Serena Kerrigan's Best Tip For Meeting Someone Cute At A Bar

In Bustle’s new series Shooting Your Shot, single celebrities weigh in on drinking and dating: their go-to beverages, their favorite date bars, and more.

Serena Kerrigan estimates she’s been on more than 500 dates in her lifetime. Whether those dates have led to a relationship is beside the point, because Kerrigan’s main priority is learning something about herself along the way — and at the very least, every date can inspire content.

With nearly 800,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, Kerrigan’s entire brand is about channeling unapologetic confidence in your love life and beyond. “Dating is practice. It's a numbers game. It’s all about feeling good and just getting comfortable with who you are,” she tells Bustle. “Either you have a nice drink, get a great orgasm, God willing, or you learn about yourself.”

The mantra “do it for the plot” propels Kerrigan in all that she does, and in her latest venture, she’s teamed up with Joe & The Juice to create a shake. Aptly named the “For the Plot” Shake, the fruity and peanut-butter-forward drink will be available nationwide starting June 7. Kerrigan recommends picking two up for a non-alcoholic date.

“I’m sorry, I love [alcohol], but especially in the U.S., it's a very heavy drinking culture. We’ve also tied confidence to being drunk,” she says. “I’ve found myself being like, ‘Why do I need to get drunk to have sex or to go on a date? Why do I need a drink to feel relaxed and comfortable in my own skin?’ So I've really been working past that.”

Here, Kerrigan tells Bustle her rules for drinking on dates, the wildest thing she’s ever done on a date, and how to draw inspiration from Jane Austen when approaching someone at the bar.

What’s your go-to first date drink?

Extra dirty, filthy, disgusting vodka martini.

What’s your favorite first date spot?

To be honest with you, I’m not a snob when it comes to that. I’m a snob when it comes to attention. If you’re on a date with me, your phone has ceased to exist, like it’s literally getting fixed at the Apple store. But when it comes to the place, what I look for is a man who is confident in the choice he made. He could bring me to a taco truck and hand me a margarita, but if he feels for certain that this is the best taco truck with the best margarita, and he’s so excited to show it to me, then I’m down. I just want them to love [the place], and then I’m going to love it.

Do you have any personal rules when it comes to drinking on a first date?

My motto is always two drinks and ditch. First dates should be light. It’s best to leave them wanting more and for you to leave wanting more from them too. When I go past two drinks, I start to overshare or get self-conscious or honestly forget what I said. It’s a good barometer for how much of your own time — which is very valuable — you should give to someone on a first date.

Has drinking on a date ever led to any particularly funny stories?

[Laughs] Do you know me? One time, I went on a first date with someone who brought me to dinner, and see, this is the thing about dinner, you end up drinking a lot more, right? We went to sushi, then we went to Raines Law Room, and then next thing I know, I was 69ing him on my roof.

What’s your advice for going up to someone at a bar?

I’ve implemented my smile rule, which is when you see a cute guy, and I’m specifically talking about heterosexual women, they need a signal. We got so wrapped up in the dating app era that they feel scared to approach. I get it, but back in the Jane Austen era, women used to drop a little handkerchief if they wanted a guy to approach them. So you need to signal a man if you want him to approach you. Do that by smiling. Don’t do an open mouth smile, just a nice little glance, look down, look back up, smile. OK?

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.