We were lucky to catch up with Derick Santiago recently and have shared our conversation below.

Derick, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

A little over a year ago, I decided to change my relationship with alcohol. I stopped drinking because it was no longer serving me. During the early days of going alcohol-free, I found that even though I didn’t want to consume alcohol anymore, I still wanted something to drink that’s delicious and could somehow mimic the taste of a real cocktail, but without the alcohol. This is when I created my very first mocktail. Years prior to this, I’ve taken a mixology class and have been in love with the craft ever since. I tried to apply some of the techniques that I learned from years of mixing drinks into making mocktails.

My first mocktail was a spicy pineapple margarita. I muddled some jalapeño slices, used pineapple juice, lime juice, and topped it off with a splash of lemon-lime soda. I also added a chili-lime salt rim to my glass. The heat from the jalapeño and chili-lime salt mimicked the alcohol burn and I was pleased. A week later, I created another mocktail and posted a reel of myself, showing how I made the mocktail on my personal Instagram account and it got some attention. The reel got thousands of views and hundreds of likes. This made me realize that there is an audience for this content and because I had a lot of mocktail recipe ideas in mind, I decided to create an Instagram account dedicated to mocktail recipes. This is when @MocktailWiz was born.

Derick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Derick Santiago, a certified mixologist based in Southern California. I am the creator of @MocktailWiz, an Instagram page and website dedicated to craft mocktails and mindful mixology techniques. I am the author of the book “The Mocktail Club” (coming Spring 2024), a collection of 75 alcohol-free recipes for classic drinks, new flavor concoctions, and twists on old favorites. I also work with leading brands in the non-alcoholic beverage industry as a mocktail recipe designer, photographer, and video creator.

My goal is to provide delicious, easy-to-make mocktail recipes to people who don’t want to consume alcohol but are still looking to enjoy adult beverages. Since I started @MocktailWiz a year ago, I’ve met a lot of people who don’t drink alcohol for different reasons. There are people who are just taking a break from alcohol or doing a 30-day alcohol-free challenge. Some are sober curious and some are sober serious. There are those who can’t drink because they are pregnant or are nursing. Some don’t drink because of their religion. Some can’t drink because of health reasons. I’ve learned so much from the people that I interact with and it makes me even more motivated to be creative with my recipes so that people can enjoy drinking without alcohol, and not feel left out.

Aside from sharing mocktail recipe on my page, I also partner with some of the leading brands in the “dry industry”. I’ve worked with companies ranging from those that make spirit alternatives, non-alcoholic elixirs, syrups, and bitters, to companies that make bar tools. I design original mocktail recipes and teach mixology techniques. I also do product photography for non-alcoholic beverage brands, as well as recipe-making videos that brands use in their social media channels and advertisements.

My biggest project so far is my book, The Mocktail Club, that is set to be released in Spring of 2024. It contains 75 mocktail recipes that take advantage of spirit alternatives that are available in the market today. The book is in full color with classic speakeasy vibes which makes it a great addition to any home bar!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think I was able to build my reputation through the quality of my work – especially with my recipes, photos, or videos. I don’t stop until I get things right. With this, it’s important for me to keep learning and improving. I take classes and read books to improve my craft. I apply these learnings into the work that I do and I share them with my audience.

I also stay true to myself. One thing I learned about social media is that it is very easy to compare yourself with others. It is hard to find your own voice this way. However, I learned to just focus on doing what I love to do which is creating recipes, taking photos, and editing videos. These are hobbies that I truly love. Once I got rid of the distractions, I found my own style and kept improving on it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding thing about @MocktailWiz is that I found my community. I was embraced by the sober / sober curious Instagram community and I am so grateful for that. It is such a positive and supportive group of individuals. I’ve met so many kind people online and in real life. I’ve received messages of appreciation from followers who enjoy my recipes or are inspired by my alcohol-free journey. This is what keeps me motivated to keep doing what I’m doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mocktailwiz.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mocktailwiz
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/themocktailwiz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mocktailwiz
• Other: The Mocktail Club is now available for pre-order via this link: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Mocktail-Club/Derick-Santiago/9781507221631

Image Credits
Derick Santiago