Pour yourself a glass of bubbles and pull up a chair, because today we’re sitting down with Claudiane Philippe, social media maven and creator of Nail the Cocktail, a curated cocktail blog and social marketing platform. A former mixologist and a data consultant by day, Claudiane is a cocktail connoisseur and creative who credits social media and blogging for keeping her life balanced.
This visionary loves sharing her hobbies with both people she knows and those she’s never met. In her free time, you’ll either find her with a makeup brush or a drink in one hand and her camera in the other. In my free time, I usually find her sitting across from me at an event about town with her signature painted-to-perfection manicure wrapped around an of-the-moment libation. Imagine meeting someone who perfectly embodies a combo of “Oh my God this person is so much cooler than me” and “I think I just found my new best friend” all in one, and you can imagine Claudiane. Always observing, she has her painted finger on the pulse of the best of Boston’s “new,” and her Instagram feed is frankly just badass. With a shy smile, Claudiane is strategic in her creative vision, but never passes up moments for real face-to-face interaction with those she holds most dear. Whether a brunch invitation (she recently curated a tiki-themed menu for Towne Stove & Spirits that I was (coco)nuts about!) or a clink of a glass, Claudiane cares. And I say, cheers to that!
YOU “CUT YOUR TEETH” IN ALL THINGS MIXOLOGY AS A BARTENDER. HOW HAS THAT INFLUENCED YOUR WORK THROUGH NAIL THE COCKTAIL?
My past experience as a bartender is what fueled me to start Nail the Cocktail. After starting a career in health care, I missed being behind a bar tremendously. I missed watching people enjoy drinks I created. I wanted a way to get back into that industry without having to get behind a bar and still get the same perks. Now with Nail the Cocktail, I’m very much a figure in the Boston cocktail industry and I get to create content that people enjoy all while enjoying drinks made by this city’s best mixologists! It’s the best of both worlds.
WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO COCKTAIL RECIPE?
Definitely a Gin Fizz. It’s got gin, lemon juice, club soda, simple syrup and egg white. Most people hate the idea of egg whites in drinks but that’s probably because they’ve never given it a try. It doesn’t alter the flavor of the cocktail but rather gives it a foamy, airy texture.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
My mom inspires me. Through every up and down of my life she’s always been there. She’s literally given her world for me to succeed, and so I refuse to do anything but succeed in my passions…for her.
WHAT’S YOUR NO. 1 TIP FOR EVERY “AT HOME” MIXOLOGIST?
Download a bartending app or follow a bartending channel on YouTube. Make the drinks you see there and adapt them to your taste. You’ll be surprised at what you can create with a few ingredients if you measure them correctly.
WEIRDEST COCKTAIL YOU’VE EVER HAD…
I’ve had a cocktail with a bag of chips, fortune cookie, all types of fruit, a Twizzler, and a nip of digestive all in it. It was actually amazing. I had it at Rail Stop.
WHAT SPIRIT IS HAVING A MOMENT RIGHT NOW?
It’s the season of Rose’ to be honest. However, gin is making a big splash on the scenes this year!
WHAT COCKTAIL TREND DO YOU WANT TO SEE DISAPPEAR?
Goodbye Vodka cranberries. You were cool in college. But, bye.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TOOL BEHIND THE BAR?
Either a shaker or a mixing spoon. A shaker because…obviously. A mixing spoon because you can use it to mix drinks with bubbles, not create a mess with gas pressure building up in your shaker, and then use it to later make drinks that look amazing.
I’VE GOT TO KNOW, HOW MANY NIGHTS A WEEK ARE YOU OUT? DO YOU EVER FEEL PRESSURE TO KEEP UP WITH THE EVER-CHANGING MENUS IN BOSTON AND NEW YORK’S BEVERAGE SCENES?
I’m out probably 3-6 nights a week. Between the events and cocktail menus I cover, it’s a lot of work. I recently hired an intern and I always bring a friend or two to have drinks with me. It’s a fun time, but only if you have others to share it with.
ONE PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, YOU’D LIKE TO GRAB A COCKTAIL WITH?
One person is hard.
Dead: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Alive: Beyoncé
To keep up with Claudiane and to learn more about what she’s discovered since becoming a prominent member of the Boston cocktail community, head to www.nailthecocktail.com or catch her on Instagram at @nailthecocktail or @itsclaudiane.
Build your tribe. And pour yourself a cocktail. Wear you are now.
xx
Natalie
Natalie
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