Great Shakes

Captivating, colourful and spirited — a chat with award-winning Bay-based bartender Katie Short
is a little like slurping on one of her sought-after cocktails.

“I love living here!,” she exclaims when asked about life in Bay of Plenty. “I will have been here
10 years in October and honestly, this place is incredible. My favourite thing would have to be
the community aspect — everyone here wants to support local, they want you to succeed, they
will recommend you to friends and they will hire you repeatedly.”

Katie got her first taste of hospitality in her home town of Whangamatā as a 16-year-old waitress,
so when she moved to the Mount at 18, she “naturally went straight into hospitality and slipped
into bartending”, eventually moving from late night bars to restaurant cocktail bartending.

Fast forward a decade and the vivacious blonde is one of the best in the biz, citing winning the
Bay Hospitality Awards for ‘Outstanding Bartender of the Year’ three years running and previously placing second in a La Maison Cointreau cocktail competition as career highlights.

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Another is being tasked with creating and slinging custom cocktails at the recent wedding of legendary musician Tiki Taane and wife Rachel at the Orua Beach House in Hahei. “Oh my goodness! What an amazing experience!” she says. “Rach and Tiki were super fun to deal with, we made cocktails that represented their personalities [two of which were enigmatically named ‘Rachel’s
ring of fire’ and ‘Tiki’s tea bag on the beach’] and honestly, the queue for the bar didn’t stop all night. An absolute pleasure to be a part of.”

She’s recently launched side hustle Mingle + Me, a cocktail catering/bartending service (born,
as many of the best new things have been, out of those long Covid lockdowns), that’s infiltrating
a host of local events, one delicious drink at a time.

“Mingle + Me was an idea I had during the first lockdown,” Katie recalls. “I was sitting at home
with two flatmates who gamed literally the entire time. So I was internalising a lot:  ‘What am
I doing with my life? I can’t live off a hospitality wage forever and I certainly can’t live off a wage subsidy. What can I do with the skills I already have?’

Mobile cocktail catering came to mind. “I started talking to people about it and, before I knew it,
I actually had people approaching me to cater for them, so I guess you could say I was swung
into it pretty quickly.”

It’s not all mimosas all the time though. When questioned about career challenges, Katie’s response is, “Say goodbye to your social life!

“Hospitality, specifically working as a bartender, is the most socially unsociable job you’ll ever have. Wanna hit a friend’s birthday? Nope, not happening. Family event? Sorry we need you,” she says.
“I mean, back then it was, I think it’s a little more lenient these days…

“And most recently, losing my mum while trying to start Mingle + Me, keeping business focused
when my personal life was a shambles, was definitely the biggest challenge. But luckily for me,
I have a sensational support network who, when I’m feeling defeated, shake me and say, ‘You’re
crazy Katie, you’ve got this’. And I know I do. Sometimes we just need a reminder though, hey.”

“Jeeeezzzz, what a question!” is Katie’s reaction to being asked what makes a good bartender, and
— even harder to answer — what sets her apart from the pack? “I think consistency makes a great bartender. It’s easy to follow a recipe and make a drink but can you do that with a 500-capacity bar with 10 deep around the whole bar and at speed? It can be pretty full on in some bars,” she laughs.

“I would hope my quick wit and banter is what makes me great but it’s more likely my speed and consistency. I alway endeavour to make the drink the same every time and I’m super excited to learn about products so I can mix with them — I love being creative. Anyone who knows me knows I love making something you’ve never tried before and ideally you’ll like it. Trial and error though, right?”

What’s trending in the drinks scene at the moment? “Spicy margaritas!” says Katie. “Everyone loves
a spicy marg, which I’m super happy to provide, because I also love a spicy marg.”

She also loves to experiment — “brain secretions” as she’s called them on her social media platforms — though Katie says there’s still a way to go before getting her more innovative creations on the menu. “Generally with private gigs people want pretty straightforward stuff like espresso martinis
and mojitos. In terms of the Bay’s palate in general though, it’s definitely getting more sophisticated, which is exciting to see!”

Some current favourites to make/drink? “I really enjoy making a drink for someone who doesn’t know what they want,” she explains. “Asking what their flavour preferences are (sweet, sour, bitter, spicy etc) and just going with my gut. I like making them try something they maybe wouldn’t normally order and hopefully they enjoy it.

“I wouldn’t say I have a specific favourite drink to make, but I definitely have a favourite drink, which will always be a good negroni. Nothing beats it, trust me.”

Katie’s tips and tricks for those wanting to make their own cocktails at home: “Quality starts with ingredients. Fresh is best. Lemon or lime juice is best freshly squeezed and if not, buy a cold pressed juice — Homegrown is best or Grove products. This can change your cocktail completely. Don’t buy Pepe Lopez for a margarita, use 100 percent agave tequila. Please, for the love of god, do your research with spirits, or like, drop me a DM, I got you.”

@mingle_and_me @mingle+me

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