In 2020 — when the world slowed to a still — we found ourselves furloughed from our hospitality careers, mixing cocktails for neighbors and quickly realizing most people had no idea how to make great drinks at home. So we got to work: batching bar-quality cocktail kits from our kitchen, pairing ingredients with sourced bar tools, then dropping them at clients' doorsteps and guiding them through live "Zoomtending" sessions — teaching jiggers, proportions, and the quiet pleasure of making something good from scratch.
What started as a way to connect and comfort others became the spark for The Barlesstender: a new way to experience cocktails, community, and creativity — wherever you are.
As the world reopened, we returned to the industry we love — deepening our roots in wine bar operations, distribution, event sales, and the evolving craft of guest experience. And we kept noticing something: the way people gathered was changing. They weren't just showing up for drinks anymore. They were craving learning, connection, and something worth remembering.
That shift gave us a new direction: Drink Workshops + Goods — experiences built entirely around the guest and the occasion. We plan, coordinate, design, and produce every workshop to match the needs, story, and style of the people in the room.
Our most celebrated workshop brings design and drinks together in a way no paint-and-sip ever could. Guests pot a living, propagated plant — many grown from our own home collection — into a custom 3D-printed planter, all while enjoying curated drinks tailored to the occasion. Every detail is customizable: planter shapes, colors, themes drawn from your logo, your company palette, your celebration. Each guest leaves with something alive.
And nothing goes to waste. The byproducts from drink prep become kitchen-scrap fertilizer for the plants — a full-circle story that's baked into everything we make. When we can't propagate from home, we source from trusted local farmers and nurseries, keeping our work as rooted and sustainable as it is beautiful.
We handle everything. You bring nothing — just your people.
Rashid
Design & Mixology
Rashid brings a coder's precision and an artist's eye to every planter he designs and every cocktail he builds — thoughtfully, intentionally, and always to order. His 3D-printed creations aren't merchandise; they're made-to-fit objects for the specific moment they're going into.
Kasey
Curation & Experience
Kasey leans on her sommelier certification and event coordination background to shape each workshop like a story-driven tasting — where every detail is chosen with purpose, and every guest feels seen. Her green thumb keeps the plants coming; her instincts keep the experience moving.
Together, we've worked at world-class venues — Gramercy Tavern, Hyatt, Soho House — and carried forward what hospitality has always meant to us: the discipline to get the details right, and the warmth to make people feel it.
Proudly based in Las Vegas, with deep connections stretching to Los Angeles, New York City, and Kansas City. We travel for select experiences when events meet our minimums and align with our values.
All of our products — planters, digital guides, hosting kits — are available as made-to-order pieces or instant downloads, so the experience can live on long after the workshop ends, or become the foundation for ones you host on your own.
The Barlesstender isn't just about drinks —
it's about cultivating moments that root, bloom, and linger.
