Creator Spotlight: The Barlesstender

Last month we hosted our first Mixily Mixer to bring together some of the hosts using Mixily! We wanted to do something extra special for a virtual room full of event organizers, so we invited The Barlesstender, a fellow Mixily user, to lead a bartending class online. Rashid shared a recipe list in advance and we mixed up our drinks together and chatted about all things events. It was a memorable way of gathering! The Barlesstender is available for family gatherings, company parties, date nights, etc. Read on to learn about Rashid and the story of The Barlesstender.

Mixily hosts at our first Mixily Mixer learning how to make cocktails with The Barlesstender

Introduce your business

The Barlesstender began as an earnest attempt to pass along some of the knowledge my wife Kasey and myself have gleaned from our 35 (collective) years of working in the service industry.  While on furlough from the Soho House in Malibu, in an attempt to make ends meet I began making cocktails for our neighbors.  After about a week of fielding questions regarding how we crafted our cocktails, Kasey and I thought it may be worth it to host events where we aim to demystify some of the art behind the craft of bartending.  Soon enough we began compiling ideas for different Cocktail Kits that showcase a specific spirit and show the participants of an event how said spirit can be utilized in several different cocktails.  Our goal is to not only teach our attendees how to make singular cocktails but, to provide them with a foundation from which they can develop their own customized cocktails.  Currently we are constructing our cocktail kits for special events like holiday parties, corporate team building exercises and special occasions such as birthdays or engagement toasts.

How often do you host events?

We are currently hosting one to two events per month.  We are excited about the possibilities of using the ticketing system provided by Mixily to host our own events in the future.

What’s an upcoming event you’re organizing that you’re most excited about?

We are currently working on our first large scale event for SquareSpace.  They are opening an office here in Los Angeles and since we all can’t gather to enjoy a drink we are all going to simultaneously experience the same drinks together at the same time.  We are going to make a bevy of margaritas and I’m excited to show the guests how the addition of a fruit or herb can really jazz up their margi!

Have you always hosted virtual events or how have they become part of your business this year? 

By no means are we seasoned in hosting virtual events.  We are extremely excited that we are able to interact with people in a safe forum and feel fortunate that the technology exists to pull off these kinds of interactions between people that may be two miles or 2000 miles apart.

Any positive results of hosting virtual events? 

We have had such fun getting to know people in the comfort of their kitchens.  The ability to bring our knowledge directly to the consumer is a core of our business model.

If someone was looking to host an event for their first time, any words of wisdom you would give them? 

Prepare an outline and do whatever it is that you do to set your mind at ease before your event begins.  I find that re-reading my material and a few deep breaths do wonders for my nerves.

Since using Mixily, what is your favorite feature? 

I personally love how easy it is to remind attendees of when the event is. Along with automatic reminders, the ticketing system seems to me to be such a wonderful feature.

Do you have any pre-event rituals to get you in the groove like a favorite drink, snack, song or outfit? 

I’ll answer in order: Whatever we are going to make during the event, Sour Patch kids, the song depends on the theme of the event and the outfit revolves around a “Black People Love Beer” shirt my wife purchased for me from Crown & Hops (a local brewery here in Los Angeles.

Any new favorite podcasts, books or TV shows you’ve discovered this year?

At the beginning of the beginning of my furlough I read Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.  It was a little surreal reading about a fictional pandemic in the early days of no toilet paper on the shelves, but it was somewhat calming to know that our real experience was nowhere near as bad as the universe those characters lived in.  It’s wonderfully paced and has a great payoff.  

What is your favorite or most used emoji?  

Call to action - where can readers learn more/sign up for upcoming events/follow on social.

We are still building our website and social media but we will be found at www.TheBarlesstender.com and @The.Barlesstender on Instagram.  We can also be reached via email thebarlesstender@gmail.com  and @_DangerGreen on Twitter.

Recipe from @the.barlesstender