Whether it was the wine of Dionysus or a plastic jug of Everclear collecting dust in a corner of the Palace Market, alcohol has for centuries been an instrument of celebration and social connection. For Point Reyes Station resident and seasoned culinary alchemist Catherine Spanger, the power of a quality drink lies not in its alcohol content, but in its ingredients and forethought. Ms. Spanger is leading a series of Good Drinks classes at the Dance Palace, and the next installment takes place later this month.
At her last class in April, she showcased a seasonal elixir: the Spring Tonic Reviver, a non-alcoholic drink made with homemade hibiscus tea, tonic syrup and citrus bitters topped with San Pellegrino.
Ms. Spanger’s classes are no bacchanal. But decades of ingredient tasting, research and a sincere interest in nutrition have led her to craft recipes that make for a colorful class and an intoxicating learning experience. Ms. Spanger has defected from the term “mocktail,” which was popularized as non-alcoholic bars cropped up in major cities and the concept of the home bartender took flight during the pandemic.
“Good Drinks” is what she calls her classes, and she asserts that the ingredients can stand on their own, without the need for alcohol.
Her homemade bitters contains 15 herbs, spices, and citrus fruits. Since the ingredients are her emphasis, Ms. Spanger has her students try each one before adding it into the drink, asking them to examine and understand why that piece of the puzzle fits with the rest. Mixology, according to Ms. Spanger, is closer to baking than to cooking. Exact measurements are key, and even minute additions can completely alter the flavor profile of a drink.
In her class on April 28, she handed out cardamom seeds, quinine bark and various herbs and weeds to taste before trying her homemade bitters. Though most of her ingredients come from her own garden, she also suggests alternatives to household ingredients: California bay leaf can be replaced with the milder and slightly sweeter Turkish bay, for example.
Drinking tips are ad libbed between her instructions:
“Always chill your glass and ingredients for a cold drink.”
“Use an herbal gin for a G&T and a plain gin for a negroni.”
“Bitters should be used to enhance the flavors of a drink, not make it bitter.”
Though Ms. Spanger can lecture on the history and ingredients of a good drink, her roots lie in the food industry. In 2000, Ms. Spanger got a job at Greens, a landmark vegetarian restaurant at Fort Mason that uses produce from Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. It started her journey in nutrition and environmentally minded recipe
building.
Ms. Spanger worked as a line cook for six months before moving back home to Concord, where she lived with her parents and worked in water conservation. The food culture in Concord had yet to be influenced by the burgeoning organic and sustainability movement sweeping the Bay Area, she said. Listening to journalist Claire Cummings’s show on KPFA opened her eyes to a world of possibilities when it came to environmental practices in growing food.
Through Ms. Cummings, Ms. Spanger learned of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center in Sonoma County—an 80-acre research nonprofit at the forefront of sustainable farming. Ms. Spanger catered at the center’s event dinners, and soon met Berkeley-based chef Jessica Prentice. The two bonded over their shared interests in food. Meeting for lunch one afternoon, they talked about their mutual dream of opening a kitchen that could service a wider community and uphold their values on food production and consumption.
“She said she wanted to paint the walls with the digestive system of her dream café—that’s how dedicated she was to the idea of being healthy,” Ms. Prentice said of Ms. Spanger.
The dream became a reality in 2006, when Ms. Spanger and Ms. Prentice joined with three other dedicated chefs to found Three Stone Hearth, a kitchen cooperative in Berkeley based on the ethic of nutrient-dense foods.
“We bought 30 crocks and were making hundreds of jars of sauerkraut, kimchi, soups and stews,” Ms. Spanger said. “People would go online and place their order and pick food up during the week. My husband, John, says that we brought the Mason jar into fashion.”
It was through Three Stone Hearth that Ms. Spanger met Point Reyes Station resident Jenefer Merrill, who eventually introduced her to her now-partner of 14 years. After eight years working in Berkeley, Ms. Spanger moved to Point Reyes Station.
She thinks there’s something missing in West Marin—a place for people to gather comfortably and have an experience molded by an accessible, immersive setting, cuisine and cocktails.
Inspired by the ambiance found in the old wooden bar and views of Nick’s Cove in Marshall or the dim coziness of the old Station House Café, Ms. Spanger has dreams of making these courses into a comparable experience. One involves a traveling bar cart with expanding shelves that reveal a full bar equipped with a record player and jazz LPs. Another is called “the Brothel,” in which she would make her own broth and people can add what they want from a buffet of ingredients.
“You invite people into a magical place with lights and the right music—you create something around you that is magical. That’s the essence of myself and my goal with [Good Drinks]. Going in there and having nice linens, flowers and nice glasses and ice that make a perfect drink—it helps to create an environment for meeting people you had no idea were around you.”
With the help of her assistants, Denise Goitia and Richard Clarke, Ms. Spanger will continue her seasonal classes at the Dance Palace. On Sunday, Aug. 27, she will unveil her next summer drink: the melon quencher—a lime, mint and watermelon cocktail.
To sign up for Catherine Spanger’s “Good Drinks: The Summer Melon Quencher,” from 6 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27 at the Dance Palace, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-good-drinks-class-summer-melon-quencher-tickets-679581926837?aff=oddtdtcreator.