Corey Steele, proprietor of Drink Your Fantasy, bartends at a non-public birthday dinner occasion in New York.
Picture courtesy @ml.shot.it
Corey Malik Steele is not only mixing cocktails; he’s mixing ambition, innovation, and entrepreneurship to craft a novel expertise for purchasers throughout New York Metropolis and past. Because the proprietor of Drink Your Fantasy, a cell bartending service, Steele has elevated the trade by providing high-end, personalized experiences past the standard bar scene.
Steele launched Drink Your Fantasy in 2022 after spending three years bartending in eating places and personal occasions. Recognizing a spot out there for high-quality, cell bartending, he constructed his model from the bottom up, beginning with small personal events earlier than increasing to company occasions, Airbnbs, and nonprofit galas.
“The enterprise has been very uplifting and enlightening,” Steele stated. “It’s been an eye-opener — not nearly bartending, however about funds, bookkeeping, and entrepreneurship. You need to know the best way to value your providers and create invoices. Bartending and enterprise go hand in hand.”
One of many greatest misconceptions Steele goals to interrupt is that bartenders solely work in nightlife or celebration scenes.
“A whole lot of my occasions are company,” he defined. “Folks assume bartending is only for nightclubs or strip golf equipment, however in actuality, I’ve finished occasions for nonprofits, child showers, and even mocktail providers for pregnant ladies.”
This various strategy has allowed Steele to carve a distinct segment in an trade typically misunderstood.
Born to a Trinidadian father and a South Carolinian mom, Steele deeply appreciates his heritage. Certainly one of his objectives is to host an unique occasion in Trinidad and shock his father with a return journey to his homeland for the primary time since childhood.
“I need my father to see how issues have modified,” Steele stated. “By laborious work, I wish to give him that have.”
Constructing Drink Your Fantasy was not with out its challenges. Steele began by bartending at small gatherings, generally charging as little as $100 to get his title on the market. His first main company sponsorship got here with Luc Belaire, a premium champagne model, which opened doorways to extra important occasions, together with mixology lessons and rooftop gatherings.
Certainly one of his most memorable moments was educating a mixology class in Brooklyn sponsored by Belaire to over 60 attendees. Contributors realized to craft traditional cocktails like piña coladas, tequila sunrises, and margaritas.
“After three hours of creating drinks, we ended with a giveaway,” Steele recalled. “It was a surreal second, realizing how far I’d come.”
Past bartending, Steele is dedicated to mentorship. He lately partnered with Eagle Academy to create a hospitality internship for highschool college students. Although college students received’t be making alcoholic drinks, they are going to be taught important service, presentation, and professionalism abilities. On the finish of this system, individuals will obtain a stipend and a possibility to work at one in every of Steele’s occasions.
“That is about greater than bartending,” Steele emphasised. “It’s about making ready younger folks for the workforce, educating them self-discipline, and giving them a head begin in hospitality.”
As Steele continues to develop his enterprise, he’s additionally increasing his attain in neighborhood empowerment. Not too long ago, he participated in Girls’s Wealth and Wellness Month, partaking in discussions about entrepreneurship and monetary literacy.
“I wish to spotlight the significance of communication in our neighborhood,” he stated. “If we will enhance how we work together with one another, we will break cycles and create higher alternatives.”
