Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Mitchell
Hi Chelsea, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I joke and say I got to where I am and have this brand because I’m a recovered drunken mess. In 2016, when I was 26 years old, I quit drinking because my other option was an early death.
A few months into my alcohol-free journey I starting making drinks. I was never one to make my own drinks because I lived in a bar and at home I guzzled wine, but I’ve always been a home cook. The first NA drink I remember making was a blueberry mojito for a Saturday UGA game. It was comforting to have something in my hand to sip and I immediately fell in love with the process. Mixing drinks became a ritual that felt like therapy. I began documenting all my journey with photos posted on FB.
Five years into my journey, at the height on COVID when drinking was the thing, I decided to try nonalcholic spirits, wine, and beer as they were becoming popular. I proceeded with caution because I didn’t want to feel triggered return to alcohol. These products are not for everyone, but I was just too curious. I bought a bottle of NA Prosecco, white-zin, and whiskey to start and it snowballed from there. I created an IG account specifically for my drinks and became active in various FB groups. I found a community of like-minded, caring, creative, people and I soaked up all the information I could. The constant inspiration had me in the kitchen creating syrups, shrubs, and growing ingredients to incorporate. I scoured countless cocktail books and explored more markets for unique ingredients.
In 2024, on whim at 2 AM, I decided to sign up for a mixology course to earn my mixologist certification. I completed the course earlier this year and earned my certification.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
All of this started with a massive breakup with alcohol, so my brand is here because I overcame struggle after struggle.
Not everyone is going to “get” the no/low drinking lifestyle and I’d say my biggest personal struggle has been not taking the nasty comments from ignorant people personally.
Dealing with creative blocks when it comes to cocktail development is rough. I struggle with mental illness and there are days when my brain doesn’t get on the creative wavelength I want it to. I’ve learned to focus my energy elsewhere for a while and then return to the task.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a freelance non-alcoholic mixologist and content creator. I work with NA brands to offer product tastings, I work with bars and restaurants developing zero proof cocktail menus, and I create and share video content online. I specialize in creating a full drink experience, sans alcohol. I’m known for incorporating ingredients fresh from my garden into cocktails. I use the ingredients to make things like shrubs, syrups, and oxymels, and infusions. I take pride in showing people how easy homemade ingredients can be and how fun living a non-alc life can be.
I am immensely proud of the community i’ve build around me.
My homegrown and homemade ingredients sets me apart from others.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Maybe it was luck, or the universe working in my favor, but I am very lucky to be alive. I could say it was luck that I decided to start posting my drinks online because it ended up connecting me with a community full of constant inspiration. Those connections have helped build my brand.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/presentminddrinking/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561167067122
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-mitchell-3bb775142
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@presentminddrinking
