Senior Joshua Kazdin is the type of guy who would make the perfect bartender. He knows everything about alcohol, from the history to the best way to mix it. Kazdin, however, has already filled his time as a bartender and is moving on to bigger and better things.
Although he is graduating in May, he taking on the role of Professor of Mixology in his final semester at Duke. Kazdin's self-proclaimed title comes from a new not-for-credit, weekly class sponsored by Duke Student Government and Dean of Undergraduate Education Stephen Nowicki's office.
Kazdin's mixology class is one of three offered by the recently formed Duke Food and Drink. Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Michael Gustafson is teaching wine tasting and senior, illegal restaurateur, and recess Tastes Editor Bryan Zupon is tackling Fine Cuisine 101.
The main goal of these classes, wine tasting and mixology especially, is to create an appreciation of fine food and drinks for Duke students, but also to create a new culture of drinking.
"Behavior tends to model environment," Kazdin said. "That's a reason why students act differently when they're at Nasher Noir rather than a frat party. You can drink the same amount at both, but the expectations of how to act and what is 'acceptable' are radically different."
Though Kazdin knows that these classes will not change drinking culture, he sees the classes as an avenue for a new appreciation of drinking. Whether the person wants to know what to order on a date or an interview, Kazdin hopes they learn to truly appreciate every aspect of wine, food and cocktails.
"We're moving away from SoCo with lime or a flirtini to respecting drinks that are uniquely American, are really colorful, subtle and are actually enjoyable in a social setting, rather than fodder for binge drinking," Kazdin said.
Moreover, Kazdin wants to draw a diverse crowd that harks back to the days when The Hideaway, a student bar, still existed on campus. Kazdin said the bar had a community that was a different from the section party scene. Because of this, he wants a monthly speakeasy-type event where students can focus on what they have learned and enjoy one another's company. He also wants to ensure that this includes faculty.
"Similar to the Duke Plays events, it's just a really good forum for students to meet up with faculty members and see them more as humans... per se," he said.
Gustafson also believes in the faculty and student interaction, but wants to extend that conversation to the community with Triangle wine experts.
"I think a lot of it is just going to be another sort of informal faculty-student interaction," Gustafson said. "A big part of this is inviting faculty staff to be part of this. There are people that really don't know much about wine or are afraid of trying it or don't really have a setting to do it. [By inviting experts, we] increase what sort of breadth people are getting. Getting more community involvement... and [community wine experts to] talk with Duke students about stuff is a really nice side benefit."
Gustafson does, however, want to stress that this is not overly formal.
"It is not the Frasier and Niles Crane crash course in oenology," he said.
Kazdin's interest in the project is rooted in his history with alcohol, going back to his first beer.
"[The] first beer I ever drank was Guinness, so my senses were already set with regards to drinking," Kazdin said. "I was much more drawn to something that would be subtle, interesting, sophisticated rather than something simple just to get the job done."
From there, Kazdin attempted to move beyond the Natty Light scene and tried experimenting with other drinks.
"I was really beholden to what I saw other people ordering. My staple drink was a White Russian because it's what I saw being drunk in The Big Lebowski. Nothing against the Dude, of course," Kazdin said.
He eventually began working with drinks such as B-52s that people found interesting and fun. This led to enrolling in a bartending class while spending a summer taking math classes at Columbia and New York University.
"It seemed, like cooking, to be somewhat of an art," Kazdin said. "It definitely was a nice way to meet women. I never liked anything that was generally more mainstream anyway. Furthermore, it increased my enjoyment."
Kazdin began independently researching the back story of different drinks. Eventually, he was making a name for himself as a bartender at Anotherthyme by creating new drinks named after his friends at Duke. He involved Gustafson after hearing of the professor's involvement in organizing wine tastings with interested students and Maxwell House.
The specifics of the curriculum, especially in wine tasting, are not clear, but Gustafson said he is not worried.
"It's going to be a kind of ground-up," Gustafson said. "The assumption is people will know what a wine is. There might not be any real knowledge of different colors or grapes or regions. The first approach will be really showing folks the differences, then kind of seeing where it goes. Once you figure out who's in it and you go a couple weeks, and people have a basic vocabulary, you can start asking, 'What are you interested in?"
Before students rush to register for the courses, Kazdin has one thing he wants to make clear.
"This is not a forum for drunkards," he said. "Alcohol [is] the libation of conversation. We're appreciating it responsibly without getting dangerous or ahead of ourselves."
Nonetheless, the class is an opportunity for students to refine their taste buds.
"I always enjoy a good wine," said senior Ben Shelton who registered for the class, "and I feel like expanding my palette on Duke's dollar is always a welcome occurrence.".
Details for all three classes, such as meeting time, are still pending, but students and faculty can sign up through the DSG web site at dsg.duke.edu/dfd.
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