About
So who is The Cocktail Queen?
Well that would be me! Nicole Treffers, owner and founder of The Cocktail Queen in Australia.
I established this company and unique business model in Adelaide in the late 90's and haven't looked back. It all started when I was working in a local pub one day and a young lady made a statement to me saying she would love a cocktail party for her hens party but simply couldn't afford it. I thought about that statement and being the person that made the cocktails I knew that to make a cocktail it actually didn't cost that much (depending on the cocktail). And what if someone could provide a cocktail party with 'affordable' cocktails then everyone could enjoy a cocktail at the party! I decided that someone would be me!
I started formulating The Cocktail Queen Mobile Bar, creating menus, getting a post box (because the cheques for deposits had to be sent somewhere), putting adds in the newspaper (yes in the classifieds), and telling the whole world I was going to be The Cocktail Queen! It was great, so exciting, and then one day the best thing happened... a man walked into the bar (so cliche) and I began to tell him about my Cocktail Queen concept. Next thing I know he is handing me a napkin with the logo he drew of the 'pink lady' who is now known as The Cocktail Queen.
The Cocktail Queen
Vision
It is the vision of The Cocktail Queen to ensure that every person of every income bracket can experience the fun and delight of a Cocktail Queen service package. Our vision is to create a dynamic and highly efficient mobile bar network, which provides its clients with mouth-watering high-quality cocktails, professional efficient and friendly bartending service that culminates in to a memorable cocktail experience.
Today we still service hens party packages, the package has changed to suit customer trends, but the great service, and model still exists. The base menu I designed all those years ago is still utilised today in those packages. New packages have been introduced and we are constantly evolving to keep up with the trends of the Cocktail world and consumer wants. The inception of the BYO cocktail party package whereby the client can supply their own alcohol is now the most popular party package to date. The staff pool has grown with a great crew culture, the business development team has expanded, we have a South Melbourne city based venue and head office, and above all I am proud to say we are now selling franchises around Australia, with the lovely Tegan being our first Franchise Partner in Melbourne. I've kept true to my vision this entire time to keep it affordable also so everyone of every income bracket can afford to enjoy a cocktail.
But the best bit is I still love what I do, and I'am excited about the future of The Cocktail Queen. As far as I'm concerned we are only getting started.
My foot in the door to the world of 'at home cocktail partys' was the $49 hens party package... unlimited cocktails for 4 hours, finger food, hens party games and gifts for all girls attending. Upon booking the client would get a large A4 information package in the post which they could choose their cocktails that they wanted served on the day, the finger food and the hens party games they wanted us to host. I even included a stamped return envelope so they could send back their selection form. The package was popular and so was the price point.
I remember trialling this concept with my parents... I set all the dining room table up with groups of different cocktails, with cocktail cards in front of them, and proceeded to host a cocktail party for them. Not sure how many pina coladas they had that night, but I do remember Dad saying this is a wonderful concept you should franchise this one day.
The internet I was still familarising myself with back then, creating a website was hard, there was no easy to use platforms like Wix, and you had to employ graphic designers to design your flyers before getting them professionally printed. Letter box drops were still happening and Instagram didn't exist! And then in 2000 google adwords arrived, and I set about learning everything about SEO, how to create my own add campaigns, and use the internet more effectively. Key words like 'hens party' was only 1c a click then, so the ROI was oustanding for the amount of events I was booking. In 2009 alone I serviced with a small staff pool close to 300 events.