Enter to win a $200 gift card to 618 that you can use toward dinner, drinks or a cocktail class!
One of New Jersey’s trendiest spots (and NJ’s best restaurant of 2026, according to Yelp), has a cocktail class made for your next Moms Night Out. 618 Restaurant in Freehold recently renovated its upstairs event space, where up to 100 guests can learn mixology from the pros.
As soon as you walk through the beautifully decorated flower arch, you’re handed a welcome drink. Ours was a white cosmo, which was easy on the cranberry juice, heavy on the vodka. We knew the party was about to get started.
Each reservation had its own table set with all of the pre-portioned ingredients you’ll need for each of the three cocktails you’ll make as a group. Liquor, liqueurs and syrups were labeled alongside the recipe.
The bar managers walked us through each cocktail, explaining the ingredients, flavors and similar drinks you can order from the 618 menu. They broke it down step by step, then let everyone grab their shakers and make the drink themselves. It was so organized and easy to follow that your cocktail went from shaker to glass in no time.
Each set of ingredients is split among two people, so you’ll get to alternate between being the “bartender” and the “barback”–meaning one person mixes and shakes and the other one cleans out the shaker bottle. And because each cocktail used a measured 2-ounce pour of vodka, you could sample as you go.
Our class focused on spring martinis. Strawberry Hibiscus Lemon Drop combined vodka, strawberry hibiscus syrup and lemon juice. Birds of a Feather, 618’s newest signature drink (which is served in the restaurant in a bird-shaped glass) mixes vodka with white tea, St. Germain, Ramazotti Rosato, orange blossom, a few drops of Luxardo maraschino, and lemon juice. The Espresso Martini is simply vanilla bean-infused vodka with espresso and Kofi liquer.
The Espresso Martini was a fan favorite, especially paired with chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate cheesecake bites. It was simple, classic and probably the easiest one to recreate at home, plus it smelled amazing. We must have nailed it, because one of the bartenders stopped by and gave us the ultimate compliment: “Good foam!”
The real highlight of the evening was the cocktail competition , when we were introduced to the ingredient bar and given the freedom to make our own custom drink. We could select from mixers like pineapple or grapefruit juice or tonic water; raspberry, pear or strawberry hibiscus purees; syrups in flavors of lavender honey or kumquat basil; different fruits; cucumbers and jalapenos; and garnishes like mint and basil.
Our choice was to use kumquat basil syrup as the base, adding in blueberries, one strawberry and two sprigs of basil. Tasting like an orange creamsicle but named “Strawberry Fields Forever,” we entered the competition. The judges called it light, summery and not overshaken, but alas, we didn’t win.
Your ticket includes “light bites” – but in true 618 style, light doesn’t mean light in quantity or light in variety. Instead, there is a three-tiered fruit and cheese spread surrounded by antipasto selections; hot entrees like Granny’s Meatballs and penne vodka; appetizers including spanakopita, beef and chicken skewers (in their famous chimichurri sauce), and spicy Indian-flavored chorizo empanadas.
Most people took advantage of the photo wall. The room had a mix of couples and friend groups, making this a great night out for anyone in your adult crew.
There were games, too, like Guess the number of jellybeans in the wine glass, and the number of flowers hidden around the room.
Capping off the night were ice cream sandwiches from Jersey Freeze (whose new food truck is available for party rentals this summer) you could grab before leaving with your goodie bag (which on this night was a bottle of vodka per person!).
By the time you leave, you’re probably not getting hired as the bar manager for 618’s sister restaurants Mezcal Modern Mexican Steakhouse in Old Bridge or Elizabeth’s Italian Restaurant (opening soon in Old Bridge) – but you’ll definitely feel like a master mixologist for your home bar.
The next cocktail class is the May is For Margs margarita-making class from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on May 20. The cost is $99 per person and includes light bites and a goodie bag.
Enter to win a $200 gift card to 618 that you can use toward dinner, drinks or a cocktail class!
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