Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Alvarez.
Hi Jose, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started The Drink Design Mobile Bartending and Event Services in 2025 after playing around with the idea for a little over a year. I have always wanted to start and create my own business. Before this, I had a few other ideas that I worked on throughout my early years that didn’t work out, so one thing I wanted to make sure of was that I approached this new idea differently than I had approached others in the past. I found a few people on IG that were already doing what I wanted to do, or something similar, so I just kind of thought to myself, if they could do it, then I could too. I took bits and pieces from everyone I was watching and started forming my own business model. I eventually bought an online class on “How to Build a Mobile Bartending Business,” and that really helped as well. It allowed me to learn a lot that I may have not learned otherwise. I was also no stranger to the hospitality industry having worked in the business for over a decade and as a bartender for close to 7 years. I didn’t waste time taking on bookings and really just started learning on the fly, with my first event being a friend’s wedding that featured over 100 guests. All of that, combined with really diving into AI and learning how it can benefit me and my business have all been key elements to getting things going. Since then, it’s been an amazing journey learning, building the business, and servicing many different events.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I do not think anyone who has started their own business would say it has been a smooth road. I think that is what makes business fun and challenging, in a sense, because it forces you to have to work at something, take your bumps and learn your lessons, until you finally achieve that situation, system, and goal you were trying to achieve. Over the years, I have faced many challenges, and starting this new business had its own unique challenges. With The Drink Design, I currently do everything as far as the business and marketing side of things myself, so my days consist of many things such as social media management, managing clients, generating leads, and whatever else the business throws at me. All of these things have been learning processes, and while it does get difficult at times, it is truly something I embrace.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been in the service and hospitality industry for over a decade. I started when I was younger as a bus boy and bar back and eventually worked my way up to bartender and now lead bartender. Bartending is something I got into extremely quickly once I got going because I have always felt that everything about the job fits me as a person. It’s fast-paced, engaging, people-oriented, and allows you to be creative and yourself all at once. Plus, the pay isn’t too bad either.
As I grew with bartending, for a while I only really looked at it as a job and not a way to create opportunities for myself. Although, I have met a countless amount of people and created a great network for myself, which I think has been the backbone of my success so far. It was not until I eventually saw a few people online bartending private events and making cocktails on their platforms that I got my brain working and decided to do something similar.
In 2025, I launched The Drink Design, originally as an IG page where I would teach my followers how to make cocktails with just shots of my hands and the cocktail because I low-key did not think I was ready to teach people how to bartend. I eventually elevated to becoming the actual person behind the camera, which I believe has really helped with my personal brand as a bartender. Around the same time, I launched The Drink Design Mobile Bartending and Event Services and started providing bartending service for weddings, parties, and events. Over the past year, I’ve fully embraced being a bartender and owner of my business, and I believe it’s helped a lot with building my personal brand. People know me for being a good bartender, and that is something I am really proud of.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
If you have worked in the business as long as I have, then you know there are countless amounts of people who you meet who have a positive impact on your life or teach you something that you can carry with you throughout your career. I have been fortunate, especially when I was starting out, to work with some great servers and bartenders who taught me a whole lot and really helped me get going during those early days when I would struggle. My parents and siblings have been extremely supportive of me and all my endeavors since day one. Like I mentioned before, I have a great network of friends and supporters that I have met throughout the years, and a lot of those people show love and support for everything I do, which is awesome.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thedrinkdesign.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedrinkdesign_/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/jm_behindthebar/
