We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsay Merbaum a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lindsay, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
If you’re a mission driven company, we’d love to hear the story behind the mission. We don’t just want to know what your mission is, we want to understand why it’s a meaningful mission for you.
Pick Your Potions’ motto: “Read. Write. Drink. Make magic.”
I’m the founder and high priestess of home mixology at Pick Your Potions, a small, witchy consortium of various offerings. I’m also an author of strange tales. In fact, my first book, The Gold Persimmon, really catalyzed Pick Your Potions’ growth.
My first novel’s release coincided with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Living in isolation, I clung to online writers’ groups full of authors from across the country who were going through the same anxieties and unknowns as I was. Meanwhile, my mixology hobby was both bringing me joy and getting more professional. My favorite recipe challenge was to come up with themed drinks, which I’d applied to creative coaching workshops I led pre-pandemic. Honestly, I think the participants liked the drinks best of all. I knew there was some kind of potential there, but it didn’t manifest until I had the idea to make a set of cocktails and mocktails to match the mood and vibe of The Gold Persimmon. I called these drinks “booktails” and asked other authors if they’d like me to make them one. I was immediately inundated with requests; everyone wanted a custom recipe for their book, with ingredients selected based on the moods, themes, and imagery. These cocktails and mocktails were the birth of Pick Your Potions.
Crafting a booktail is a serious endeavor. In addition to a thorough read, I take copious notes on each text, and write up mini reviews that explain how the flavors thematically correspond to the book. I soon started getting my recipes published in places like the LA Review of Books, then began accepting commissions from authors, publishers, and conferences. The magazine Electric Literature hosted a year-long column of Pick Your Potions’ booktails, and libraries reached out to me about specialty literary mixology classes.
My partner (who’s an incredible designer) and I meanwhile collaborated on themed recipe decks, like the Zodiac cocktail and mocktail deck and Mortal Goddess mocktails. We also added bookmarks, totes, and stickers to our shop. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me that Pick Your Potions’ recipe decks are very popular with librarians!
I’ve come to believe that a beautiful, carefully-crafted drink is a work of magic, something everyone deserves to experience. This is why I get really creative in terms of simple syrups and infusions–techniques really anyone can master– with easy-to-find ingredients.
Tying libations to literature also means I bring readers to potions (could a drink enhance your reading experience? I certainly think so!), and potions to readers. Some authors share their booktails with book clubs.
Pick Your Potions’ potential to spark magic really exploded with the addition of the Study Coven. An online feminist horror class I taught through a third party turned into an independent study series where I design syllabi for students to explore at their own pace, complete with writing prompts derived from the readings. We then meet via Zoom for discussion and writing workshops. Fantastic and celebrated writers like Ariel Gore, Andrea Lawlor, Sara Gran, and others have visited our classes. The Study Coven has been running for over two years now, and has covered topics like Witches, Queer Magical Realism, Monsters, Smut, and more. And yes, sometimes there are happy hours!
Between booktails and Study Coven classes, I’m lucky to have connected with so many other authors. Because of that, I’ve also had the chance to read a host of books I might not otherwise have come across. I’m proud of the support Pick Your Potions offers writers at all stages in their careers, from new scribblers signing up for my classes to well-known authors who’ve had fun with their booktails. Above all though, it’s being part of this community that sparks joy for me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For most of my life, my primary goal was “to be a writer,” though what that meant was ever-shifting: sometimes it meant getting a story published, or getting an agent, or becoming an author. Meanwhile, I struggled at various desk jobs (office politics are not for me), and got burnt out working in education. Then I discovered I had a talent for mixology, of all things.
I often tell people that mixology is satisfying because it’s tangible, and ephemeral. You drink it, it’s gone. Books are a different kind of labor. Channeling my creativity into both keeps me balanced, and gives me a lot of opportunity to connect with readers, drinkers, and authors.
Through Pick Your Potions, I offer custom cocktails or mocktails for individuals, libraries, publishers, authors, and events–you name it. My shop includes bookmarks, totes, stickers, and other fun swag too. What I’m most proud of are the cocktail and mocktail recipe decks. My partner and I collaborated on these, and each one took about six months to a year to complete. Our first recipe deck was the Wheel of the Year cocktail deck, with four recipes for every solstice and equinox of the year. Next came the Zodiac cocktail/mocktail deck, with two drinks for every sign. Our latest is the Mortal Goddess mocktail deck, with 13 zero-proof drinks inspired by living leaders, artists, and all-round badasses like Patti Smith, Stacey Abrams, and Malala.
Last but definitely not least, Pick Your Potions hosts the Study Coven, an online independent study series for writers looking to explore new genres, get inspired, or just have some fun. Study Coven classes have delved into topics like Monsters, Witches (Parts I and II), Smut, Ghosts, and Queer Magical Realism. Coven members work their way through the syllabus at their own pace, reading and writing as much as they choose. Then we meet online for discussion and writing workshops. I am proud to say a lot of incredible (and published!) work has come out of this Coven.
As for my own writing, I have two more books coming out with feminist horror small press, Creature Publishing, who also published my first novel The Gold Persimmon! Cheers!
How’d you meet your business partner?
My spouse Jensen Sikora is Pick Your Potions’ designer and operations manager. (I like to say we met the old-fashioned way: on OKCupid. It turned out our apartments were eight blocks away from each other.) They’re also the priest to my priestess. The areas that might have stunted Pick Your Potions’ growth–like web design or organization–are exactly where Jensen brings tremendous talent. The brand is what it is because of their vision and execution.
They’re also my taste-tester, an EXTREMELY important role!
How did you build your audience on social media?
I have a modest following on social media, which has grown organically, but also been subject to the same setbacks as everyone else: platforms flooded with content, algorithms prioritizing paid content, shifting preferences for videos vs photos, etc. I used to worry a whole lot more about this, as if social media were the only way to be visible. Instead, it works best in conjunction with other kinds of outreach. That’s exactly what’s happened for me: folks in my own community here in Michigan were actually connecting with my content, in part because they heard about me through other channels. This led to invitations for commissions and collaborations.
It’s also important to have some kind of contact list that exists outside of social media. Getting hacked and blocked happens, and not everyone recovers their accounts. And apps don’t always last forever. This is partly why I started a publication on Substack, where I write about witchy occult history and mythology. I have a lot of fun with The Cauldron. I have a lot of fun with all my content. Otherwise, where’s the connection?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pick-your-potions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pickyourpotions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pickyourpotions
- Other: TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@pickyourpotions Substack, The Cauldron: https://lindsaymerbaumsheher.substack.com
Image Credits
Lindsay Merbaum