Today we’d like to introduce you to Shantelle Pace
Hi Shantelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Before I was She The Bartender, I was slinging emails and analyzing very boring data as a supervisor in Workforce Management at Young Living. I loved the business casual outfits, but working 10 hour days in a fluorescent box was not the move. The funny thing about this is that Young Living holds a yearly convention for their members, staffed by their employees. There was a ‘Ningxia’ Bar (one of their drink products) that I would always get assigned to bartend at. They must have seen my future before I had. After 5 years here and 1 year working from home I made the big jump to leave my very boring but stable corporate job to become a bartender and subsequently pursue social media. This decision didn’t come out of nowhere. I’d found an interest in cocktails somewhere in 2019 and got all of my education from Youtube, books, and classes! Originally I thought private bartending would be my focus outside of my bartending job, and it was in the beginning! But as fun as weddings and parties are, I moved away from that as well as quit my full-time bartending gig to pursue cocktail education and recipe development via social media full time. And that’s where I am now. ◡̈
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The longer I’m on this path, I realize just how true the saying, “It takes 10 years to become an overnight success” is. In short, it hasn’t been smooth. The struggles include but are not limited to:
Letting go of my ego and relying on my incredibly supportive partner to keep the household running while I chase after my dreams.
I found myself drinking way too much at one point. The concept of dumping a drink down the drain after some r&d was simply not an option. Not a healthy place to be, but since then I’ve drastically decreased my consumption and implemented Dry July and January to give myself a good reset 2x/year.
Comparison is the thief of joy! We know this! But it remains a daily reminder.
The judgement. I make cocktails online, and somehow that makes me a c u next Tuesday. These comments are laughable but being exposed to people saying terrible things about you after you’ve made a killer bees knees is just ??? Like hello did you even make this drink.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Cocktails! Drinks, bevs, I dabble in happy hour foods as well and I do this all via videos though I am beginning to get into commercial drink photography. I’ve always loved a good bev. My job at 16 years old was at Arctic Circle and I had customers coming in specifically requesting for me to make their shakes 😉 I’m not afraid to change things up so at the basic level what I’m known for is teaching people to make craft cocktails at home and getting creative with flavor combinations or cocktail techniques that you’ll see bars using. You’ll see me make a margarita 10x over (my deathbed cocktail) and the next day you’ll see me clarifying and acid adjusting apple juice (so good in a marg). I am most proud of an original cocktail called Tiki Peat. It uses a full 1.5 oz of Laphroaig 10 year in a tropical style drink with pinapple, orgeat, cinnamon, etc that was inspired by my coffee beans. I think we need more bright and fruity scotch drinks in the world. What sets me apart from the others is noticeably my hair (started out with a buzzcut and now look at us!) but for real, what sets me apart is, me. What you see is what you get. Except I wish I put my humor into my videos more because I’m funny as shit. Can I swear on here?
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I can’t say that I believe in good or bad luck beyond their expressions. I do believe in life simply existing around you, and the odds and probabilities of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ things happening based on your environment, skills, preparation, and your own actions or lack thereof.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/she_thebartender/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@she_thebartender?lang=en
