The Sports Illustrated model chats cocktail recipes, dating post-divorce, and the mantra she swears by.
In Bustle's series Shooting Your Shot, single influencers and celebrities weigh in on drinking and dating: their drinking rules for a first date, drink order ick, and more.
Brooks Nader knows what it takes to shoot your shot. "Having the opportunity to be on Dancing with the Stars is the best thing I could have done for myself, and my confidence," Nader, the model and dancer, tells Bustle, reflecting on her recent debut on Season 33 of the show.
Freshly divorced after five years of marriage to advertising executive Billy Haire, the Sports Illustrated model and social media star linked up with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko on the show, creating quite a bit of buzz around their obvious on-stage chemistry. Their rumored romance? "Just a rumor," Nader says, adding that the two became "very close" throughout the show but "wouldn't say dating."
Below, Nader shares her go-to cocktail recipe for getting ready for date night "the best part, sometimes", the relationship advice she gave her sisters, and her hot-take on the apps.
Since you're both single and bi-coastal, we have to ask: which is the better dating city, New York or Los Angeles?
I would say New York. There's more to do, and I feel less committed to the plan. You can get a manicure, a coffee, or a cocktail in the same five-block radius. In LA, it can feel like you're stuck to a restaurant.
Drinks or dinner for a first date?
I actually like dinner for a first date. Because even if it sucks you can always wrap it up within a few minutes. It's good for character =-building, too -- to see how smoothly you can get out of it!
What does the best dinner date spot look like?
I love Dante in LA, or Chez Margaux in NYC. I love the Polo Lounge or Polo Bar. I'm kind of an old lady with the spots I like to go to. But what I really love is when a guy takes control of the situation: tell me you're picking me up, and impress me with the plan.
What's your go-to drink order on a date?
I'm a big tequila girl. Or a martini. It depends on my mood. I'm even known to have a little drink while I'm getting ready for the date. I'll do chardonnay or a spicy skinny margarita to get the juices flowing.
What's in a Brooks Nader martini?
Extra cold, extra dirty vodka martini with blue cheese olives. Everybody says I like swamp water because the color should be murky.
What's your feel-good remedy after a night out?
Coffee. I wake up pretty early, between 4 and 5 a.m. for shoots and traveling, so I take my coffee order very seriously: an oat milk latte with five shots of espresso.
You're an older sister. What advice do you give your siblings for navigating the dating scene?
I tell my sisters this all the time: if you're trying to convince yourself you're into him after a couple of dates, you're not.
How do you feel about the apps?
I've never been on the apps. I'm pretty blessed in the sense that the only people I've dated are men I've been set up with through mutual friends. Then there's my Dancing With The Stars partner [Savchenko] but that wasn't romantic. He was paid to hang out with me.
Speaking of your DWTS era, taking on that role is such an expression of confidence. What tips do you have for gaining confidence in new relationships -- romantic or otherwise?
If you're going to be confident with a partner, you have to start being confident and comfortable with being alone.
With the whole DWTS thing, that was one of the most life-changing, transformative things I could have done for my confidence post-divorce. You're in such an intimate setting with your dance partner six hours a day, seven days a week. You rely on this person to support you not only physically but mentally as well. You can't be too cool for school. Similar to a dating adventure.
What is a mantra you swear by?
Be yourself so the people looking for you can find you.