Lancaster 40th Birthday Bash

Saturday night I was in Lancaster to bartend a 40^th birthday party. I had worked extensively with the host to develop a shopping list and drink menu. He wanted about ten different specialty drinks available. I told him he would need to buy a whole bunch of different liquors and mixers. He said no problem, he had not had a birthday party for himself since he was seven years old, so he was going all out on his 40^th birthday.

Among the drinks he wanted me to make were the Long Island Ice Tea, Adios, Mai Tai, Pina Collada, Regular and Watermelon Margaritas, Purple Hooter, Lemon Drop Martinis, Appletinis, and a variety of shooters including the Kamikaze, Jaeger Bombs, and the King Kong Bomb. The King Kong Bomb is made with Crown Royal and Banana liqueur  which is poured into a shot glass and then dropped into a glass of red bull. Doesn’t sound too good for my taste, but it was popular at the party.

There were about 60 people at the party and it appeared that everybody had a good time. The DJ’s car broke down, and he was late, but he eventually made it and the party was still going on when I left at 1 am. I made most of the drinks on the drink menu and I think the winner of the most requested was the regular blended Margarita, followed by the Bay Breeze, and then the ever popular Jack and Coke. Coronas, Blue Moon, and Coors Light were the beers available, with Corona being the one most requested.

I think the party did live up the host’s expectations. They had a beer pong table set up and were playing some other type of game, but I was too busy to see what it was. This is the type of party I really like to do, because I can use my skills as a bartender making the various drinks. I brought my martini glasses and poured the blended drinks into those. I did a salt rim on the Margaritas, and a sugar rim on the Lemon Drops. I have a 8 martini glasses and that seems to be plenty for parties of 50 to 60. I just recycle them as the party goes on.

I had to turn around the next morning and ge ready to go to the San Diego area for the Camp Pendleton wedding, which I will write about in my next post. I have 8 more weddings booked throughout July, August, and September. I am telling people if they want to book me for a party, they should do it at least one month in advance. At this point I am booked every Saturday in August, but still have most Fridays and Sundays available. If you want to do a party on a Friday or Sunday, I may offer a discount. Also

, I am still available for July 4^th.