This needle project reminds me of the needle assembly used in technical ink pens. Rotring is one such brand.
The needle itself is like a tinly plunger / piston. There is a solid inner core and an outer ring. The needle feeds directly into a closed cartridge or reservoir. When the tip of the pen is depressed the piston action feeds new ink in between the core and the outer ring.
This method would be awesome for gradually feeding the liquid onto the atomizer. With some modification to the mouth piece - the mouth piece could press down on the cartridge, which would in turn, make the "needle" press down on the atomizer releasing just a drop or two directly on to the element.
I will see if I can work up a sketch of what I am talking about.