The Tipsy Muse: My Creative Outlet

A little over a year ago, I started a new Instagram account called Tipsy Muse. I created it to document my journey through creating, and photographing countless cocktails. The first picture I took, was a remake of a drink from Bar High Five in Tokyo. From there, I ventured into creating concoctions of my own, to other global cocktails.

The very first picture on my Instagram

I’ve always resonated more with photos than words. For me, a picture is the first impression, it tells a narrative, the emotion or mood of a particular place, at a particular time.

As I was flipping through the famous cocktail book Death & Co, I was surprised by the lack of photos. (If you are curious about why cookbooks often have so few photos, Nick Kokonas from Alinea wrote a very insightful post about the publishing business and why he decided to self publish hisupcoming Aviary book).

So, I started to go through the drinks in the book. I dressed them up in nice glasses, took photos and posted them on Instagram (and when I say nice glasses, I actually mean Goodwill on Mission Street where you can often find vintage ones). Little did I know that there is a very tight, friendly cocktail community on Instagram and soon I started to gain quite a bit followers.

Here are some of the drinks I made from the book:

Being super productive both at work as well as cocktail making! Up everyday as early as 6 am with morning exercise 😂💪🏻. 5 more large tasks i am done for the week ! . . . Lucien Gaudin from @deathandconyc . . . 1.5 oz St George Terroir Gin @stgeorgespirits 0.5 oz Dolin dry vermouth 0.5 oz Bruto Americano 0.5 oz Cointreau Garnish with lemon twist . . . Stir and strain into a Nick & Nora glass. I love that glass, it's small, classic and you know for sure it's a solid drink!

261 Likes, 17 Comments - Vivian | San Francisco (@thetipsymuse) on Instagram: "Being super productive both at work as well as cocktail making! Up everyday as early as 6 am with..."

Who would have thought to put Scotch and coconut water together? Make coconut water ice cubes a few hours before, 1.25 oz each Take two cubes 1.5 oz Ardbeg Scotch 0.5 oz Cointreau 0.25 oz lemon juice A pinch of salt Shake til ice cubes slush. Strain and pour, express the orange twist over the top of the drink, wipe the rim. Float the star anise pod in top for that extra aroma. Happy Friday! #feedfeed

449 Likes, 13 Comments - Vivian | San Francisco (@thetipsymuse) on Instagram: "Who would have thought to put Scotch and coconut water together? Make coconut water ice cubes a few..."

Over time, I improved my handle on portions and started to become more creative with both the garnishes and ingredients.

Here are some creative drinks I have made:

I added squid ink to make a Halloween themed drink:

Fernet and me: till death do us part. ☠️ 1 oz spiced rum, 0.5 oz fernet branca, 1.5 oz creme de cacao, 1 to 2 squeezes of squid ink, shake with ice and pour. Top with chocolate stout. I was worried squid ink's taste but it doesn't taste fishy at all since you use so little. Happy Halloween 👻! #feedfeed

205 Likes, 11 Comments - Vivian | San Francisco (@thetipsymuse) on Instagram: "Fernet and me: till death do us part. ☠️ 1 oz spiced rum, 0.5 oz fernet branca, 1.5 oz creme de..."

ernet featured this pic for Halloween, it doesnt taste fishy at all.

I am a big fan of Nikka whisky. So here I decorated my drink with Japanese maple tree leaves and a fancy glass from Jakobsen Design.

Nikka coffey whiskey is known for its sweet spice, mango aroma. Perfect for a cold and moody evening. 4 parts @nikkawhiskyusa #nikkacoffeybreak one part aperol one part sloe gin dashes of orange bitter Shake and strain Smoke with a narrow neck whiskey bottle Pour into glass and smoke a bit more Express an orange zest Add glass lid Decorate with Japanese maple leaves for that extra touch of exoticness 🍂🍸#feedfeed

441 Likes, 11 Comments - Vivian | San Francisco (@thetipsymuse) on Instagram: "Nikka coffey whiskey is known for its sweet spice, mango aroma. Perfect for a cold and moody..."

Nikka whisky featured this pic. It remains as one of my favorites and I named it “Minato Fog”

I learned how to make blood orange crisps.

Woah! I finally learned how to make blood orange crisps! Thinly slice into wedges, then bake in oven for 7 hrs at 170˚F, Flip every 2-3 hours. They are sweet and tart at the same time, and absolutely good looking with the drinks! Let me know how you make those crisps! . . . A variation of negroni from St George website: . . . 1 1/2 oz St. George Terroir Gin 1 oz Bruto Americano 0.5 oz sweet vermouth 0.5 oz @fabriziaspirits blood orange liqueur . . . You can adjust the portion to your likes. If you like bitter, add more Bruto Americano, or add more blood orange liqueur if you have sweet tooth!😁

306 Likes, 5 Comments - Vivian | San Francisco (@thetipsymuse) on Instagram: "Woah! I finally learned how to make blood orange crisps! Thinly slice into wedges, then bake in..."

The crisps are pretty good healthy snacks too!

I made an asian version of the Last Word by using sake and matcha.

Who says you can't have a cocktail in a bowl? 🤗 Here is my attempt to add asian flare to The Last word. #wehavethelastword . . . The Last Word from Fast East . . . 1 oz super dry sake 1 oz fresh made matcha tea, make it strong, strain twice. The rest of ingredients will balance it out and it adds a bit creamy taste to the drink 1 oz green chartreuse 1 oz yuzu liqueur 0.5 oz lime juice, adjust accordingly to your taste 1 stalk of lemongrass . . . Slice off a few pieces of lemongrass, muddle with yuzu and lime juice. Lemongrass brings the sophisticated taste of citrusy and lemon mint. Pour into a small Japanese bowl, garnish with lemongrass and green leaf from Japanese maple tree. . . . The result is a tangy, pungent yet sweet drink with a subtle creamy finish (thanks to Matcha). The added matcha mochi complements the drink so well. . This drink brings back many happy and loving memories I have had in Japan over the years. 💞 @mmydrinks @wehavethelastword

211 Likes, 13 Comments - Vivian | San Francisco (@thetipsymuse) on Instagram: "Who says you can't have a cocktail in a bowl? 🤗 Here is my attempt to add asian flare to The Last..."

This one really pushed my imagination.

What I love about this hobby is that it is my ultimate creative outlet. I love the alone time it offers. It allows me to take a deep breath from the chaotic tech work and family obligations. I love the combination of creative cocktail design and photography, it pushes me to be more imaginative in my creations and encourages me to keep improving my photography skills.

Very soon, I started getting offers of free spirits and liqueur bottles, in exchange for cocktail design and photography to promote their brands on my account. Then, very soon after that, I started to get inbound inquiries offering to pay me for creative cocktail design and photography work for brands. When I first made my Instagram account, I never meant to make money of it. It was certainly unexpected.

To be honest, I was a bit scared. I didn’t know if my pictures were good enough, or if my recipes were original enough. I didn’t know how to add a watermark to my pictures before I sent them back to the agency for proof. I didn’t know how to organize my files in Lightroom like a professional. Suddenly, I felt very overwhelmed by all of the things I didn’t know how to do yet. I ended up taking more and more online photography classes. Recently, I started getting into motion pictures as well as Flixel. It has become a virtuous circle which is great, I love learning new things! There is nothing better than doing what you love, you get to grow your skills, be creative, and occasionally make some money from it.

As I continue to improve my cocktail and photography skills, I wanted to have a web presence where I could search and find my recipes (Instagram is not great for that), and also hopefully inspire others with my own cocktail inventions.

Today, I am launching thetipsymuse.com website with some of my favorite recipes!

thetipsymuse.com

I will be launching a section of short stories from mixologists around the world, their stories behind the bar and their own creative processes of making. The first few stories will be from far east Asia. If you would like to hear those stories and have some of my favorite recipes delivered right to your inbox, you can subscribe here (no more than twice a month):