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By Courtney Pink
It’s true. We live in a very ‘Instagrammable’ world. Everything we do, say and think usually ends up on social media in some way, shape or form. Trends seem to come and go like there’s no tomorrow.
It was nearly 4 years ago when the ‘unicorn craze’ was sweeping social media. I was managing at the Pink Duck Beach Bar in Rockingham. My Facebook business page was lacking in traction and I really couldn’t work out how to draw people in. At that stage, I wasn’t so sure on how to market for a business. The best I did on my own social media was post a teenage selfie or an uneducated opinion here and there.
But I knew our business socials needed some love. And well, unicorns came about. People LOVED them. It was taking the internet by storm. Unicorn hair, phone cases, themed parties and nail art. But what could I do with them? I wasn’t very creative.
It’s a family business and I’m pretty lucky, I get to do most things I want but somehow I couldn’t see the boss man letting me bring in painters to cover the walls with unicorns.
Cocktails.
People love cocktails and people love unicorns. Bingo.
I found my niche and created a unicorn cocktail. Turns out, I lied. I was creative. Pretty coloured liqueurs and happiness mixed into a sweet cocktail. Topped with sugar, love and candy. Finally, I had hit the jackpot. Everyone went crazy for it. I mean crazy. The kinda crazy that has you booked out every Thursday night and with thousands of views on Facebook. We started a Unicorn series. A new one every week posted to the Pink Duck Facebook page.
Boozy shakes consumed me. Every trend you can think of: mermaids, Pokémons, candy infused, Nutella, salted caramel, glow in the dark, Halloween, the grinch, caramilk, and most recently, Tik Tok. Sometimes, I think I’m crazy. These days I can turn nearly any kind of theme, trend or new fav into a cocktail.
Turns out, I accidentally found something that Perth was craving.
Extravagant, over the top, Instagrammable cocktails. The kind of cocktails that take you back to your childhood. Cocktails that give you an excuse to ask an old friend out for a catch-up. Cocktails that are rather aesthetic and make your Instagram grid look like an ‘influencer’.
After the initial cocktails came the flavoured vodkas. I now infuse vodka with almost everything. I’m talking; skittles, redskins, starburst, caramels, musk, chilli and even bacon. Those vodkas have gone into some pretty exotic cocktails!
You see, you can buy a cocktail almost anywhere. Pretty much every bar, pub and club does them. Sex on the Beach, Fruit Tingle, Long Island Iced Tea… so last year. Once I found this new niche, I found something that Perth really was crying out for. These boozy shakes are different and they’re unique.
I created an Instagram page for myself @mybartenderlife. I started sharing my cocktails and using it as a platform to connect with my customers. I frequently put up polls and ask on my stories what kind of cocktails people want to see next. I do both private parties and venue work. I’ve travelled to Sydney and back with it. Now, I’ve moved onto waffles, desserts, burgers and more! My little page is being built from the ground up. It is an absolute dream. I’m exactly where I want to be, creating cocktails that are made with love, passion, excessive amounts of tastiness and topped with a dash of crazy.
After all, we are living in this ‘Instagrammable’ world. Why should Perth settle for anything less than ‘Instagrammable’ cocktails?
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