Learn the art and science of non-alcoholic mixology
Learning Liquids is the home for comprehensive non-alcoholic beverage education. We go deep on the ingredients, the techniques and the principles behind every great zero-proof drink.
The components and techniques behind every great zero-proof drink.
Learning Liquids goes deep on the full spectrum of non-alcoholic beverage craft. That means the finished drinks and everything that goes into them: the non-alcoholic spirits, syrups, vinegars and extracts. We teach how each component is made, how it functions in a drink and how to use it with intention. The finished drink is the destination. What you learn getting there is the point.
Meet Lila Volkas
My love of teaching people to make beverages started with kombucha. I got my very first SCOBY in 2012 and by 2013 I was already filling the small basement cafe of my student food co-op with students who wanted to learn about fermented tea. Teaching wasn't new to me. It started with my very first job as a gymnastics instructor at 14. I have always loved the energy of a curious room and the moment something complicated suddenly clicks for someone.
I've been on the hunt for delicious non-alcoholic beverages since 2015, the year a health crisis quietly began to unravel my life. That journey led me back to school for holistic nutrition and into an herb store in Berkeley where I fell in love with plants, their flavor profiles, their properties and how they could make a drink a self-care moment. Following what makes my body feel good has become the driving force behind everything I've built since. And alcohol does not make me feel great.
What started as a kombucha workshop side hustle grew into a full-time business of 35+ different workshops at the intersection of food, beverages, and wellness. Creating educational, hands-on experiences that facilitate connection has become my art form.
years facilitating food, beverage & wellness workshops
sessions facilitated to date
participants in-person and virtually
Lila's journey
2013
First SCOBY. First workshop.
Teaching kombucha-making at a student food co-op in Vancouver, Canada long before it had its own fridge section at grocery stores
2015
Health crisis → holistic nutrition school → herb store
A chronic illness led Lila to cut out alcohol entirely and train as a holistic nutritionist. Working at a Berkeley herb store deepened her knowledge of botanicals, their flavor profiles and how they could be tools for health.
2017
Elixir Happy Hour
One of the first dedicated non-alcoholic beverage workshops — functional ingredients, botanical syrups, drinking chocolate with herbs. A curious room full of people who didn't know what to expect.
2020
Pandemic pivot
Virtual workshops opened up a nationwide and global audience. Business grew 5x almost overnight and non-alcoholic beverage classes quickly became the top booked experience.
Now
Learning Liquids
The platform that Lila built to give non-alcoholic mixology the dedicated, comprehensive education it deserves. Where you learn the structure, technique and why behind every drink so you can stop guessing and start creating.
