Why Team Building Cocktail Classes in Melbourne Work So Well

Add a dash of fun to your team building activities with cocktail classes in Melbourne! Guided by a passionate mixologist, cocktail making classes are the perfect way to level up staff drinks and take your team bonding to new heights. Discover how to make easy cocktail recipes like a classic espresso martini or get creative with signature cocktails at your local mixology school.

Combining the teamwork of the corny trust exercises you were researching for your corporate event, with the Friday night drinks you were all going to indulge in any way, cocktail making will have your crew shaking, stirring and bonding in no time.

Keen to learn the steps needed to make your team building event unforgettable? Here’s why DIY cocktails are perfect for your next office party in Melbourne.

Shake up your team building activities

Truth is, most staff don’t want to give up their time and go to an unpaid team building event. If you want that mentality to change, however (and you should), staff must be enticed! They must be wined, dined and professionally romanced, as it were. You should make them enthusiastic about the thought of spending time with teammates outside of the office. Because then - and only then - will you have a group of people relaxed enough to let their guard drop around people they maybe otherwise wouldn’t. That is the key to strengthening a team. 

So how do cocktail making classes get your office MVPs to that stage? Unlike other infamous team building activities, a mixology class combines a fun learning environment with a healthy party atmosphere. Because there’s an instructor teaching a set of important, albeit very enjoyable steps in making the perfect cocktail, the party atmosphere doesn’t really run the risk of boiling over. 

Most classes make two or three cocktails maximum to ensure your staff get pleasantly buzzed without taking it too far and defeating the purpose of getting together. It is still a team building event, after all. Many of the staff will have drunk together before this event as well, so adding a bit of structure to an otherwise open-ended sesh allows newcomers to enter the social fold without feeling like an outsider.

Cocktail making is a surprising alternative

Who’s expecting cocktail making classes for their team building activity? There’s nothing better than offering corporate offices fun and interesting alternatives to the standard, go-to team bonding options, and cocktail making is hands down, one of the most popular classes for these groups. Everyone has experienced a strenuous team building corporate event that they have no intention of revisiting, so by offering your staff a refreshing alternative to the usual tropes, you’ll have them engaged before the class has even started.

Your team was likely going to have knock-off drinks at some point during the week anyway, so why not take advantage of that desire and turn it into a constructive, office bonding session? As cocktail classes limit the number of cocktails you make, it still leaves room in the tum for the office to carry on down at the pub after. You’ve just turned office pre-drinks into a healthy, team bonding experience. Pat yourself on the back for good measure. 

Just a dash of competitiveness

Getting the staff together for a game of paintball, go-karting or anything highly competitive is a surefire way to create an insipid sense of superiority and division amongst the ranks. In saying this, however, a little dash of competition can be very helpful. Mixology classes are a group event, but the actual cocktail making itself is a highly individual exercise. Although easy cocktail recipes will be followed and techniques will be mimicked, everyone will inevitably put their own unique spin on the DIY cocktails being made.

Most cocktail classes available also offer a small competition for the best cocktail maker, but when everyone’s enjoyed a strong espresso martini or two, the games take on a much looser feel. Mixology classes are a perfect combination of relaxation, competition, and socialising.

A couple of ounces of creativity

Searching for team bonding ideas that are a little outside the box? DIY cocktails are creative too! Unlike other drinks, the process of making cocktails can have you feeling more engaged. You and your colleagues will feel a sense of accomplishment and pride as you sip your final cocktail creations at one of these rewarding Melbourne experiences.

A rewarding group activity that’ll get your team feeling both creative and connected with a whole lot of fun and laughter in between — what more could you ask for? 

Hands-on cocktail making will increase engagement

Cocktail making classes force a team to do something crucial to the success of any team building activity: engage. Teams that engage with each other are 21 per cent more profitable for a business, a Gallup poll found in 2019. Teams that play together, stay together, and office unity and support have been shown to lower absenteeism by a whopping 41 per cent. If you get your team playing together, their interpersonal relationships will strengthen, resulting in greater trust and understanding in the workplace, equating to higher productivity.

You may give them the afternoon off to goof around and make Margaritas together, but you’ll be repaid twofold when it comes time to knuckle down and work as efficiently as possible. Remember that team building isn’t a splurge, it’s an investment in the people that make your company work. 

Discover the best bars in Melbourne to try cocktail making here. 

This all benefits you, the employer

Not only is team building effective for your staff to bond, but it’s an important opportunity for you as an employer to better appreciate and understand the ever-changing landscape of the office culture. 72 per cent of HR executives surveyed in 2018 said they didn’t understand the culture, and only 19 per cent agreed that they have the “right office culture.” Cocktail making classes are a wonderful way to create a relaxed, festive environment without overdoing the festivities.

Engaging with your employees during team building in a way that symbolically relinquishes your position as an employer is a good way for your employees to feel as if they’re on an equal social footing. This provides them with an environment that allows them to let their guard down and make stronger connections with both you and fellow staff. A touch of liquid courage never hurt, either. 

Cocktail making classes really stand out from the rest when it comes to Melbourne team building activities. With one part collaboration, two parts socialising, a dash of competition and shaken with a healthy dose of staff engagement, you’ll have your team enjoying a frosted glass of good office culture in no time!