INDULGENCES mixology
by jared cox
Situated in Huntington Beach, Ibiza Bar and Nightclub has quickly become the hotspot for the local Orange County LGBT community. Ibiza offers a little something for everyone with different features nightly. Nights vary from the Monday night drag show, “Just Drag,” hosted by Silva Sirene-Halson, Karaoke Tuesdays and even a new monthly girls’ night called FLAUNT. One of the best nightly features is bartender and owner, Nicco Martinez. Known for his bootylicious short-shorts and his charming personality, Nicco is bringing sexy back to the Orange County gay scene.
We recently sat down with Nicco and this is what he had to say;
How did you discover a career in bartending? After working in office jobs for six years I realized the nine-to-five gig wasn’t my thing
at all. I had a coworker who was a bartender and she always seemed to enjoy the work. I would go have a drink at her bar and watch her work. It was then I realized, “hey I want to do this too.” It was totally out of my comfort zone because I had never worked in any service industry jobs like bars restaurants and clubs. I signed myself up for bartending school and then the rest is history. Are you an Orange County native? Yes. I was raised in Sunset Beach and have lived in Huntington Beach all my life. I
could never leave the beach; I love it way too much. What’s the scariest part about becoming a business owner? To me there is no scary part because I don’t really see anything to be scared of. I see
everything I do as a learning experience and try to grow with each lesson learned. I wouldn’t say it’s the scariest part but the fact that you are the boss is a little intimidating because everyone turns to you for direction and help. Tell us a little about your history bartending? I started in the bar/nightclub industry at a place where I would say everyone starts
off, Ripples in Long Beach. It was the only place that would give me a job back then. I learned a lot there from everyone, especially “Tina.” About eight months later I got a job bartending at Metro Q Bar & Grill and worked there about a year and a half. The few months Velvet Lounge was open in Santa Ana I worked there also. For two months I was bartending six nights a week and I loved it. I then realized this is what I wanted to do with my life. After Velvet closed, I realized I was tired of people controlling my income. I also decided that I wanted to own my own bar. I hired several business brokers to help me find what I wanted. When and where can our readers find you? You can find me at Ibiza Bar and Nightclub in Huntington Beach, I personally bartend
every Monday night for our drag show and then on Friday and Saturday nights for our club nights. You can find me there most of the rest of the time doing admin stuff and hanging out with my loyal customers. What are some of the things you enjoy doing when you’re not working? I work so much that I don’t get much time off. When I am off, I am hanging with my boyfriend Jasen or partying in Vegas.
Do you have any “specialty cocktails” that you’d like to mention? Yes I have a few cocktails I have made up that I love like my Chocolate Martini made
with whipped cream vodka and Chocovine Liquor. My Raspberry Cheesecake Martini with vanilla vodka, Chambord, cranberry juice and half a lemon squeezed and shaken is another signature drink. Another hit is my Cherry Orgasm with cherry vodka, cran- berry juice and Red Bull. If you were a cocktail, what would you be and why? I would be either one of my two drinks of choice, Patron on the rocks with limes because it’s strong and gets to point without f*cking around or my vanilla vodka and cranberry juice with a lemon because its simple and enjoyable like me, ha-ha! For those who haven’t been to Ibiza, what would you say they have been missing out on? You are truly missing out on the best Orange County has to offer. We have different
things going on every night. A must-see is our drag show Monday nights at 7:30p.m. when we feature 12 different martinis handcrafted by me for only $5 all night. Friday nights feature our club night with a DJ! Also, we never charge a cover! What’s not to love about that?
IBIZA BAR AND NIGHTCLUB is located at 18528 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, CA 92646. For more information, visit Ibiza online at
ibizabarhb.com or call 714.963.7744.
64
RAGE monthly | FEBRUARY 2011
IBIZA BAR AND NIGHTCLUB
NICCO
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