Meet Samantha “Sammie” Franklin | Bartender & Mixologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha “Sammie” Franklin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha “Sammie”, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I don’t mean to sound cliche, but I believe that being a creative is more of a calling than something that you chosen to be, rather than something that you decide to do. The call to create has to be big enough to drown out the fear of failure, it has to overrule the hard days and sleepless nights. I consider myself blessed with a gift of creating fun and flavorful cocktails that are pleasing to the eye and palette. Once I acknowledged the gift and allowed myself to cultivate it, beautiful creations flowed through freely.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am the owner of The Perfect Pour, Mobile Bartending service. Myself and my staff pride ourselves on crafting fun and fresh signature cocktails that are flavorful and delicious. I pride myself on being true to the authenticity of classic cocktails while still adding a modern spark and flavor to them.

I believe that the favor that has been shown to my business, even throughout a global pandemic, is a due largely to God and then also to the fact that I am always pushing myself to raise the bar on each event I am fortunate to be able to service.

Growing my business hasn’t been easy by a long shot. One of the most important lessons that I have had to learn is that it’s far better to create a brand and cultivate that along the way than it is to just keep a business afloat. Branding myself and pushing everything and everyone associated with The Perfect Pour to consistently exceed the mark I’ve established has allowed my business to be one of the most respected black owned mobile bar services in my area. I feel that a failure to brand properly gives your business a more limited life expectancy, causes unnecessary stress trying to back track and undo issues errors that could have been controlled by executing the vision that was written down during the branding process. There is a level of uniqueness that only comes from being secure in the fact that you are operating in the lane that God created just for you that makes it easier not to see others in the same field as competitors and more so as potential collaborators. That freedom can only come when you establish yourself as a brand and align your moves to flow with the overall purpose of your brand in mind.

When I get to the end of my journey and I look back over my life and all I was able to accomplish with my brand, my only goal is to be able to be proud of the moves I’ve made and I pray that I would have shown some other girl who looks like me that if I could take the ashes in my life and make something as beautiful as The Perfect Pour that she can do it to.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Whew chile! Let’s just say we would owe our meal plans an explanation at the end of it all. We would hit up some food trucks around the city, get lost on some hiking trails, and enjoy a good happy hour session at Scuzzi’s or Rebelle. My inner circle knows that I crave intimate moments with them, so the culmination of everything would definitely be a good kickback at one of our homes with Polkalicious Foods making desserts Perfect Pour doing drinks and Southern Grit handling the food.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this to my father Lonice Franklin who passed Dec 28, 2019 and my Bonus Dad Calvin Drake Senior who passed Feb 23, 2021. One taught me strength, the other taught me to be consistent. They both showed me that hard work pays off in the end.

I also have to acknowledge my mommy Sara Drake. I am blessed to have a mom who was the perfect amount of silk and satin to balance out the hardness of anything and anyone else I encountered in life.

Website: www.perfectpoursa.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perfectpour_bartending/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectPourSA/

Image Credits
Brian Osborne