One of my favorite Fort Wayne fundraisers is coming up on Friday, November 2. Mark your calendar for Mixology 201: The Science of Cocktails, a fundraiser for Science Central, and a foodie’s dream come true. Drinks, food and science= the perfect combination.

Mixology 201 will be held at Science Central and will feature award-winning mixologists from around the country who will create specialty cocktails. This year, the event will feature:

• Arthur Black is an extreme wine and food enthusiast from Miami, Florida. He “tries his hardest to engage the trade and public, demanding their appreciation for the finer things in life; always reinforcing the notion that such hedonistic articles are not reserved for the elite, foreign, or elderly, but should and must be available to everyone and anyone remotely curious about the playground of the human palette.”

• “Bobby G” Gleason, a Las Vegas-based mixologist, has been a professional bartender for more than 25 years and is recognized worldwide as a champion mixologist. He has been widely featured in trade and lifestyle publications where his expertise of spirits, cocktails, and proper barmanship provides valuable insight and inspiration to bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts all over the world. In addition, Bobby has appeared on CNBC, E! Entertainment Television, the Travel Channel, Fox & Friends in the Morning, and local news stations both in the US and abroad.

• Tim Atz adds local flavor to the event. He’s a Kendallville native and graduated at the top of his class from Professional Bartending Schools of America (PBSA) accredited Professional Mixology course hosted by the Midwest Bartenders School in Indianapolis in 2011. Since then he has worked as an independent professional alcoholic beverage adviser, bartender, and mixologist for numerous private events located in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and the surrounding areas.

In addition to the mixologists, students and professors from Ivy Tech’s culinary program will conduct food demonstrations using cutting-edge gastronomy tools. Last year, they wowed us with samples of powdered olive oil that melted in our mouths and a strange mango concoction with powdered caramel. This year, they’ve stepped it up a notch and will prepare Granita Salad and Vinaigrette foamed in liquid nitrogen, Lobster Benedict with Proscuitto Crisp topped with Spherified Hollandaise and Riseling Egg, and Hot Maple Ice Cream on Bacon dusted Elephant Ears. That’s right! BACON! 

Of course, I can’t forget to mention the main course. Baker Street’s chef Chad Kyle will prepare the following menu for the  event:

• Aged Tillamook cheddar soup shooter, whole grain mustard pretzel crouton, American pale ale air
• Bourbon & brown sugar poached pumpkin thimble w/ bruleed Brie and fried sage leaf
• Prosciutto wrapped dates stuffed w/ drunken goats cheese
• Caramelized onion and fennel tart with house cured Scottish salmon and crème fraiche
• Endive stuffed w/ dos Equis grazed chorizo and Manchego cheese
• Kentucky bourbon and maple glazed pork belly w/ Fiji apple compote & shaved celeriac slaw
• Cracked pepper & Fontina cheese puff pastry w/ Moscato macerated cranberries & chive
• Champagne-soaked watermelon cubes w/ 25-year aged balsamic syrup
• Skewered cherry tomato, fresh mozzarella, Chianti roasted pearl onion, and Thai basil leaf
• Chambord sherbet w/ cracked espresso bean and caramel tuille
• Pumpkin ale ice cream in a cinnamon-spiced white chocolate cup
• Grand Marnier-infused dark chocolate truffle w/ toasted almond dust and sea salt.

OH MY GOSH. I can’t wait!

I simply can’t recommend this event enough. Check out my recap blog about last year’s event. So much fun and so much good food!

Tickets for the event are $60 per person, $100 per couple, or $350 for a group of eight tickets. For more information, visit us at www.sciencecentral.org/mixology.htm, or call 260-424-2400 X423.