We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brittany Battle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brittany below.

Brittany, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The biggest risk I have taken is relocating from Cleveland, Ohio, where I had built a following and name for myself as a mixologist, to moving to Baltimore, MD, where I have had to slowly build my brand all over again. I recently moved to Maryland in January of 2022, and started working in Safari Nightclub in February of 2022. Not only is Safari my first experience with working in a fast paced nightclub, this not having the time or tool to really create craft cocktails as I have done while working in dive bars…..no one knew my skills. I have had to continuously win customers over within the nightclub, in the hopes of creating a reputation as one of the talented mixologists here in Maryland and building my clientele.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started working in the nightlife industry in 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. I began working as the money collector at the door, then moved into serving and eventually was given the opportunity to work behind the bar. I realized I enjoyed bartending and wanted to learn as many thing as i could about the craft. I took two classes in Cleveland, the second one being with Mixology Inc., a mobile bartending company that I would eventually begin working for. After gaining my certification, I began to really focus on creating cocktails and practicing different techniques to sharpen my skills and expand my knowledge about the art of Mixology. Since then I have worked in numerous bars, became CEO of Mixology Inc., created over 40 signature cocktails for various establishments’ signature cocktail menus, and now own Mixology Inc. Maryland.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built an audience on social media by continuously creating cocktails, with an heavy focus on presentation, and posting the photos on social media. i also made sure to record videos of myself doing neat tricks such as rainbow shots, setting cocktails on fire and creating sparks or just creating many of my signature cocktails so that potential customers would come to see me on the nights I worked in the bar, and would also want to book me for private events. Eventually I became known as “the bartender who makes all the pretty drinks”, and I have been building my brand based off of that method ever since.

My advice for those just starting is to continue to post regardless of what the engagement may be. Even if you only have 1-2 likes, keep posting! I have had many customers/clients bring of drinks that I have posted in person but have never interacted with me on social media. Remember, even if people aren’t “liking” your photos, they’re still watching!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson that I had to learn was that not everyone will like your work! I was so used to creating cocktails that everyone loved, it was humbling to move to a new state and have to start from the bottom, the bottom meaning being the bartender that people barely wanted to get service from because I was new and they automatically assumed I didn’t know what I was doing. I even had guess automatically not like my drinks, because it didn’t taste how they were used to it tasting when made by other bartenders. You won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay! That doesn’t dictate your skills or success!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/mixology-incorporated-cleveland-oh-2037904
• Instagram: @mixologyincmaryland/@brittanymichawn