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DMC has several fun traditions for onboarding new team members, including a welcome party of the employee's choice. Cecilia, Jay, and I were treated to a cocktail class welcome party at the Chicago Distilling Company during our third and final jam-packed week of training in Chicago. 

On arrival, everyone was greeted with an open bar and catered dinner from Warehouse Pizza. The pizza was amazing, featuring some unique toppings such as Bic Mac and the much admired Mac N Cheese. Our DMC party was split into two groups, one heading to a tour of the facilities and the other to a cocktail-making class. 

Distillery Tour

My group took the tour first, and it included a thorough run-down of the whiskey making process, complete with a Q&A and a tasting of several of Chicago Distilling whiskeys. Our guide was fun and entertaining. He ended the tour explaining what to look for on whiskey labels to ensure you’re not getting overcharged. 

Cocktail Class

The cocktail making class was also a bunch of fun. We learned to make three different drinks: a mule, an Old Fashioned, and a gimlet. One was built, one was stirred, one was shaken, and all of them were tasty. It was interesting to learn why drinks are mixed in a certain order based on the weight of the ingredients. Our instructor, Noah, gave us individual tips on making the drinks the way we personally like them. There was lots of chatter and laughter to be heard from our mixologists-in-training.

It was an incredibly fun welcome party for the three of us, and a great way to say farewell to the Chicago office.