Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Thompson.
Nicole, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I love hosting at my house. I’d have friends and family over where we’ll talk, play games, and drink. While everything is going on, you’d find me in the kitchen experimenting and mixing drinks for everyone. In the beginning, my alcohol to mixer ratio was definitely a bit off, but after practicing enough times my drinks came out more and more consistent.
I came to a point in my life where I was bored. I was in a routine and needed a hobby. I thought about it and decided to try bartending. I mixed enough drinks for free, might as well try to make some money. I started to research bartending schools in Atlanta and found the Professional Bartending School in Brookhaven to be the best fit for me. That class was awesome, challenging, but definitely fun! I also had a great instructor, Joe Bradley, who was the true definition of a bartender. He inspired me even more; Not only to be a bartender but be my own boss.
After I received my Mixology certification in October 2017, it took me a while to do anything with it. I didn’t know where to start and, well, life. One day, I had some free time and decided to create my Instagram account, but I didn’t have any content to post that would make a statement. I took out all the alcohol I had and looked around for the perfect background. I couldn’t find any so I went to Walmart to buy some black felt, I came back home and cut out a shoebox to create a stage. I then hot-glued the felt to the shoe box and Boom, that was my mini studio. I went to work and started mixing! Some were classic cocktails and others were what I thought of off the top of my head. Ideas just kept flowing and I just kept mixing and taking pictures until I realized how late it was and told myself to take a break. The next day, I created my business cards and I began posting cocktails almost every day. I applied to become an LLC, and in less than a month, I booked my first event. It’s only been a year that I’ve started my business and I’m only getting me feel wet!
It’s been such a blessing!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
UGH, Struggles!! Where do I start?!? It definitely has NOT been a smooth road! At first, I didn’t know where to start but I tried to get my brand out there any way I could. I bought tamper-proof 8 oz bottles and with any event going on, I would walk around with my cooler yelling ‘$5 Cocktails!’ hoping that people would come to me. Some days were good, but there were a couple of times I was kicked out of events (for reasons that are now clear to me). I also came to realize that there are a lot of talented people out there doing the same things that I was initially doing, which was definitely intimidating. In addition, the risks of putting trust in untrustworthy people has proven to be one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far. I have a big heart, and it has been taken advantage of a couple of times. Therefore, these moments have taught me to be a bit edgier in my business approach and interactions. Other than that, business expenses continued to increase before I saw any actual income. There were also plenty of times I had to put my vision to the side because life got the best of me. However, for every struggle I encountered, I kept going until I overcame it because I felt that I was headed in the right direction, and I knew this path would not be an easy one.
Please tell us about The Nixologist.
The Nixologist’s primarily specializes in bartending and cocktail consulting. The focus is making sure your event goes down in the books as one of the best and bringing cocktails to the next level. You can be assured that you don’t have to worry about the alcohol service when you book with me. The bartending service includes a signature drink which is curated specifically for the host. You tell me what flavors you’re looking for and I’ll take it from there. The Nixologist prides itself in only using premium liquors as quality is key. Also, homemade syrups and juices are used in the Nixologist’s cocktails. Expecting guests that don’t drink alcohol? No worries! All cocktails can be made into mocktails (non-alcoholic drinks). Need vegan-friendly drinks? The Nixologist can curate those as well!
As mentioned before, I love experimenting. I’ve made cocktail gummy bears, cocktail popsicles (Nixie Pops), alcohol ice cream, I’m currently working on perfecting alcohol lollipops, and will then start on baked treats.
For items outside of bartending, you can find me vending at events around Atlanta.
There’s so much you can do with alcohol, and I’m trying to perfect them all!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory would be playing outside with the kids on the street I grew up on. This was during the time where kids actually went outside LOL. Every summer, we played a different game: Football, Baseball, Zombies, Cops and Robbers (hated it!), and really anything we can think of. We would play all day until we got hurt, or one of our parents would call us inside. We then got into video games and everyone would come to our house to play, ALL DAY! I believe this is where my interest in hosting at the house came from, but I digress. I remember when Sega Dreamcast came out, we played so much that we burned through about 5 systems. As other consoles came out if one person had it, they were the new go-to house and we’d play all day. Trying to figure out when everyone would be outside was probably our only worry at that time. LOL.
Pricing:
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Bartending Service – Starting at $180 for up to 4 hours (Signature drink included)
- Vending Fare: $5 (8 oz bottles) – $10 ($16 oz bottles)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thenixologistbartending.com
- Phone: 678-743-1637
- Email: thenixologistllc@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Karlton James Photography
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