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Episode 334: April Wachtel – Cheeky Cocktails, Mixer Mixologist

April Wachtel, the Founder & CEO of Cheeky Cocktails, joins the show to share her journey from bartender to creating the bar-quality line of cocktail mixers. Hear the lessons she learned bartending, how to deconstruct your brand, the surprising things you can learn from your customers, how to find inspiration as an entrepreneur, and the Cocktail Edition of Rapid-Fire Q&A. This episode covers everything from margaritas to mocktails. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did April start her hospitality career in Vermont
• What is Ikigai
• How did April create the branding for Cheeky Cocktails
• What’s driven the growth of Cheeky Cocktails
• The Town

Connect with April at CheekyCocktails.co, on social media @CheekyCocktails, on LinkedIn, and Instagram @CheekyApril

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Bartending
  • [0:30] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:40] Connect with April at CheekyCocktails.co, on social media @CheekyCocktails, on LinkedIn, and Instagram @CheekyApril
  • [2:19] How did she start her hospitality career in Vermont
  • [3:15] Four Columns Inn
  • [3:32] Where did April work in Vermont
  • [4:51] Where did her interest in hospitality come from

• The Cheeky Cocktails Story
  • [6:22] What inspired April to start Cheeky Cocktails
  • [6:59] What is Ikigai
  • [7:38] Good Jibes with Latitude 38
  • [9:24] What intrigued April about cocktail mixers
  • [10:49] How much research did she do on cocktail mixers
  • [11:41] What’s a lesson she learned from bartending
  • [13:17] How do you pronounce syrup
  • [13:31] How did April create the branding for Cheeky Cocktails
  • [15:00] What did she deconstruct during the rebrand
  • [17:57] How does she decide what cocktail mixers she offers
  • [20:28] How do you pioneer your space in the market
  • [22:45] What’s the most surprising thing April’s learned from her customers
  • [24:11] What’s driven the growth of Cheeky Cocktails
  • [26:51] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like April
  • [26:52] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [26:54] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• Inspiration & Creativity: Studying Entrepreneurs
  • [27:30] How do you learn entrepreneurship
  • [28:52] The Game with Alex Hormozi
  • [30:25] Try out Cheeky Cocktails
  • [30:58] What are the most inspiring entrepreneurship podcasts
  • [31:05] Hear April on Advice Line with Peter Rahal of RXBAR on How I Built This with Guy Raz Wachtel Advice Line RXBAR Peter Rayhall DavidBar April 2025
  • [31:52] The GaryVee Audio Experience, The Moth, On Being
• Rapid-Fire Q&A: Cocktail Edition
  • [33:44] What ingredients would be in the April Wachtel Cocktail
  • [34:44] What would her dream view be while making a cocktail
  • [35:50] What’s a good mocktail to start with
  • [37:00] What’s an impressive but easy-to-make cocktail
  • [38:52] The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss aka Timothy Ferriss
  • [41:29] What’s the Wildest thing April’s seen or heard while bartending
  • [43:31] The Town
  • [44:11] Connect with April at CheekyCocktails.co, on social media @CheekyCocktails, on LinkedIn, and Instagram @CheekyApril
  • [44:48] What are April’s Final Thoughts
  • [45:09] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [45:17] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like April
  • [45:19] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [45:20] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [45:21] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [45:26] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to April Wachtel on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And get Cheeky with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!