Dumpling and cocktail classes at Grasshopper Eating House and Bar

Grasshopper was one of Sydney’s very first small bars. Now subterranean dives are a Sydney speciality, but this old boy has kept chugging along, maintaining a robust drinks list and offering an Asian-inspired food menu.

They’ve decided to share the secret to their long-held success in cooking and cocktail classes. You can master the fiddly art of making dumplings, learning to fold a fine layer of dough around chicken, pork, mushrooms and even healthy kale. The recipe comes straight from the Grasshopper’s kitchen, and the group class takes on the steamed and boiled versions.

If you’d rather become a bottle-juggling mixologist, the cocktail classes take you through the construction of three drinks. You’ll produce a retro refreshment (perhaps a Piña Colada); a classy original – shaken, not stirred; and finish with a new invention designed specifically for your cocktail education. Give either workshop a crack for $55 per person, or do a bit of both in a dumpling-cocktail mashup.

The classes can be booked as functions – a minimum group size applies. And when class is out, try Grasshopper's chicken wings. The signature snack packs a serious crunch, and it’s sweetened up by a quick dip in a spicy maple glaze.