Behind the Bar with Brandon Hockaday

August 1, 2026

Brandon Hockaday, aka B Rocka Cocktails, is a mixologist and aspiring entrepreneur from Smithfield, NC, USA.

How did you get started as a mixologist?

I’ve had much appreciation for the art of cocktails for about as long as I’ve been legally allowed to drink. I worked in the food and service industry for many years and I became quite a foodie with a huge admiration for chefs.

I’ve been into art, music, and photography/videography my entire life, and I realized pretty quickly that chefs were just another type of artist! Food was just another medium.

Then over time I realized that cocktail creation is just an extension of that world! I then started getting into the world of tiki probably about 10 years ago, which opened my eyes even more to how expansive the craft cocktail world is.

I’ve now been heavily into actually mixing and creating cocktails for a solid 5 years, and it’s really just become a lifestyle at this point.

One of my goals is to hopefully open my very own craft cocktail bar! In the meantime, I will continue spreading the word to bring as many people to the world of craft cocktails as possible.

How would you describe your personal style as a bartender?

Moody, Creative, Unique Flavor Combinations, Tiki, Escapism!

What inspires your creativity when crafting new cocktails?

It all depends on the situation! It varies depending on the season, the mood I’m in, etc. Sometimes I am inspired simply by a movie I watched, a song I heard, or a vacation I went on, etc.

I generally will imagine an overall flavor profile, based on whatever said inspiration is… Then start building from there!

What’s your favorite Fee Brothers product to work with, and why?

That’s an extremely hard question, as I currently have 16 Fee Bros products in stock… And counting! But I’d probably have to say Fee Foam! It’s so cool to be able to easily make a frothy cocktail, without having to deal with messy egg whites!

What advice would you give to someone aspiring to become a better mixologist?

Think outside the box! Obviously it’s great to be able to do any of the classics and master all techniques. But do you! Don’t be afraid to put your own spin on things. The worst thing that could happen is it doesn’t work. So just tweak it and try again!

What is your signature drink, and what makes it special?

I would say at the moment my original cocktail I’m most known for is, “Fig-ure of Speech”. Simply because it landed me 8th place in a worldwide cocktail competition that had over 200 entries. It’s since received quite a bit of love from several other cocktail content creators!

Do you have a favorite recipe in which you use Fee Brothers products?

I spent the last week dialing in a brand new original cocktail that utilizes two different bitters by Fee Brothers, and I’m extremely happy with how it turned out!