minutes — fits any Amsterdam schedule

Learn to mix like a Dutch bartender, then prove it at home

Most cocktail workshops end when you finish your drinks. This one sends you home with the skills and the supplies to keep the party going.

At House of Rijks Studio —  you'll craft two Dutch-inspired cocktails under expert guidance, learning techniques and flavor profiles that elevate your home bartending forever.

Then comes the twist: you'll receive a take-home cocktail kit complete with premium spirits, mixers, garnish, and a sealed secret recipe card for a mystery third cocktail. The challenge? Recreate it successfully without your instructor's help.

It's hands-on mixology education meets treasure hunt meets party favor. And it all happens in 45-60 minutes in one of Amsterdam's most beautiful creative spaces.

Why this workshop stands out

Amsterdam has plenty of cocktail classes. But most follow the same formula: make drinks, drink them, leave tipsy with no tangible skills or supplies.

This experience is different:

Takeaway value: Physical kit means the learning continues at home
Secret recipe intrigue: Sealed card creates anticipation and challenge
Dutch spirits focus: Learn about local distilling culture
Compact timing: 45-60 minutes fits easily into any Amsterdam itinerary
Small groups: Intimate, social.

You're not just buying an activity — you're investing in cocktail skills that travel home with you.

The experience: from welcome drink to secret kit

Welcome & Dutch Spirits Introduction (10 mins)

Arrive at House of Rijks Studio on Rapenburgerstraat, a charming street in Amsterdam's historic Plantage neighborhood. Step into a space with warm lighting creating intimate atmosphere.

Your mixologist greets you and introduces the session. You'll hear the fascinating story of Dutch spirits:

• How 17th-century Dutch sailors carried jenever around the world
• Why genever (Dutch gin) tastes different from London dry gin
• How Amsterdam's modern craft distillery scene honors and reimagines tradition
• Which local spirits you'll be working with today

It's just enough context to make the cocktails meaningful without turning into a history lecture.

First Cocktail: Fundamentals (15 mins)

Time to get hands-on. Your mixologist demonstrates the core techniques: proper muddling, measuring accurately, building vs. shaking drinks, balancing flavors, and presentation details that elevate drinks from "homemade" to "bartender-quality."

Then you make your first cocktail — the Dutch Mule, Amsterdam's twist on the classic Moscow Mule. Using Dutch jenever instead of vodka, combined with fresh lime, ginger beer, and mint, this drink showcases how local spirits transform familiar recipes.

You'll practice:

• Muddling mint and lime properly (releasing oils without bitterness)
• Measuring spirits and mixers accurately
• Building drinks directly in copper mugs
• Balancing the spicy ginger with botanical jenever
• Garnishing with purpose

Your instructor circulates, offers tips, corrects technique, and ensures everyone's first attempt succeeds. Then you taste your creation — the jenever's unique character should surprise you if you're used to vodka mules.

Second Cocktail: Creative Challenge (15 mins)

Now that you've mastered basics, round two is the Aperol Spritz — ubiquitous on every Amsterdam terrace and cafe, but rarely made correctly.

This cocktail teaches:

• Proper ratios (3-2-1: Prosecco-Aperol-soda, not the tourist version)
• Why Prosecco temperature matters
• Building technique for sparkling cocktails
• The art of the perfect orange garnish (it's a wheel, not a wedge!)
• How to achieve that Instagram-worthy gradient

Amsterdammers are particular about their Aperol Spritzes. Learn to make it the way locals expect, and you'll never accept a mediocre version again.

The Secret Kit Reveal (10 mins)

Here's where it gets fun. Your mixologist presents each participant with a take-home cocktail kit containing:

• Bar tools (jigger, stirrer, or other essentials depending on recipe)
• Secret recipe card for the mystery third cocktail

You're instructed not to open it until you're ready to attempt the cocktail at home. Some participants open it on the train back to their hotel. Others wait weeks, turning it into an event with friends.

The mystery recipe is always something that:

• Uses the skills you just learned
• Features Dutch spirits or ingredients
• Creates impressive results
• Works with the included supplies

Can you successfully recreate it without your instructor's guidance? That's the challenge — and the proof you actually learned something transferable.

Social Time & Studio Atmosphere (5-10 mins)

With drinks in hand and kits received, the last few minutes are yours to:

• Sip and socialize with fellow participants
• Take more photos in the art studio setting
• Ask your mixologist questions about Amsterdam's bar scene
• Exchange Instagram handles if you've bonded over cocktail creation
• Get recommendations for where to drink well in Amsterdam

The location: House of Rijks Studio

Located on Rapenburgerstraat in the Plantage neighborhood, House of Rijks Studio occupies a beautiful historic building that's been transformed into a creative space blending art, design, and culinary experiences.

The Plantage district itself is one of Amsterdam's most charming areas:

• 10 minutes from Waterlooplein metro
• Walking distance to Artis Zoo, Hortus Botanicus, Jewish Historical Quarter
• Quieter and more residential than tourist-heavy city center
• Beautiful tree-lined streets and canal views

Who loves this experience

This workshop appeals to specific traveler types:

• Cocktail enthusiasts wanting to level up their home bartending
•  Couples seeking interactive date activities (making cocktails together is surprisingly intimate)
•  Friend groups who enjoy creative social experiences
•  Travelers who value takeaways — the kit means the experience continues beyond Amsterdam
•  Curious learners who appreciate skill-building over passive consumption
•  Solo travelers comfortable in small social settings

The common thread: appreciation for craft, willingness to get hands-on, and desire for experiences that create lasting value.