BELFAST—Tina Del Santo and Katherine Loblein, co-owners of The Front Street Pub in Belfast, might have been a little whupped after the long Memorial Day weekend, but on Tuesday evening, but they were rarin’ to go, setting up for their very first Mixology Class.

Each registrant had to preregister for the $25 class, which included ingredients for four cocktails, a free cocktail shaker and complimentary food from the kitchen. With eight participants lined up in front of two serving tables laden with bowls of limes, lemons, mint, cucumber and jalapenos, Del Santo and Loblein led a highly informative and entertaining class to teach people the basics of muddling, mixing and measuring cocktails with a variety of top shelf and infused spirits.

Apart from attending a bartending class (the nearest being in Portland), there really isn’t a one-off class in the Midcoast that formally teaches the art of  cocktail making except for this one. (At one point, an underaged young man wandered in, hoping he could audit the class to get some bartending skills, but unfortunately, state law couldn’t allow him to be there.) That just underscored how valuable these kind of skills are, not just for home entertaining, but also for potential side income as a bartender or caterer.

The cocktails that Del Santo and Loblein chose to offer included the mojito, martini, margarita, and a bonus summer cocktail.

“There are so many ways to do all of these drinks, so there is really no wrong way to make them,” said Loblein. “We’re just teaching them basics like anything with juice you shake and anything with soda water you stir.”

Sitting at the head table were Del Santo’s housemade vats of Maine blueberry infused vodka, Maine raspberry infused vodka, Maine strawberry infused tequila, pepper-infused vodka and coconut infused rum. Behind that were a number of regular and top shelf spirits.

Two sets of four participants on each side of the serving tables didn’t start out to be rivals, but by the first drink, a friendly wager was on: which side of the table could produce a better cocktail? For example one side made the Mojito with vodka and muddled strawberry or mango, while the other side opted to make it with Bacardi rum, simple syrup, soda water and a floater (i.e. a light coating) of Myers rum.

“If you don’t like rum, you can make a Mojito with anything,” said Loblein, who encouraged the participants to break the rules, have fun and experiment.

“I made mine with vodka because vodka makes everything better,” said Diane Sturgeon.

Once the participants had one finished cocktail under their belt (and took a belt), things began to get more creative. When it came to the martini, some participants opted to muddle blueberry and others went for the straight-up traditional martini with gin and a drop or two of vermouth.

“I made mine with muddled jalapeno peppers and olive juice,” said Nicole Carbisiero holding out her glass. “Hot and dirty!”

The margarita was the third cocktail on the menu and everyone played this one fairly straight with tequila, Cointreau, fresh-squeezed lime juice and sour mix, although some opted for a little muddled mango or strawberry at the end.

The fourth and final cocktail of the night is perfect for a Maine summer evening with ingredients one can grow right in one’s garden. The bonus summer cocktail consisted of: gin and soda water made with cucumber, mint or strawberry.

The Front Street Pub considered their first Mixology Class a great success and will be offering more in the future.

To see what other craft cocktails Penobscot Bay Pilot has covered over the last year and a half from area restaurants and bars, check out The best craft cocktails in the Midcoast.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com