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Industry Innovators 2025: Frankie Thaheld

The director of mixology for Snake Oil Cocktail Co. aims to generate an open environment of creativity and excitement that keeps his team inspired.

'There are no bad ideas at our company,' says Thaheld. 'Instead, the questions are, 'How can we do it?' and 'When can we start?''
"There are no bad ideas at our company," says Thaheld. "Instead, the questions are, 'How can we do it?' and 'When can we start?'"

Thaheld got his start in the F&B industry working at McDonald’s when he was just 15 years old.Thaheld got his start in the F&B industry working at McDonald’s when he was just 15 years old.Photo: Courtesy of Frankie ThaheldFrankie Thaheld is a partner and the director of mixology for Snake Oil Cocktail Co., an event beverage consulting firm based in San Diego. 

How he got his start: "I started out working at McDonald’s when I was 15. My parents edited my birth certificate so I would not need a work permit from my school. I loved working drive-thru, as there were many functions and organizational skills needed to perform my job. Over the next 10 years, I worked as a soda jerk, busser, and server. Finally, in 1995, I landed my first bartending job with California Pizza Kitchen—and quickly found my love of beverages to be all-consuming. This was a fine place to get some experience working with specialty cocktails and guests' needs over the counter. I also became a corporate trainer and started to travel abroad for new store openings.

In 2006, I left CPK and got hired at George’s at the Cove for the opening of their new concept, California Modern. Chef Trey Foshee invited me to New York City for the International Chefs Congress, and we sought out mixology bars that were traditional speakeasies or cutting-edge with experimentation. I was able to go into a bar that had not opened yet in Chinatown, called Apotheke. The owner showed me a bottle of gin that he was infusing with cilantro—and I was hooked! This was my calling, a merge between foods that I love and cocktails that I could respectfully create.

'I quickly found my love of beverages to be all-consuming,' says Thaheld of his early jobs."I quickly found my love of beverages to be all-consuming," says Thaheld of his early jobs.Photo: Courtesy of Snake Oil Cocktail Co.When I came back to San Diego that winter, I started on the opening menu for what would be a cornerstone for a movement in San Diego we called Culinary Mixology. Myself and a few other bartenders started the first-ever Bartenders' Guild in San Diego before the SDBG would become official. This was an opportunity to share ideas in what became a quickly growing movement at fine restaurants throughout La Jolla and soon into San Diego.

After some years at George’s, I began to do some consulting work on my own to help bars and restaurants develop their own cocktail menus. This led me to meet Michael Esposito, who was in need of a mixology partner with Snake Oil Cocktail Company. I started consulting with Snake Oil in 2012 and by 2014 had decided to go all in and become a partner in the business. This partnership with Michael’s business prowess, and my customer service and mixology skills, was a great wave, and our dedication to making each event a world of its own soon gained us a reputation and client list.

It is now 2024 and we have several ventures that have branched from Snake Oil over the last 10 years: Julep Venue, Cocktail Graffiti, bottled cocktail mixers, consulting internationally on myriad cocktail programs, Virtual Barstool (a COVID-era online program), and more projects to be announced this year.

'We have a love for the craft and mystery that is mixology,' he says of the Snake Oil Cocktail Co. team."We have a love for the craft and mystery that is mixology," he says of the Snake Oil Cocktail Co. team.Photo: Courtesy of Snake Oil Cocktail Co.What sets his work apart: "I think we have a love for the craft and mystery that is mixology. I am no longer the only mixologist in our company; I like to mentor others to find their own voice and style. This open environment of creativity and excitement keeps our staff working toward event perfection. It truly is an art form, and our sales, ops, and service staff are all a huge piece of our success."

What innovation means to him: "Innovation means thinking ahead of trends. We have often been the first to market with ideas or the first to implement a common idea into an event activation. It also means not having limits to creativity: There are no bad ideas at our company. Instead, the questions are, 'How can we do it?' and 'When can we start?'

Staying inspired is no easy task. Sometimes you think you have reached the limit of your own creativity, and then what you need to do is open your mind to learning from others and finding tangent inspirations that will reignite your own ideas. We are a collection of minds, and that is how we continue to inspire each other."

Memorable moments: "One of my most memorable cocktail moments was when I was tasked with pairing a cocktail with a Cajun shrimp po’boy sandwich. I decided to look at foods from the region and devise my cocktail. What ended up coming out of it was a cocktail called the Cajun Gimlet: vodka, smashed celery and kale, cumin- and sassafras-infused honey syrup, and fresh lime. What a flavor explosion between the two!

As for memorable events, I recall once working on a remote mountaintop in Utah, where an entire temporary town had been fabricated for 1,000 lucky individuals. Our main outlet was a saloon made from wood pallets that would have live music at night and solace from the sun in the daytime. It was also powered by solar in the daytime and biofuel at night. It certainly challenged us with the way we would do traditional bar service!" Thaheld emphasizes the power of collaboration at Snake Oil Cocktail Co. 'We are a collection of minds, and that is how we continue to inspire each other.'Thaheld emphasizes the power of collaboration at Snake Oil Cocktail Co. "We are a collection of minds, and that is how we continue to inspire each other."Photo: Courtesy of Snake Oil Cocktail Co.

His all-time favorite food: "Korean food is the standout for me. I love all of the fermented foods, sweet and spicy sauces, and tiny side dishes that come with a traditional meal. My mother-in-law is Korean and spoils me when I come over, making my favorite spicy squid dish from scratch!"

His biggest hope for the F&B industry: "My hope is for sincerity and simplicity to come back. Mixology has gone through many iterations over the last 25 years, and has sometimes gotten further away from the original intention and integrity of the craft. In a world where every bartender fancies themselves a mixologist, every product is adorned with the moniker of 'craft,' or the use of a strange ingredient just to be avant-garde loses the intended audience, I would like to see things come full circle and create a noncompetitive love of the cocktail and beverage culture all around. I think we are getting there, but I am eager for the finish line."

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