Chicago, the holidays are coming. Be ready.

One room. Over 10 brands. Over 20 pours. Every recipe goes home with you.

Use code FESTIVE for a limited time.

You have done Christkindlmarket. The boot mug is in a cabinet right now and you know exactly which one. Consider this the upgrade.

Because here is what happens every December. Somebody hands you a bottle and says "you're the cocktail person now, do something with this." Spend one Saturday afternoon in Old Town and you will have eleven answers, the recipe cards to prove it, and a much better story than "I looked it up."

After 16 years and over 500,000 guests hosted in 12 cities, we are setting up six doors down from The Second City, which has been teaching this city to be funny since 1959. We are teaching you to be the one people hand the shaker to. Same block, lower stakes, better drinks.

HOW IT WORKS

Think of it like a cooking class, except you taste everything and nobody makes you wash up.

Every brand brings a holiday cocktail built around their own spirit, batched ahead so the line keeps moving and you are not standing there watching somebody muddle. Behind each table is a brand ambassador who actually knows the bottle: why that spirit, why those ingredients, what to swap when your cousin only has the cheap stuff. The recipe card is right there. Take it.

The cocktail. A 3 ounce cup of the brand's own holiday recipe, poured by someone who can tell you exactly how it comes together.

The neat pour. A 1/4 ounce pour in a 1 ounce cup, the spirit straight, so you taste what went into the drink.

You get both. Counted separately, and every ticket includes both.

Six weeks later, when you are the one who "just kind of threw this together" at the family party, nobody needs to know it took one Saturday afternoon on Wells Street.

GET PAID TO PARTY

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Sign up free, share your link, get paid. That is the whole thing.

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WHAT IS INCLUDED

Cocktails and neat pours, both, all afternoon

A holiday recipe card at every table, yours to take home

A brand ambassador behind every table who knows the spirit, not a hired pourer reading off a card

️ Food and drink specials all afternoon, non alcohol options included

A small bite buffet from 2:30 to 4:00, VIP only, passed and stationed bites rather than all you can eat

An event photographer, because somebody has to prove you were charming

Over 20 pours, and something new at every table.

️ TICKET OPTIONS

Prices climb as the date gets closer. The early birds win, they always do. The time on your ticket is when you can come in.

2:30PM VIP, 20 pours. 13 cocktails and 7 neat samples. First in the room, 90 minutes before general admission. The high end bottles are open to you for straight pours, VIP only. Small bite buffet from 2:30 to 4:00.

3:00PM VIP, 20 pours. 13 cocktails and 7 neat samples. In before general admission. The high end bottles are open to you for straight pours, VIP only. Small bite buffet until 4:00.

4:00PM GENERAL, 13 pours. 8 cocktails and 5 neat samples. Full run of the room and every cocktail on the floor.

4:30PM GENERAL, 13 pours. 8 cocktails and 5 neat samples. Same access, a little later, a little friendlier on price.

5:00PM SAMPLE, 6 pours. 3 cocktails and 3 neat samples. The last hour, for a taste of the room.

Food and drink specials run all afternoon, for everyone.

Groups of 8 or more, message [email protected] for a discount.

2026 LINEUP

Blaum Brothers Distilling

Borde Liso Tequila

Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Ledaig with CVH Spirits

Casa Maestri with Agave Boom

Gardenista

Grand Mayan with MS Walker

Hunch Punch

KOVAL Distillery

Patriarch XO

PRP Wine

Renard Whiskey

More brands announced as they confirm. Lineup and pours subject to change.

️ WHY CHICAGO KEEPS SHOWING UP

Sold out events in this city since 2010

Real makers behind every table, not a hired pourer reading a card

Room to roam, because a party is not a queue

A support team that actually answers

Community first: connect people, build relationships, make memories

Over 100 distilleries, importers and brands have poured at a Social Scene tasting.

Interested in showcasing your brand or business at the Holiday Cocktail Tasting Festival? Reach out to [email protected] and we will send over the details.

THE DETAILS

Saturday, November 14, 2:30PM to 6:00PM

Utopian Tailgate, 1610 N Wells St LL-4, Chicago IL 60610, in Old Town

21+. Please sip responsibly.

Social Scene is all about community: to connect people, build relationships, and create memories with awesome events.