Adelaide bar, Hains & Co, is launching In Her Glass, a tasting series hosted by women from the drinks industry, at its newly opened upstairs bar, Admiral’s Quarters.
The first edition, Tequila & Margaritas, will be hosted by Herradura Tequila educator, Natasha Vercoe, on Wednesday 14 October. Erica Richards from Suntory follows with a Japanese whisky edition on Wednesday 18 November.
Each edition covers a different spirit, wine or drink category, from tequila and Champagne to whisky and bourbon, with distillers, blenders, brand ambassadors and educators rotating as hosts.
Guests are greeted with a drink, then move into a guided tasting with small bites. Hains & Co said the sessions are built around conversation and questions rather than a formal masterclass.
In Her Glass grows out of Pouring Ribbons, an earlier series of women-only tastings held in the downstairs bar.
Hains & Co co-owner, Marissa Galatis, said those sessions showed a clear difference in how guests engaged.
“When women come together, there’s a completely different energy, it’s expressive, curious and excited,” Galatis said.
“We wanted to take what we learnt from those events and create something with a home and identity of its own.”
Galatis said the sessions assume no prior knowledge and are not designed to tell guests what to like.
“You might discover you love añejo tequila, a really peaty whisky or bone-dry Champagne. Or you might decide you don’t. Either way, you leave understanding more about what you like and why,” she said.
In the opening edition, Vercoe will take guests from agave to finished spirit, covering the differences between blanco, reposado, añejo and extra añejo, and how ageing shapes flavour. The line-up includes four tequilas and two mini Margaritas.
Sessions start at 6.30pm. Hains & Co plans to run the series regularly, with a new category and host each edition.
