A New Type of Mixer is Coming to the 715

A new cocktail-focused event series is coming to the Chippewa Valley. Alex and Kendall Sukopp are bringing the Confluence Cocktail Club to our area starting November 14th, and it will give attendees a chance to learn about cocktails, try different spirits and drinks, and mingle with other cocktail enthusiasts. 

It started when Alex became interested in mixology in college. “We would just make drinks for friends, try to replicate the Applebee’s Long Island Iced Tea because that was the best you could get in Rice Lake at the time, and the hobby just kind of grew from there,” he says. Kendall notes that he’s really gotten into the science of cocktails, and Alex’s passion for the hobby is evident. “There’s so much you can do with it besides just mixing a drink,” he says.

They started a blog called Sips from Scripts, where each week they feature a new cocktail. They discuss the history of each cocktail, rate it to each of their tastes, and post a recipe. Sips and Scripts started on Instagram in 2020, and expanded to a full blog in 2021. It’s a fun hobby for both of them, combining Kendall’s photography background and Alex’s love of mixology. 

Sips from Scripts led them to the Confluence Cocktail Club. “During the pandemic we had a pretty good group of online friends who would chat with us about drinks and everything, so we wanted to take it offline and build a little community of people who really loved cocktails like we do in the Chippewa Valley,” Kendall says. “Since we’re transplants, it was hard for us to make a good group of friends here, and we’re hoping that we can kind of serve as that as well for people interested in cocktails.”

They know the owners of Helix Wine, Craft Bar & Cafe in Altoona, and had discussed hosting educational cocktail events, and the owners were interested. “We saw the opportunity and they were totally on board with partnering with us, so here we are,” Alex says. 

The Confluence Cocktail Club is for every experience level and for anyone who is interested in cocktails. “At the end of the day we’re just there to mingle and get to know each other and have fun and talk about cocktails,” Alex says. 

The first Confluence Cocktail Club event is happening next Wednesday, November 15th, from 6-10pm, at Helix. Find tickets here.