It was very fitting that Shaken Not Stirred was the chosen bartending service for a James Bond themed 60th birthday party in Valencia, Saturday night. The event was held at an HOA clubhouse, and these are great venues for residents to take advantage of. There were approximately 80 guests and it was grand party in the tradition of 007.
I set up my portable bar and table outside with the threat of rain in the air. I had worked with the host creating a drink menu of three martinis. The Vesper Martini is the authentic James Bond martini from the books by Ian Fleming. The Vesper is a very strong drink and consists of 2oz of gin, 2oz of vodka, and a dash of Lillet, with a lemon twist. The birthday boy loved the drink and that was what was really important. I also served dirty martinis, pomegranate martinis, and Appletinis.
The line was building at the bar in the beginning. Making martinis for 80 people is a little labor intensive, but I handled it. They had real martini glasses, which are always nice to work with. I also served red and white wine, beer and soft drinks. It did start raining as I was working, but my bar was under cover and I didn’t even realize it was raining until there was a break in the action.
60th Birthday Party Ideas
- Theme parties
- Casino night
- Live music
- Hire a bartender
- Dancing
Blackjack at 60th bithday party
The guest of honor wore black tie and looked the part. I guess he and I share the same birthday of March 14th. He was a very lucky man to have such a nice 60th birthday party thrown for him. They had a blackjack table and a craps table set up with dealers, and they had a live musician providing entertainment. They had serving trays with pasta and chicken piccata. The party obviously took a lot of work to put on, but when it was over, everyone came together and packed it up in a half hour.
Next weekend I have a 21st birthday party in Santa Barbara, and then a drink making demonstration just down the road in Carpenteria the next day. I don’t do that many events in Santa Barbara, but it is nice to have two back to back. I like doing the demonstrations, and I will be teaching how to make a Lemon Drop martini, a Manhattan, an Old Fashioned, and a blended drink, the Georgia Peach .
Shaken Not Stirred in LA 