Gold Bar’s Cocktail Classes Skyrocket Sales and Earn a Forbes Feature

Case Study Summary

Launched in December 2024, Gold Bar Distillery’s cocktail classes gave a major boost to the business by attracting more visitors to its Treasure Island location. Thanks in large part to Weston Davis, who helped create and lead the experience after completing his first year at Gold Bar.

The hands-on cocktail classes consistently led to noticeable increases in bottle sales and earned over 100 consecutive five-star reviews.

The program’s success was recognized in Forbes and most recently honored with the 2025 American Marketing Association Award for Best Local Campaign, highlighting how Weston’s engaging approach helped strengthen the brand’s visibility, reputation, and customer experience.

Employer:
- Gold Bar Spirits Company
Services:
- Cocktail Class Instructor
- Brand Ambassador
- Bartender
Years Worked:
- November 2023 – Present 2025
Campaign Timeline
- December 2024 – Present 2025

Table of Contents show

Employer – Gold Bar

Gold Bar Spirits produces award-winning whiskey and gin, known for their smooth taste and premium craftsmanship.

As the official whiskey of the San Francisco 49ers, the brand blends quality with a spirit of celebration.

Their tasting room on Treasure Island offers stunning views of the Bay, along with expertly crafted cocktails, delicious food, and immersive tasting experiences.

Launching the Cocktail Class Experience

In late 2024, Gold Bar introduced a new way for guests to engage with the brand: immersive cocktail-making classes built around their signature spirits.

I, Weston Davis, along with Jeffrey Beaulieu and William Powell, were chosen as the mixology instructors, guiding patrons through the creation of three whiskey-based cocktails while delivering an engaging experience that highlighted:

The history of Treasure Island
The craftsmanship behind Gold Bar Spirits
How Gold Bar’s whiskey and gin create fun, memorable experiences

Launched in December 2024, this campaign aimed to connect attendees with the Gold Bar brand experience, using hands-on engagement to create lasting impressions and inspire further visits.

The Core Objectives of the Campaign

Boost foot traffic by attracting both locals and visitors through unique, interactive events.
Drive immediate bottle sales at the tasting room during or after the classes.
Encourage word-of-mouth marketing by creating a fun, shareable event that attendees would naturally talk about with friends and family.

Strategy & Execution

The main strategy of the cocktail classes was to create a fun, hands-on experience that helped people connect with Gold Bar Spirits. We followed a basic structure but allowed each instructor to add their personal touch. I excelled at group engagement, ensuring participants felt involved and excited. Jeff shared his deep knowledge of mixology and local bars, and Will added creative ideas that kept the classes exciting.

As interest in the classes grew, our team adapted quickly to keep the experience smooth, fun, and high-quality. We coordinated closely, supported one another behind the bar, and made small improvements over time to match the increasing demand.

The result was a consistent and engaging experience, even as class sizes expanded and more guests joined the fun.

Class Structure

The classes taught participants how to make three whiskey cocktails. Each cocktail used a different Gold Bar whiskey. We showed participants how to use bar tools, mix drinks, and gain skills they could use at home.

The Gold Bar Cocktail Class cocktails are a whiskey sour, an old fashioned, and a paper plane.

After the mixology session, we shared the history of Treasure Island and explained how Gold Bar Spirits ties into its story. This helped create a strong connection between the brand and the island’s history.

After the mixology session, guests were offered exclusive in-person deals and branded merchandise, encouraging both sales and a deeper connection to the brand.

Some instructors like to add their own personal touch to their classes. For example, I started ending mine with an LED dance performance to make it even more fun and add a surprise element.

Cocktail Class Results

Gold Bar’s cocktail classes quickly became one of the distillery’s most successful initiatives.

The early sessions immediately exceeded expectations, prompting a rapid expansion in class size to accommodate strong demand.

Guests frequently captured and shared their experiences on social media, with many posts featuring cocktails, city views, and class moments.

This generated a natural wave of word-of-mouth promotion. By early 2025, a growing number of attendees were discovering the class through Instagram, TikTok, and online recommendations.

Forbes Feature of Gold Bar Cocktail Classes

The growing popularity of the classes even caught the attention of Forbes. Forbes contributor Chelsea Davis attended one of our sessions and wrote a feature highlighting the experience. I had the pleasure of being her instructor that evening. The article praised the interactive nature of the classes and the engaging atmosphere we’ve worked hard to create. Being included in a Forbes article was a huge honor, and it was exciting to see our work recognized on such a high level.

The classes also led to meaningful business results: increased bottle sales, generous tips for instructors, and extended guest stays for food and drinks.

Even on slower weekdays, the sessions consistently brought in enthusiastic crowds and glowing feedback.

To date, the program has earned over 100 five-star reviews across multiple platforms, with guests regularly praising the quality of the experience and the energy of the instructors.

The Classes Continued to Grow In 2025

The continued growth of Gold Bar’s cocktail class program wouldn’t have been possible without the vision and support of our leadership team.

Founder Elliott Gillespie and Head of Marketing Sam Thumm played a key role in expanding the program and giving our team the freedom to make it something truly special.

As the campaign evolved, so did our crew. What began with myself, Will Powell, and Jeff Beaulieu quickly expanded to include Nick Carignani, Brandon Morisset, and Madeline Willson.

Each instructor brought their own personality and spark to the guest experience. Their contributions helped keep classes vibrant, engaging, and consistently fun.

Behind the scenes, Director of Hospitality Roxy Stokes partnered with marketers Arielle Ghiloni and Vee Feyling to manage logistics, private events, and week-to-week coordination that kept the program running smoothly.

As demand increased, so did class sizes, sometimes doubling to over 30 guests per session, led by two instructors working in tandem.

Even with larger groups, the classes remained interactive, personal, and energetic, eventually drawing high-profile guests and plenty of buzz.

75 Five-Star Reviews Challenge

By April 2025, our cocktail class program had received 75 consecutive five-star reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp, with many guests praising both Gold Bar and individual instructors by name.

Perfect 5 star reviews on every platform — *With more reviews on Google and Yelp, along with our usual services*

To celebrate this milestone, our leadership team treated the instructors to a well-earned dinner at House of Prime Rib.

By the time we sat down to eat, the count had already passed 100 glowing reviews. A true testament to the experience we’d all worked hard to create.

The cocktail class team at the House of Prime Rib — *The Gold Bar Cocktail Class Team is celebrating reaching 75 reviews! 🥃*

Celebrity Classes and World Records

We also hosted celebrity cocktail classes featuring Tom Schwartz (from Vanderpump Rules) and celebrity jeweler Kyle Chan. I had the privilege of assisting both during their sessions, helping turn their visits into unforgettable, media-worthy events.

Celebrity Cocktail Class with Tom Schwartz and Kyle Chan

Weston hanging out with Tom Schwartz and Kyle Chan

Then in May 2025, we took the campaign to a whole new level by helping Gold Bar break a Guinness World Record for the most cocktails stirred simultaneously.

On May 17th, I helped lead 881 participants in stirring 881 cocktails at once.

Gold Bar shattered the previous record of 300 participants (set in 2017).

Hunter Pence Leads Gold Bar’s World Record Attempt

It was a massive activation that brought together live events, media, and global brand storytelling.

Weston and Gold Bar broke the Guinness World Record for most cocktails stirred at once. 881 people on 5/17/2025. — *Gold Bar and Weston **broke the Guinness World Record for most cocktails stirred at once.** 881 people stirring simultaneously on 5/17/2025.*

Honored by the AMA as Best Local Marketing Campaign of 2025

While volunteering with the American Marketing Association’s San Francisco chapter, I saw an opportunity to spotlight our cocktail class program.

In February 2025, I submitted Gold Bar’s campaign to the AMA Marketing Awards, outlining the challenge we tackled, our experiential approach, and the results it achieved.

On July 24, I attended the AMA Awards Ceremony in San Francisco and watched as Gold Bar’ Spirits Company’s cocktail class was named Best Local Marketing Campaign of 2025, winning over the Stanford Jazz Festival.

AMA Awards Winners - Including Gold Bar (Photo by Justin Chu)

The award was judged by a panel of top marketing leaders from the SF Giants, Kaiser Permanente, Emergent Ventures, and SF Travel, as well as executives from Lyft Media, Credible, and The Talent Studios.

Earning their recognition was a true honor and a testament to what this campaign accomplished.

The trophy we won now lives in Gold Bar’s Treasure Island tasting room, a lasting reminder of the campaign’s impact and the experience we built.

Gold Bar Best Local Marketing Campaign Trophy

This Campaign Redefined Gold Bar’s Tasting Room

The cocktail classes have become one of Gold Bar Spirits’ standout offerings, transforming a fun weekly event into a core part of what makes visiting the tasting room special.

With the support of our growing instructor team and the efforts of staff across departments, we created memorable moments for hundreds of guests each month.

The energy, hospitality, and creativity behind the classes helped generate buzz, earned national media coverage, and left a lasting impression on everyone who joined.