Influencer Feature: @thirstywhale_

A professional landscaper with a passion for home-bartending, Justin Sajda (aka @thirstywhale_) discovered TikTok during the lockdown in March 2020.

But how did he get into cocktails? His friend Billy, as well as a visit to some cocktail bars in Portland, Maine, was enough to get him there. Since then, Justin soaked up all the information on crafting cocktails that he could - including using resources such as The Cocktail Codex, YouTube, and the Smuggler’s Cove cocktail book - which might explain his love of Tiki drinks.

This video went on to propel Justin into TikTok home-bartending fame. What originally started out as a way to pass the time (with no game plan, as Justin says) during lockdown turned into something much more entertaining and planned out - even knowing that he must call out freshly squeezed citrus mentions in every episode (because that’s what the audience wants).

Justin now has nearly 200K followers and 1.8 million likes. Just goes to show you that it’s never too late to try something new and put yourself out there.