30th birthday party – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

Saturday I returned to my old home, Hermosa Beach to bartend a 30th birthday party. I just love Hermosa Beach and it is by far the best place to live in Los Angeles County- if you can afford to live there and don’t have to commute to the rest of the city. It is a little difficult to get in and out of, if you have to drive back and forth to LA. It is also a fantastic place to live if you are in your twenties, or just turning 30.

The birthday boy’s wife hired me to bartend the party and we came up with a drink menu and shopping list together. I made Moscow Mules and Old Fashioneds. I keep making those drinks over and over again at parties, but they are very popular right now. An Old Fashioned is a very strong drink, and maybe that is why it is called an Old Fashioned. Strength is not often in style now days. Anyway, the guests seemed to like them.

I set up my portable bar in the backyard and The Taco Guy Catering set up across from me. This is the way it goes at most of these birthday parties – the hosts hire a bartender and a caterer so that they can enjoy themselves without having to run around serving everyone. I try to be of maximum service at every event I do so that the hosts can actually enjoy themselves and not have to worrry about the bar.

herrmosa3 — Friends mingling at 30th birthday party

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Throw a backyard party
Hire a bartender
Invite friends and family
Create a theme

This week I have two corporate events at a company in Venice. I did an event for them last year with over two hundred guests and it went very well. I will be serving Pisco sours at one of the events and it is always fun making those. This weekend I will travel to Thousand Oaks to bartend a birthday party. Next week is Thanksgiving week and I had inquires about bartending jobs, but I am spending that day with family. Next month will be very busy with tons of holiday parties and many of them are on the weekdays. Happy holidays!

Birthday Party Bartender, Uncategorized

Woodland Hills 30th Birthday Party

July 25, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

fires1 — Sun poking through the smoky sky

On Saturday, Shaken Not Stirred traveled across the smoky San Fernando Valley to bartend a 30th birthday party in Woodland Hills. The huge Sand Fire burning in Santa Clarita was pumping ash into the air and it was falling like snowflakes over the SFV. It was an ugly, hot day and seemed like we were approaching the apocalypse, but the party did go on.

The birthday girl hired me to bartend and she is a repeat customer. I bartended her wedding nearly a year ago in Malibu. I love repeat business and her and her husband couldn’t be nicer. They have a nice home on the hill just south of Ventura Boulevard with a great view of Warner Center. I set up my portable bar and table in the backyard – smoke be damned.

As the sun went down, people forgot about the smoke, and jalapeno margaritas, Moscow Mules, and classic Old Fashioned help them do that. I brought a server with me to help out with the food. The birthday girl is from Argentina and she served empanadas, and churrasco steak sandwiches that were really good. Everyone helped out with the food.

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Hire a Bartender
Have a back yard party
Theme cocktails and decorations
Pool party
Birthday girl and friends celebrating 30th birthday party

Many of the guests recognized me from the wedding. Everything was going quite well, but there was one mishap. One of the guests was moving quite rapidly through the living room and ran face first into the sliding glass door and cracked it. Fortunately, it didn’t shatter and fall into a million pieces. In the guy’s defense that ran into it, that door had been open for the entire party, and someone had just closed before he ran into it. The guy was embarrassed, but it could have been worse. We have all done stuff like that.

This coming weekend I am bartending an anniversary party in Beverly Hills for one of my best clients. I have bartended at least ten business related parties for them, and this will be my first time doing a more personal party, so it is a great honor. The summer is flying by and people are already booking December holiday parties. Book yours now to be safe.

Birthday Party Bartender, Corporate Event, Private Bartender

Los Angeles Private Bartender Does 4 Events in 4 Days

August 10, 2015August 10, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

The Los Angeles private bartender service, Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending at four different events in LA last weekend. Thursday night there was a corporate event at a post production facility in Hollywood, then on Saturday, a 30^th birthday party in Marina Dell Rey, and wrapping up the weekend was a surprise pool party in Culver City. This was a rare weekend when Shaken Not Stirred did not have to leave Los Angeles County.

I was hired by a party planner to do the corporate event in Hollywood. They had some special requests and wanted me to make a Jicama Cucumber margarita mix, which I had never done before. They gave me the recipe and I got it done, and I think the drink was a hit at the party. If you have a special request for any kind of mixer like this, please ask me. I will try to accommodate you.

I have now done several special events for production companies, studio executives, and television productions her in the Los Angeles area. I am starting to run into some of the same people over and over again. Of course, this is good for me, because I now have many references within the film and television community. Of course, we all know, it is “who you know,” in that industry. In fact, I had to send one of my other bartenders out to bartend a screening party in Century City for one of my best clients that same night.

On Saturday, I traveled to Marina Del Rey to bartend a 30^th birthday party. They had the party at the community room overlooking the pool at their apartment building. It was a excellent place to hold the party and the weather was perfect. I took my daughter to be may cocktail waitress/server and she did an excellent job. I was very proud of her and I think the hosts were very happy with her service. I hope to take her with me on many more events.

On Sunday, I was the Los Angeles private bartender hired to service a surprise birthday party in Culver City. The host held this party at the pool in her apartment complex. Once again, this worked out quite nicely, even though it was very windy while we were setting up. The host was throwing a party in honor of her girlfriend’s big success with her Youtube Channel. She reached over 200,000 subscribers.

The girlfriend was quite pleasantly surprised and it was a great little party with approximately 20 guests. I made Pisco Sours, and the Brazilian favorite, Caipirinha. It was my first time making both of those drinks and I think they were a hit with the limited number of guests. Next weekend, so far I am only scheduled for Saturday night in the Inland Empire. I hope to pick up some corporate event, or perhaps a cocktail party on Friday night.

Chillin' by the pool in Culver City — Chillin’ by the pool in Culver City

Mobile Bartenders, Wedding Bartender

Shaken Not Stirred at Malibu Wedding

August 3, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

This past Saturday, Shaken Not Stirred traveled to Malibu to bartend a wedding at a beautiful home overlooking the Pacific. The bartending service also contracted to provide three servers for the event. It was a fantastic day for the wedding and many of the guests had flown all the way from Argentina to attend. There were approximately 100 guests in attendance.

There were two bars set up – one on the deck overlooking the property, where a cocktail hour was hosted just after the ceremony. I served Mojitos, and a Madras as the specialty drinks and we served a lot of wine and beer. Argentineans usually drink a lot of wine and that was the case this time as well. The servers I brought with me, including my daughter served appetizers, including bruchetta, shrimp cocktails, and other delights.

Bride goes through the sparkler gauntlet

Once the cocktail hour was over, we moved the bar operation down to the second bar where dinner was being served. They had an authentic Argentine caterer who had a fire pit set up and was doing the beef, chicken and sausages for the dinner. I was so busy, I did not get the caterer’s card, or I would have included a link to his site here.

The three girls I brought kept busy clearing the plates and glassware. They used real plates and glassware at this wedding, which is nice, but requires much more work, since everything must go back into boxes to be returned. Many wedding are using plastic wear that looks almost like the real thing, but is disposable.

I continued serving drinks all the way until midnight and the party was still going on. Argentineans love a good party. I felt unusually fatigued at the end of the party, and when I got home I had the full blown chills, followed by a fever. I don’t know what caused this, but as I write this, I am still recovering.

I hope to be fully recovered by Thursday where I have a corporate event in Hollywood. Then on Saturday, I go to Marina Del Rey to bartend a rooftop 30^th birthday party. Then on Sunday, I have a pool party in Culver City, where I will make two drinks I always wanted to make, the Pisco Sour, and the Caipirinha, both South American cocktails.

Birthday Party Bartender, Party Bartenders

Off the Hook: Southbay 30th Birthday Celebration

May 11, 2014May 11, 2014 shakennotstirredinla

I returned to the Southbay last night to bartend a 30^th birthday party in Torrance. The house where the party was held used to be a bachelor’s “party house,” where three or four guys used to live together and have wild parties all the time, and then life happened, including wives and kids. It’s hard growing up, believe me, I know from experience! Anyway, this place had the best garage bar I have ever seen – it was almost as good as Pat’s II, with a real full length bar and beer refrigerator. It reminded me of that old country song – “I’d like to Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home.”

The occasion was a one of the former bachelor’s 30^th birthday party. It was the second 30^th birthday party I have done in two weeks, and it is an important milestone. I think people really have some kind of expectation and are especially hard on themselves when they are turning 30. I know I was. The birthday boy’s family turned out en masse for the celebration and there were a lot of them because he has 12 brothers and sisters and their families.

The family catered their own event and the food was excellent. I will have to say that was some of the best salsa I have ever tasted. After everybody ate and some of the families with small children went home, the core crew and group of friends really cut loose. They had a cigar sampling and I served Strawberry Margaritas, Cosmos, and a whole bunch of Jack Daniels. Jack seems to be a favorite at almost every party I do, and I almost always run out of it. Some of the guests brought a bottle of Ron Zacapa 23 year old Guatemalan rum and I served chilled shots of that. I finally returned from the Southbay after one AM, and it was another successful party for Shaken Not Stirred.

Last week was kind of a tough week for me with the business of bartending. I had some cancellations, and people drop out that I had been working hard to book parties with. It just seemed that everything was going wrong. I know that will change. I have been very lucky with this bartending business so far and have had nothing but good experiences with the jobs I have done. I have another party back in the Southbay

in Palos Verdes next week, and a wedding in Filmore later this month. I am still available on the the May 31, and hope to get event for that date.

Tag: 30th birthday party

Hermosa Beach 30th Birthday Party

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Woodland Hills 30th Birthday Party

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Los Angeles Private Bartender Does 4 Events in 4 Days

Shaken Not Stirred at Malibu Wedding

Off the Hook: Southbay 30th Birthday Celebration