April Wachtel is a 27-year veteran of the beverage and hospitality industry and the Founder/CEO of Cheeky Cocktails. In addition to running Cheeky, she hosts the Movers and Shakers podcast and provides coaching for early-stage CPG founders looking to launch and grow a product or business from idea to $500K+ in annual revenue. April’s expertise spans product development, self-manufacturing, route-to-market, early-stage financing strategy, and more.
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In 2015, April founded Swig + Swallow, a cocktail batching and delivery service that evolved into a line of refrigerated (HPP’ed) cocktail mixers. After raising double its Kickstarter goal in under 30 hours, the company grew quickly, landing deals with Whole Foods, Amazon, and Minibar. In 2020, Swig + Swallow rebranded as Cheeky Cocktails, which is now sold in over 1300 stores, bars, and four and five-star hotels across 44 states and internationally.
In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, April has held a wide range of roles in the beverage industry, from bartender to beverage director and brand ambassador for Bacardi and on-premise beverage consultant for Diageo, helping build national trade advocacy teams and educational programming across the US.
She’s developed cocktail recipes for venues like Lincoln Center Kitchen and MetLife Stadium and taught over 12,000 students how to make cocktails at institutions like Astor Center and ICE. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc Mag, and more, as well as on The Sundance Channel, The Today Show, Fox and Friends, and The Pitch Podcast, among others.
You may have seen April's work mentioned or featured in: (for a list with links, please click here)
NY Mag (Vulture), Forbes, Martha Stewart.com, Fast Company, Refinery29, Heritage Radio Network, Serious Eats, Men's Health, Men’s Journal, The Washington Post, Thrillist, Whisky Advocate, Supercall, Zagat.com, Cosmo Radio (Siriusxm), Redbook Magazine, Maxim.com, Chilled Magazine, COED, StupidDope, Examiner.com, The Daily Meal, NY Press, The Houston Chronicle, Eat This Drink That Go!, Liquor.com, Craveonline.com, The Speakeasy, Sharp & Hot, The Main Course, Celebuzz'd, Greatist.com, Mamas Latinas, The Massachusetts Beverage Business Journal, Boston.com, Grubstreet, The Improper Bostonian, and Stuff Magazine.