Meet Angel Vasquez of The Cocktail Portal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Vasquez.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve been doing photography for 18+ years and a full-time photographer for about six years. I started in weddings and portraits in film photography, and when the digital era hit, the market became overly saturated. It became much harder to get gigs. In an effort to survive, I decided to diversify my portfolio, and I broke into real estate and vacation rental photography. I also attempted to break into food photography with very little success. However, I did convince a restaurant to let me do food photography for their social media.

During that gig, I saw the bar manager, Peter Barriga, prepping the bar for the day. I had recently crossed over into creating videos and out of my pure desire to have a drink, I approached him and asked if he would let me film him while he made me a drink. Once I had that footage and edited it, I felt I had something magical. I began to stalk bartenders and started looking for good ones. With that one edit, I presented to other bartenders I found, and all of them enthusiastically agreed.

I was very fortunate in that I found some of LA’s very best right away. IG only allowed 15 seconds of video at that time. No one was doing videos of bartenders yet. The Cocktail Portal page grew very quickly, and bartenders all over the world appreciated the positive exposure to a, sometimes underappreciated, undervalued, industry. I was lucky to find passion for the craft.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to getting to this point has not been smooth. When The Cocktail Portal page was at about 30,000 followers, I began to question why I was putting so much effort into this page. In truth, I was flat broke, my car needed tires, and I considered going back to an office job.

A soul-crushing cubicle is where I spent most of my adult life, and I was thinking about going back. I shared my sentiment with one of my favorite bartender friends, and he chuckled, looked away and with a grin, said, “Angel, you have no idea how many people are talking about you in the industry. Trust me! Keep going!” With those words, I was encouraged and stayed the course.

The Cocktail Portal – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I was the first to start creating videos of bartenders. I am proud that I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase them in such a positive light. When I film them, what sounds like small talk is truly me interviewing them and getting to know and understand the industry.

I quickly learned so much about their lifestyles and the industry as a whole. It’s an honor to bring light to what they do and showcase the passion that they have. I have met many would be a dentist, architects, accountants, chefs, etc., who got that degree to make mom and dad happy but loved the industry so much they never left.

What makes me most proud: Many have shared that once they were showcased on such a big platform, the nay-sayers (like parents and spouses) became proud and were better able to understand their passion.

I think what sets me apart is that I have truly connected with the people in the service industry. I’ve made some truly remarkable friendships and I admire what they are doing with craft cocktails. I am a fan.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
About four years ago, I set a goal, which, honestly, was more like a wish. I started making it known that I wanted to travel by way of my camera. I had no idea how but I believe the universe conspired on my behalf.

I had a very modest upbringing, and luxury items were almost forbidden. I bought into that mindset and simply believed that traveling is just too expensive and therefore beyond my reach. It’s sometimes hard for me to believe that I am now traveling all over the world.

I have managed to get to Thailand, Hong Kong, London, Mexico, New York, Chicago, Portland, Texas. All of which I had never been to. I feel amazingly lucky and almost like I”m getting away with something.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheCocktailPortal.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecocktailportal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCocktailPortal/

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