Be the Life of the Party This Holiday Season -- and Any Time of Year -- With The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions

CHANTILLY, Va., Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Connoisseurs or novices, spirits lovers can now amaze and delight friends and family with an enhanced knowledge of and appreciation for great spirits and cocktails. The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Taste and Traditions, a dynamic series of video lectures available just in time for the holidays, is a fun and engaging educational experience that reveals everything people need to know to choose, mix, and serve spirits and cocktails just like a master mixologist.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/be-the-life-of-the-party-this-holiday-season----and-any-time-of-year----with-the-everyday-guide-to-spirits-and-cocktails-tastes-and-traditions-135212493.html

Hosted by acclaimed expert and Certified Specialist of Spirits Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan and filmed entirely on location at Washington, DC's iconic Gibson Bar, this exciting course features six half-hour lectures that cover the history, production, varieties, and uses of popular spirits including vodka, rum, and whiskey. As Ms. Simonetti-Bryan demonstrates how to taste and compare the quality and complex notes of each spirit with the skill and confidence of a wine connoisseur, people will learn to maximize their experiences with spirits and discover their own personal taste preferences. They'll also get a host of recipes for delicious cocktails that illustrate each spirits' unique characteristics.

The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Taste and Traditions also includes two bonus lectures packed with insider tips, such as how to create the perfect home bar, how to make sure the figure-conscious can enjoy their favorite drinks, and how to craft seasonal cocktail recipes like Eggnog and Hot Buttered Rum. Available on DVD for $29.95 and as a digital video download for $27.95, this interactive learning experience makes an excellent—and affordable—gift both for the holidays and for any occasion.

"Everyone loves a delicious cocktail—never more so than during the party season," says Ms. Simonetti-Bryan. "But many people can't tell their gin from their vodka, or their sour from their daiquiri. The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions offers a solid grounding in understanding the origins of spirits, the intricacies of tasting, how to establish your personal preferences, and above all, how to mix that lip-smackingly good cocktail. It's a comprehensive guide to spirits and cocktails – with bite-size, half-hour lectures that can be enjoyed on your own time."

The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions is just one of more than 350 educational and inspiring courses for lifelong learners available from The Great Courses. To download or purchase this course as a holiday gift, please visit http://bit.ly/u5dnNt or http://www.thegreatcourses.com/cocktail-courses.

For further information on The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions or The Great Courses, please contact Victoria Harris or Gina Tunley at Punch Communications: +44 (0) 1858 411 600 or [email protected]

Notes to Editors

• The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions is available from www.thegreatcourses.com/cocktail-courses for $27.95 (digital video download) and $29.95 (DVD). Shipping and handling costs apply.
• Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan is a definitive authority on spirits in the United States and among a small number of people to have received the highest credentials in the spirits and wine industry. She has a Professional Certificate in Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and is a Certified Specialist of Spirits from the Society of Wine Educators. Ms. Simonetti-Bryan is also one of only a few hundred people in the world to hold the Master of Wine title (M.W.) from The Institute of Masters of Wine in London, England—the highest and most difficult title to achieve in the industry. Winner of the Wiesbaden Tasting Trophy from the Institute of Masters of Wine, Ms. Simonetti-Bryan has trained thousands of professionals in the spirits and wine industry, has judged international spirits and wine competitions, and has hosted seminars with Food Network stars including Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay. She is a frequent guest on television programs, including Fox Business and Bloomberg TV, and has been featured in Fortune, Wine & Spirits Magazine, and Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
• The Great Courses is a highly popular series of university-level lectures crafted and delivered by top professors and experts. Designed to meet the demand for lifelong learning and to change the way people think about the world, The Great Courses currently offers more than 350 courses in a range of video and audio formats including DVD, CD, and digital downloads. Courses span more than 5,000 hours of content across ten subject categories: science and mathematics, history, fine arts and music, religion and theology, philosophy and intellectual history, literature and English language, business and economics, better living, professional, and high school. Since 1990, over 10 million courses have been sold around the world.

Related Links:
The Everyday Guide to Spirits and Cocktails: Tastes and Traditions
thegreatcourses.com/spirits

 

SOURCE The Great Courses