The Bourbon Babe: Mobile Bartending, Mixology Classes, and Event Concierge Services
In this episode of The Best Dam Podcast, Jill sits down with Angie Rafferty, owner of The Bourbon Babe and office administrator for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. Angie shares how she delivers unique mobile bartending, mocktail services, and mobile mixology classes, bringing both custom menus and entertainment to private, corporate, and community events across town.
Angie also opens up about her passion for community giveback events—from free haircut drives for single parents, kids, and veterans with local partners to hosting mixology classes and dirty soda offerings—while reflecting on her background as a U.S. Army correctional officer and the essential role of the Chamber of Commerce.
DISCUSSION
- The Bourbon Babe Mobile Services: Crafting custom cocktail and mocktail menus, mobile mixology classes, and signature dirty sodas for events.
- Community Giveback Collaborations: Partnering with local businesses like Roc & Beauty, Silver State Lampworking, and Lady Lux Cleaning Company to provide free community haircuts, back-to-school supplies, and seasonal events.
- Creative Event Concepts: Combining glassblowing with mixology in Sip & Flame events and serving theme-based custom drinks.
- The Importance of Human Connection: Maintaining personalized client relationships, catering to dietary needs/allergies, and keeping a personal touch over automated services.
- Upcoming Projects: Planning community events such as Halloween Trunk or Treat and Whiskey & Woofs dog-friendly tastings.
- Personal Background & Military Service: Transitioning 25 years of service industry experience and military duty as an Army correctional officer at Guantanamo Bay and Fort Leavenworth into entrepreneurship.
- Chamber Advocacy & Local Impact: Highlighting the Chamber's role in business education, legislative advocacy, pop-up market regulation, and driving local economic vitality.
LEARN MORE
To learn more about The Bourbon Babe, visit their website at
https://www.thebourbonbabeevents.com, or on these social sites:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thebourbonbabeevents
Instagram: @the.bourbonbabe
To learn more about the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com.
KEYWORDS
Angie Rafferty, The Bourbon Babe, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Bartending, Mocktails, Mixology Classes, The Best Dam Podcast
#AngieRafferty
#TheBourbonBabe
#BoulderCity
#MobileBartending
#Mocktails
#TheBestDamPodcast
#BoulderCityChamber
Podcast Transcript
Jill: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Angie, for being here today. Angie Rafferty from The Bourbon Babe. We're glad to have you, and, can't wait to share a little bit more about what it is you do. And so full disclosure, you have a day job.
Angie: Yes, I do.
Jill: And your day job is the office administrator for the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, and I hear you have a really wicked boss.
Angie: She's pretty awesome.
Jill: Oh, thanks. Good answer for your review next month. That is recorded, I just want you to know. All right, so The Bourbon Babe, what is it that you do? Tell us a little bit more about the service that you provide.
Angie: So I offer mobile bartending and mobile mocktail services, mobile mixology classes.
I even offer mobile mocktail mixology classes. So basically, you book with me, and we work together to create your menu, your drink menu, whether it's mocktails, cocktails. I come up with I create cocktails as well, 'cause the mixology part of my experience. And then I show up, and I make the drinks for those however long you have me there for, and your guests enjoy the time, because I enjoy what I do.
Jill: You seem to make it a party. I mean
Angie: I do. It's a lot of fun
Jill: you're kind of the entertainment at the party, right?
Angie: Yeah.
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: It's a lot of fun.
I have a lot of fun with it, and, I've recently been getting into doing a lot more with the business, with businesses around town too.
Jill: Right, a lot of corporate events.
Angie: some corporate events, some community events. Like with Roc & Beauty, we do a lot of the free community events for them where all the mocktails they, that are served are free. Just started last month was our very first Sip & Flame event with Silver State Lampworking.
Jill: Yes.
Angie: That was a lot of fun, where I taught how to make two drinks, and then they got a custom glass-blown, or blown glass shot glass-
Jill: That's so cool
Angie: that they won't be able, no one will be able to buy ever again.
Jill: Right.
Angie: So it was really
Jill: What a great... That's really smart on Shane's part to have you come in and do that. What a great idea, and it looked like, from the videos that you had posted, it looked like you guys had a lot of fun.
Angie: Oh, we did. We had a lot of fun.
Jill: That's great. And so go back to Roc & Beauty. Tell us a little bit more about her community events. Is she, trying to just, like I know she had a back to school event. Is she trying to bring parents in, families in? And so obviously with your mocktails, you cater to everybody.
Angie: Well, the thing is it's near and dear to our hearts to give back to the community, because we've had this conversation before.
We, you know, I was a single mom, and I couldn't afford to get my kids a haircut on a regular basis, or even get myself a haircut on a regular basis. Because kids are expensive.
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: And I had three of them that I raised by myself. So I know that she's had some struggles too in her past. So we were talking about this, and it was just like, you know, if we can do something for the moms these days, or even the dads these days.
So for Mother's Day, we offer free haircuts to moms.
Jill: Oh.
Angie: For Father's Day, we offer free haircuts to dads. Because we're so busy taking care of and focusing on our children, we don't think about ourselves.
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: And the thing is you can't focus on your children as much as you would like to if you're dead and drained.
Jill: Yeah. You just can't. Exactly right. And when you don't feel good about yourself, it's hard to instill that self-esteem and self-worth in kids as well.
Angie: Yeah. So the back to school event that we did, we had people donate back to school supplies, backpacks, and supplies. And in exchange, when they brought, you know, they'd bring their kids in, the kids would get a free haircut.
I had my daughter there doing back to school photos
Jill: Oh, cool
Angie: with a backdrop and everything, and we had cotton candy and popcorn donated by Las Vegas Kettle Corn. we were working with, Lady Lux Cleaning Company. They're donating products for all of our events as well, so they're another one of our sponsors, and we're just trying to get these businesses together to give back to the community.
Jill: I love the collaboration too. I mean, think about all those businesses you just mentioned that have all come together, not only for a great cause, but because they also realize that when they're working with these other businesses, they eventually will also recommend them to their friends, recommend them to another event, another community event.
And these are all individuals that you've mentioned that have always said, "Yes." Yes. "How can we help? How can we..." Yes. I absolutely
Angie: They're all individuals that reached out to us.
Jill: Right.
Angie: And we haven't had to reach out to anybody yet to ask for help except for volunteers, but that's about it.
Our next big, our next event with Rockin' Beauty is going to be our Halloween trunk or treat. So we're all gonna dress up in Tim Burton characters, and it's gonna be a lot of fun. So
Jill: How cool
Angie: you know, mocktails with cotton candy as spiderwebs, candy spiders, that kind of thing. And then, they're gonna decorate the salon.
We're trying to get a bunch of cars out to do, a trunk or treat type of thing where
Jill: Fun
Angie: the kids can get candy and what not. So they're not cutting hair that day, but it's just something to try and bring the kids together and,
Jill: Give them a safe space
Angie: yeah, something to do.
Jill: Yeah. I love that.
Angie: And then Veterans Day we'll be doing free haircuts for vets.
Jill: Oh, cool.
Angie: Yeah.
Jill: That's a great idea. Hadn't thought about that one.
Angie: We're doing that, I think, the Saturday before Veterans Day, or I gotta look at the dates, but.
Jill: Well, we can always add that to the show notes. I love those collaborations and those different community events and activities and things that you're doing, but I also know grand openings.
You've had, your mobile bar station at grand openings.
Angie: Yep, for ribbon cuttings and grand openings.
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: Those are always a lot of fun, too, because I like to see these businesses. I like to see the people that I care about thriving.
Jill: Right.
Angie: And realizing their dreams. It just, it makes my heart glow.
Jill: I know. It's very exciting, isn't it? It's one of the best parts of the job. And so you also do dirty sodas.
Which I don't think people think mocktails, dirty sodas, that's kind of separate, but when we had a soda shop here in town, it was so popular, and I think this dirty soda thing isn't gonna go away soon.
Angie: No, not at all, especially with the increasing number of people who just don't drink.
Jill: Right.
Angie: Like you, for example.
Jill: Yeah, exactly.
Angie: But that's fine. That's why I always, at any event that I do, I always try and have one mocktail or even if it's not on the menu.
Jill: Right.
Angie: I have kids come up and I can just make something.
It's not hard.
Jill: Well, and I'm sorry, but a dirty Dr. Pepper is the most superior drink on, on the earth.
Angie: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.
Jill: I absolutely think. And so, okay, you're doing these parties. Maybe you're in a backyard. Maybe you're doing the Halloween event. Maybe you're doing a grand opening. Maybe you're doing Sip & Flame.
How do you come up with what the drink is gonna be? Do you make it up? Do you research? Do you have just like a list of recipes? You go on Pinterest? What do you do?
Angie: It's a mixture of all of it.
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: I do have a list of recipes that have, stuff that I've played with in my 25 years of bartending that I've just kind of figured out what tastes good.
Plus having drank myself, I don't drink much, but you know, since I can figure out what tastes good.
Jill: Right.
Angie: Mixing the juices and whatnot, plus having kids that don't like certain things and you're like, "Okay, well, you know, let me mix this and see what happens."
Jill: And Yeah, I would have
Angie: so it's just a mixture of all of it really.
It's kind of like, okay, so I started off with what do you want us to, what do you like?
Jill: Okay.
Angie: Or what's your theme?
It's both. It's both questions. What do you like and what's your theme? My theme is Halloween, and we don't wanna serve alcohol. Okay, super simple. I can mix cranberry juice and Sprite, and throw some cotton candy on top and call it Witch's Blood.
I don't know.
Jill: Oh, yeah.
Angie: You know? It's crazy. it's super easy to do stuff like that, and it's... Yeah, that's already, that's already a, you know, it's basically the base of an, of other cocktails. That's what mocktails are. They're the base of other cocktails.
Jill: Just missing
Angie: Just missing the
Jill: alcohol
the alcohol component.
Yeah.
Angie: The alcohol component's only two ounces, so as long as it's not a old fashioned, then you're not missing anything.
Jill: Got it. And so I know the last time we were at the ribbon cutting for Silver State Lampworking, you had glitter that you, edible glitter you were adding to stuff. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh."
Angie: Yeah, 'cause it made
Jill: She's even making that fancy
Angie: it made it look like molten glass.
Jill: Oh, yeah.
Angie: 'Cause Silver State Lampworking, you know, they're glassblowing.
Jill: Right.
Angie: So it made it look like molten glass.
Jill: Oh, that's so clever. Yeah. Yeah, very cool. And so I would imagine, too, as you're coming up with different recipes, do you have, like, a signature thing that you like to do?
Is there like a signature drink or something that you, it's a staple that you know is gonna be very popular, so it's at every one of your events?
Angie: any type of margarita is usually what it is.
Jill: Really? Yeah.
Angie: Any type of margarita. So the next, Sip and Flame we're doing with Silver State is all tequila based.
So we're doing a prickly pear margarita and a Paloma, but it's gonna be a flavored Paloma. I cannot remember off the top of my head what it is.
Jill: Interesting. And what is a Paloma?
Angie: It's basically just tequila and grapefruit soda and-
Jill: Oh
Angie: yeah, it's
Jill: I did not know. Grapefruit soda.
Angie: It, like, squirt.
Jill: Really? Yeah. Oh my gosh.
Angie: Lime juice. Simple syrup, yeah.
Jill: I'm getting quite the education here today. So interesting, yeah. I had no idea. Well, I would imagine, too, as you work with these different individuals, the person that you're planning the party for probably already has some preconceived notions.
So as you're interviewing them, getting to know who and what they are, they, kinda give you some ideas, and then you just probably get very creative off of that.
Angie: I try to. if I'm doing a mixology class, for, like, a bachelorette party or something, I try to just stick to normal drinks everybody knows.
Jill: Okay.
Angie: For the Sip and Flame events, that's where I'm getting creative.
Jill: Got it.
Angie: I'm making it kinda different, kind of I'm trying to make it something completely different. Like, I did a cherry bourbon smash last month.
Jill: Oh, wow.
Angie: 'Cause it was a bourbon base was our
Jill: Oh, interesting
Angie: drink base.
Jill: I see. I would've liked the cherry part.
Angie: Yeah. I mean We do have one person that attends that doesn't drink, and so I just, I lay out all the tools and ingredients, and I just don't put alcohol in front of her.
Jill: Well, that's great, 'cause you need a designated driver in each of those mixology classes.
Angie: She is our designated photographer, but, you know.
Jill: Oh.
Angie: It works out.
Jill: That's important, too, yeah.
Angie: she doesn't drink, so you know, it
Jill: That's great
Angie: I just leave out the alcohol.
Jill: It's... So you can include everybody. It doesn't have to just be that. I love that. Okay. So in your work, whether it was as a bartender or as a mobile bartender since you started your own business, have you had an aha moment?
Have you had something that just made you go, "Oh my gosh," you know? Something just stood out, maybe an experience, maybe an interaction with a person.
Angie: It's a mixture of a bunch of things, honestly. I mean, my first aha moment was when I was actually bartending and dressing up for Halloween, and everybody loved the experience of it.
Now it's, I'm not the only mobile bartender out there. But one of my main competitors in Boulder, or in Nevada is Bar Masters.
Jill: Okay.
Angie: Which is great. They're fantastic. I actually worked for them for a little while. But the thing with Bar Masters is you don't... You're ordering everything online. It's almost like online shopping.
Jill: Oh, I had no idea.
Angie: With me, they have somebody to talk to and bounce ideas off of in case they don't know what they want. So if you don't know what you want or you're not sure, you want something different but you don't know what's in it, instead of looking it up yourself, you can talk to me.
And I like that because I've noticed in a lot of, maybe not in Boulder City, but a lot of the big businesses, you lose that human component.
Jill: Right.
Angie: It's all AI doing the talking for you.
Jill: Right. Yeah.
Angie: And I think the human component is a big thing because I'm gonna take into account that, okay, you said that you have an allergy to this. Well, I'm gonna remember that when I'm buying things. Tanya, for example, whenever she comes up to my bar when I'm out in public and she wants to have a mocktail or something. It's like, well, 'cause of her, corn syrup allergy.
Jill: Right.
Angie: I'm able to pull out the ingredients and just look at them, or pull out my mixers and just look at them right there or let her look at them, so she can decide. So she can see if there's something in there that she can't have.
Jill: Yeah, that's not something you're gonna get from an online opportunity.
Angie: Exactly.
Jill: And you also aren't gonna have that interaction and, like you said, the human connection and that relationship, and I think people are... You know, now that we have... I think back when Tom Cruise was in whatever movie it was where he was the bartender and he was throwing the glasses and things up, I, it was when I was young.
It kind of introduced the idea that bartending was almost entertainment. And we've always known that the bartender's somebody you go to and you can tell all your problems to, right? So what do we do without that, you know, human element, that relationship that is built and that rapport that's built?
And so I see this as being so advantageous to have you right there and be able to have somebody to talk to and make stuff up with. And then you're, in watching just the video from the Sip and Flame, you could see everybody was enjoying, they were having fun, they were laughing. It was, it, I don't know, it brings people together.
They're not home drinking alone, I suppose is a huge plus.
Angie: Well, you know me, I make jokes, so.
Jill: Yeah. Yeah, I do. I am fully aware.
Angie: I make quite a few jokes in the middle of my mixology classes, but
Jill: So have you had a funny experience where you can think back something that cracks you up, maybe something that, a joke that landed flat or something that you've done that's cracked you up?
Angie: Oh, no, I'm always funny. I did make a joke when I was teaching how to make a drink. It was a mixology class. Well, I use Boston shakers because
Jill: Yes
Angie: I know they won't leak. The other ones with the little lids and whatnot, they warp and they leak after overtime, but the Boston shaker.
So I said, "Okay, put the little one on top of the big one, and then you give it a little tap. no Hulk smash." And I had a bunch of girls, and they looked at me and they're like, "What?" I'm like, "Oh, this is not my nerd crowd. Cool."
Jill: I have zero clue what you just said, so I'm probably with that, that group of girls.
Angie: Hulk smash. It's, you know, Hulk.
Jill: Oh, The Hulk.
Angie: The Hulk. You know Hulk smash?
Jill: Okay. Now I get it. I'm sorry, I probably wouldn't have laughed either. okay, great. So can you tell me something you guys might be working on? Are you... Do you have something new coming up? Are you gonna be adding to? Do you have big plans in your future?
Angie: I am trying to work with Damn Dog House. We gotta get some dates together. We're, we started trying to work on doing something we're calling Whiskey and Woofs.
Jill: Oh, that's right.
Angie: It's basically the whiskey tasting, but you can bring your dogs.
Jill: I think that is fabulous. I can't wait to find out more about that.
Angie: We just have to, we just have to get dates put, into play. That's all. And, with her schedule and my schedule, it's kinda been rough, but we'll figure it out. We'll get there.
Jill: Rough or woof?
Angie: It's been woof. we'll get there. And, but bringing bourbon tasting or whiskey tasting, it's gonna be bourbon and whiskey tasting, to Boulder City, I think will, is something that some people have asked for.
I know you mentioned that some of the lodges were asking about that. I know the Masons Lodge does it once in a while. I've talked to the Elks Lodge about possibly doing it, too. They wouldn't need a bartender, though. They have bartenders. that is one of my jobs.
Jill: Yes, that's right. Yeah, I think that's gonna be way fun.
I think that, as you were describing it, people love their pets. Right? And the idea that they can go and be entertained and enjoy that, and what a perfect way for Allison to be able to talk about The Damn Dog House.
Angie: Well, I've talked about it with some people, and I've had a couple people say, "Can I, if I don't have a dog, can I still come?"
Yes, of course.
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: You can come. You just gotta realize there's gonna be dogs there. Right. So as long as you're okay with the dogs being there. And if you want, I'll bring my dog and you can play with her. I mean, she's a gigantic dog, but you know, she's sweet.
Jill: You'll have to get Tanya to bring Cupcake.
Angie: Yeah.
Jill: The chamber mascot. That would be awesome. So I think those are fun, entertainment, interaction, great ways for people to get together, have social time, and, you're collaborating with some of the great businesses we have here in town. Okay, so let's get to know Angie a little bit better.
Ange, what was your first job?
Angie: My very first job?
Jill: Yeah. Did you babysit as a kid?
Angie: Oh, I didn't even think that far back. Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, I'm the oldest of five kids. I babysat a lot.
Jill: Oh, goodness.
Angie: But I never got paid for it, so I don't think of that as a job.
Jill: No.
Angie: Yeah. It really just prepared me to be a mom.
My very first actual job was I was a server. I've been a server and a bartender for 25 years. I've had a couple jobs here and there between them, but I absolutely love the people interaction.
Jill: Oh, I can imagine. Very, it's very social.
Angie: Yes.
Jill: Yeah, you have to be social for that, I think.
Angie: And I think I am.
Jill: And then I know you, served in the military.
Angie: Yes, I did.
Jill: And so you
Angie: I was a correctional officer in the Army.
Jill: So thank you for your service. And where were you?
Angie: I did, my basic training in AIT in Fort- Lost in the Woods.
Jill: What's
Angie: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It's just
Jill: Fort Leonard Wood. I've never even heard of that one.
Angie: Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. We call it Fort Lost in the Woods.
Jill: Oh.
Angie: So I did basic in AIT there, and then I did a year in Guantanamo Bay.
And then I did five years in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Jill: Wow.
Angie: Yeah.
Jill: Very interesting. And I would imagine you had some interesting experiences.
Angie: As a correctional officer?
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Especially in Guantanamo Bay, I dealt with the terrorists more than anything else.
Detainees.
Jill: And so you've seen some things.
Angie: I mean, it's all funny. I have funny stories. I have plenty of funny stories.
Jill: Well, I would
Angie: It's nothing like that movie with, the chick from Twilight.
Jill: Oh, I don't
Angie: Where she falls in love with a detainee.
Jill: Oh, gross.
Angie: Yeah. Exactly.
Jill: That does not sound like a good plan.
Well, I would imagine, too, it'd help you prepare for service positions because, you know, you're dealing with a crowd that can get unruly, and so you have tactics.
Angie: Yes. Yes. I, my jumping over the bar skills are a bit rusty since I started my own business, but I can do it still if I need to.
Jill: You can handle it.
Well, and you did great at Spring Jam, so thank you. Guantanamo Bay, Spring Jam, you know. It's kind of all the same. It's all good. Well, I really appreciate it. And so, this is the question that makes me uncomfortable when I ask it, but what is your impression of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce?
Angie: Oh, I love it.
And it's not just because I work here.
Jill: Good answer.
Angie: I think it's I think there, and I said this before, I think there's so many things that, businesses don't realize that they can utilize the Chamber for. Yeah, I get everybody gets their free landing page. Cool. Great. But did you know that you can get a podcast once a year?
Jill: Right.
Angie: Did you know that Jill goes... You go everywhere. Washington, you were just recently in Carson City, right? Doing a bunch of advocacy just for the businesses here in Boulder City.
Jill: Right.
Angie: It's a huge thing that you do for us, and I don't think people understand or realize that this is what you're doing. You're not just taking all these trips for fun. I don't think... I think in the year that I worked here, there was one fun trip you did, Disneyland?
Jill: Yeah.
Angie: And that was it. Every other time you're out of the office, it's Washington, it's Carson City, it's Reno, it's wherever the heck else you go, for the chamber conferences, for dealing with, and all the senators that we deal with and everybody you know.
I mean, we just had, Monday we had, didn't we have a senator here?
Jill: Yeah. Mas- Senator Mas- Cortez Masto ...
Angie: Cortez Masto. Yeah. Masto. She was just here, and then yesterday you met with, was it yesterday?
Jill: Chief of Staff for
Angie: Chief of Staff
Jill: Congresswoman Titus, who
Angie: Exactly
Jill: is going to be here today.
Angie: Right. See? So there's so much you do for us and just for Boulder City, and I don't think anybody takes, realizes what you do.
Jill: Well, thank you, and I agree, and part of our problem is that we're too busy doing the work. We're not doing enough to talk about the work, right?
Angie: Well, that's what Olivia's gonna be for, so.
Jill: Yes.
Angie: We're gonna have Olivia to do that for us.
Jill: We have a great staff and a great team that supports us in what we do, and that allows you to have a solid business here in Boulder City as well.
Angie: It does.
Jill: And I think a lot of the entrepreneurs that live here in Boulder have, really been able to see the difference that, being a member of any chamber can do for you, right? And it allows us also to not only help and support, but live in a better community. It creates a quality of life for all of us that live here.
Angie: Yes, it does, especially, like, with the pop-up markets, all the time we spent with the city trying to get them to tell us, lay it out on a piece of paper, how do we do pop-up markets?
That's a huge thing, 'cause I know that there were some issues here and there with other people trying to do pop-up markets and not doing them completely properly because we didn't know.
Jill: That's exactly right. It's the education, right? So bringing everybody together, convening all of the city leadership as well as those that are interested. Because, you know, we talk about events all the time as being mini population explosions. So when we've got, you know, groups of people coming in from Vegas Valley or other locals that haven't been in the historic district for a while, having them come down to these special little pop-up markets or special events, they're very important.
They infuse business in when possibly those businesses wouldn't have seen those individuals. It's the same thing with the wine walks. The idea is to get people moving and traveling throughout that, the business core, and now being able to add additional, partnerships so that businesses from out on the highway have the ability to partner up with those businesses within the walking district.
It allows for them to also showcase what it is they do. And we love the idea that just bringing those people and those guests from Vegas, they're driving past those businesses on the highway. So now it gives those businesses the opportunity to have, eyes on what it is they do and then advertise to them, convert them to stop by them on their way in or out.
So there's always opportunity, and we wanna make sure that we're, you know, citywide helping and assisting. And so I really appreciate all your efforts in doing that and, being with the chamber as well as having a great business. And what a great inspiration you are to not only women, but to your children.
So thank you for what it is you do.
Angie: Thank you.
Jill: Thanks for being here today. We've loved it.
