Ever made a reservation for happy hour before? Starting Thursday, October 19, intimate Walnut Street lounge Tryst is holding a weekly series of classes on how to make great cocktails and select the perfect wines. Held from 5:30–7:30 at this chic new bar below Le Bec-Fin, the sessions will be led by either manager Erik Lombardo or sommelier Cristine Bruno, switching off as the focus jumps between mixology and vintage appreciation.

The $25 fee includes the lesson, a flight of three wines or cocktails and light bites to accompany the libations. The recently revamped bar has fewer than 30 seats – including high-backed silver stools along a glass-topped bar and orange-cushioned clear chairs beside small mahogany tables – so reservations for the classes are strongly suggested.

Current classes on the schedule are as follows: Oct 19 – The Manhattan; Oct 26 – Bubbles: A Look at Sparkling; Nov 2 – The Old Fashioned; and Nov 9 – Best Autumnal Reds.

Even if you don’t sign up for the course, know that regular happy hour has been introduced. On Monday–Thursday from 5–7 PM, a selection of $4 beers, $6 wines and a seasonal punch for $7 are on offer. Or, if you’re feeling more luxurious, there’s always the custom absinthe service and silver-plated caviar, borrowed from Georges Perrier’s French fine-dining room upstairs.

Photo by Danya Henninger