Dr. Nicola Nice

Sociologist and Founder and CEO, Pomp & Whimsy, New York, NY

Writing Women Back into Cocktail History

A sociologist and brand strategist-turned spirits producer, Nice has devoted her career to bringing the female consumer to the forefront of the spirits industry. As part of that mission, she has collected and archived online (on the Pomp & Whimsy website) more than 80 antique books on housekeeping and entertaining that include alcohol and drinks, all written by women—and this is just the first phase of the project, covering 1824-1939. Altogether, she says, the collection makes a case for the forgotten role of women in early mixology. Further, in 2016 she started Pomp & Whimsy, a liqueur targeted to women, when she realized the market was underserved. Her latest product Pomp & Whimsy Gin, which nods to the spirit’s history as “mother’s ruin” and the story of Mother Gin, launched earlier this year.

Instagram: @nicola.nice, @pompandwhimsy