At the age of 14 my family started making wine and I dove head first into the industry. I thought it was so unique. Over time, I fell in love with it more and more. There was something so amazing about being able to tell a story through a bottle. It was like tasting a piece of history. When I realized that correlation between wine and spirits as being a way to tell history, I gravitated towards spirits. I’ve always been the creative type, but I’m a terrible painter or artist in that respect. I love putting things together to create art, whether it’d be a DIY decorative candle holder or a batch of cookies. So that translated to the world of mixology; finding things that fit together seemingly seamlessly to create something exquisite. Being able to combine flavors, creativity and history, that’s what made me want to become a bartender.
I started bartending by mixing drinks in my dorm room in college (shhh don’t tell the RAs!). I was not impressed by the “shot of cheap vodka and swig of chaser” combo and wanted to make something I could enjoy with my friends. I started with mixing different mixers together and then moved on to making sangrias, then to learning more about actual liquors through my own research. When I finally turned 21, I signed up for a mixology class. It was a two-week course, but I finished it in 4 days and got 100%. I learned the physical and theoretical side of bartending. At that point, I started bartending private events and created my Instagram account SOMMthing Rad to keep myself accountable–constantly tasting new wines, beers, and making new cocktail recipes. I then worked at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach as an intern for the Beverage manager. I learned a lot more about the types of liquors and products there. I also helped with making new cocktails too.
At UCLA I started the Sommelier’s Club and knew that part of learning about the wine industry was also knowing a thing or two about spirits. So I consulted my friend Julien who was a bartender at The Tasting Kitchen in Venice Beach, CA at the time. He taught me a little more about craft cocktails. Then I graduated college and went to culinary school to learn more about wine. After coming back from culinary school and getting my certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, I was still on a wine high. I started working for the family business but continued to bartend a little on the side. Then, I met my business partner in the MIllennial Wine Beer & Spirits Competition where I feel I get a great opportunity to work with incredible mixologists and learn a lot about spirits. As I previously mentioned, I continued to make and build up new cocktail recipes. So, when the pandemic hit, I had time to achieve one of my life goals: write a book. So I took my recipes and wrote my cocktail book, Rad Cocktails (available everywhere online– Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart, etc).
So where am I now? Doing a little bartending on the side, taking over my friends bars as guest bartender, and continually learning and loving wine, beer, and spirits.
I tell people I want to be the next Robert Parker, but the female version, and not just for wine. I really love sharing the stories and the flavors of wine, beer, and spirits with people. It’s my passion to share this kind of happiness. So, I’d love to be a go-to name in the industry for quality wines and spirits. Someone that people look to for advice on selecting the perfect wine for them. I want to share the unique and exciting wines with the world that people aren’t talking enough about. I just want to continue to share the joy that the world of beverage has shared with me.
It really depends. Usually, I’ll get inspired by a cocktail I’ve seen or food I’ve consumed. Or, I may read about a liqueur that piques my interest that I want to work with a little. It honestly depends. But I will say, most of my ideas are brought to me at like 9 am. When I was living at my parents’, I’d ask them to taste my cocktails in the morning when I’m making them. They thought I was crazy, drinking at 9 am. I told them when I’m in the winery, we’re up at 6 am tasting, so this is nothing! And they would try the cocktails and let me know what they think. So it’s likely that if I’m experimenting with cocktails, I’m probably in my pajamas.
The most important part of what I do is making sure that those who enjoy my craft are happy. I always want to share stories, but some people aren’t interested in that, they just want a great cocktail. So, that’s what I provide. If people want to learn all about the distilling process, or about specific liqueurs, I’m all ears. I find that the worst bartenders to deal with are the pretentious ones. I get it, this is your craft, but in the end, your craft needs consumers to be successful. So making sure I conquer that is most important.
There’s a lot of change happening in the F&B industry so that’s a broad question. But I think the biggest thing that’s changing is the importance of branding. Restaurants and bars are most visited when they’re “Instagrammable.” And I think that is going to continue to be the case. Cocktails need to be pretty. Garnishes need to be elaborate. You are putting on a show and that’s what’s expected. Company values are important: people are drinking more sustainably, purchasing brands that align with what they value and consuming more products that are showcasing something special. That’s important, and if companies don’t see that, they will fall behind.
For any more info on my businesses you can check them out here:
AJA Vineyards, @ajavineyards
millennialcompetition.com @millennialcompetition
sommthingrad.com, @sommthing.rad
I had a virtual tasting client who asked me to make a mock-paper plane. Had to figure out how to make this drink without alcohol when ¾ of the drink is made with spirits…
