Want a cocktail with that?

Cedric Mburu and Arnold Muindi, both 23, often turn heads wherever they go, thanks to their tattoos, dreadlocks and a nose piercing for Arnold.

Eccentric would be the apt word to describe them. There is nothing conventional about them, not even the career they have chosen – mixology.

Having grown up together in Nairobi, the pair got separated in high school but would link up when the career paths they had wanted to follow failed to materialise for both of them.

“I wanted to be many things: astronaut, pilot, lawyer and footballer,” Cedric explains. He eventually zeroed in on law, but later changed his mind because he wanted a career that would help him become a “holistic” person and maximise his potential.

As for Arnold, he realised that neither of the courses he wanted to undertake touched on art, a subject that had been dear to him from childhood. The two friends began searching online and stumbled upon a school that offered a special course that was novel and sounded exciting. Mixology.

That is how the duo ended up joining Dante Institute, located in Zimmerman, Nairobi. The course, which they enrolled for in 2014, took two months.

They have been mixologists for three years now after setting up their company, E&E Bar Solutions. They are quite happy with how their career has panned out so far.

“Our services are mostly sought during cooperate events, birthday parties, marketing promotions, wine tastings and food pairing occasions.”

Having fully booked weekends means good business for these two, whose busiest days are from Wednesday through the weekend. They charge from Sh45,000 for corporate events, while they ask for Sh20, 000 for their expertise during birthday parties. The price goes up if they bring their own drinks to your party.

When business is booming, especially during holidays and on weekends, rather than turn down their clients or potential ones, they outsource mixologists, but only those whose work they can vouch for.

The secret to the survival of their business? Professionalism. “We never drink on the job, turn up late or leave before our time is up. There are cases where guests drink too much but still want more.

“In such cases, we usually politely suggest that one drink water instead of taking more alcohol. At the end of the day, it’s the little things that matter,” remarks Arnold, who says that excellent delivery over the three years they have been in this business keeps earning them more references and recommendations.

CREATE MEMORIES

Another secret to their success comes from loving what they do. “Mixology, to us, is an art – we tell stories and create memories - every cocktail has a story. For example, the popular one called Dawa was invented by a bartender at the Carnivore, yet citizens and non-citizens love it,” explains Arnold.

Dawa is modern classic though, explains Cedric, and will therefore have to to wait a little longer to be considered a classic cocktail like the famous Martini, associated with fictional spy, James Bond.

Arnold explains that mixologists give cocktails out-of-the-box names because theirs is a unique art with which they are trying to express themselves. The name must also leave a long-lasting expression on their clients.

So, what are the most requested cocktails during parties? “It depends on the gender. Men like ‘manly’ cocktails, such as Whiskey Sour or Manhattan, while women prefer sweet, and sometimes sour ones like the Mojito. But the most popular one among women is the Cosmopolitan, made popular by the TV Show, Sex and the City – it exudes elegance, class and sophistication.”

Mixology might not be that new as a career in Kenya, but it still has a long way to go when you consider how long other countries have been doing it.

The trade is popular and appreciated in the US, Europe, and in Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. In the US, a mixologist can make upwards of Sh2.2 million to Sh10 million (for the popular ones) annually. This is minus the tips and bonuses they are bound to get in the course of duty.

In a month, Arnold and Cedric make about Sh100, 000, an amount they envision will go up as their business grows. Like every job, theirs comes with challenges too.

They recall an event they had been contracted to cater in 2016, called The Plot - R&B group 112, and singer Mya and Ginuwine were to perform.

They arrived way before time, only to get delayed due to the security measures that had been put in place. They ended up rushing over everything, including preparing the ingredients.

“You have to understand that making a perfect cocktail takes time and plenty of preparation, you cannot afford to rush,” Arnold points out.

The duo sometimes has to work long hours, most of the time past the agreed time. To ensure that they get paid for the time they put in, they have devised a way of charging overtime, and sometimes set their price depending on the number of people projected to grace an event.

Cedric and Arnold are members of a regional online group of over 200 African mixologists. This platform gives them the opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas that help them grow the craft in their respective countries.

Confident in the skills they have amassed, this year, they plan to register in mixology tournaments, such as the annual World Class Bartenders. Sponsored by Diageo, the world’s second largest distiller, the tenth edition will be held in Berlin, Germany.

They get their inspiration from – wait for it – women. “Every day, you meet different women. How they talk, look, as well as their personalities, inspire the special cocktails.

Also, women, unlike men, are more expressive, that’s why you’re more likely to get immediate feedback from them than men regarding a cocktail,” explains Cedric.

In the near future, they plan to open their own bar and distillery, where they intend to create authentic African cocktails.