Since first opening in 2018, Collective Governors Island has continually aimed to develop innovative food and beverage experiences for guests. And now, with many New Yorkers craving outdoor experiences, the team decided to introduce unique culinary journeys that showcase local ingredients without the hours of travel time needed to head upstate or out East.
The luxury glamping retreat, which reopened for the 2021 season on May 1, offers two new experiences this summer. The Collective Mixology Experiences ($50 per person) is available Monday through Wednesday and features classes like “Garden to Glass,” “Beat the House,” and “Rose Journey.” You’ll learn tricks of the trade like how to make a variety of simple syrups with herbs from the Governor’s Island teaching garden and get tips from a sommelier on how restaurants select, price, and mark up wine on a wine list.
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Meanwhile, the Collective Culinary Experiences ($60 per person) are available Thursday through Saturday with classes like “The Ideal Cheese & Charcuterie Pairing,” “Shucking & Sabering,” and “Mastering Poaching Lobsters.” With these, you get tips on selecting, shuck, and serving oysters and how to (humanely) prepare, poach, and serve a whole Gravesend Bay Lobster. And with the sabering class, you will get a sword and learn to saber a sparkling wine from the North Fork.
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“Following a year of shelter in place, we spent a lot of time listening to our guests and understanding what kinds of experiences they were looking for when they were able to travel again,” VP of Hospitality, Vanessa Vitale, told Departures. “In addition to wanting to be outdoors, our guests wanted meaningful experiences that not only provided them an escape but also helped support local businesses and communities. Our new culinary journeys provide just that. Also, a photo poaching a lobster or sabering a champagne bottle in front of the Statue of Liberty makes for a pretty memorable experience!”
