Last week was one of the busiest weeks ever for Shaken Not Stirred – my staff and I provided bartending service at 8 great events. I started off the week doing two corporate events in Downtown LA and Venice, and then on Saturday we had a baby shower, a going away brunch, and two birthday parties. Sunday I drove to Palm Springs to bartend a bachelorette party, while another bartender did an anniversary party in Manhattan Beach.

I picked up a new corporate client and they say they will be doing as many as two events a month, all on the weekdays. I love these kind of events. I did the first one on thursday night in downtown Los Angeles, and it was held at the 17th floor pool area of a luxury condo building. I brought all the supplies, and hustled them up to the 17th floor. It is an extra service I provide for an extra fee, and many of my clients do not want the hassle of shopping for their supplies. I am glad to do it.

august3 — New Favorite Mode of Transportation in Venice

On Friday, I once again traveled to Venice to do a mixer that coincides with the First Friday Food truck event on Abbot Kinney. This was my third time doing this event. Once again, I shopped for and brought all the supplies. I served wine, beer, and soft drinks to 30 or so people. Not a bad way to spend a Friday afternoon.

Hire a Bartending Service

Craft cocktails and professional quality drinks
We can do the shopping for you
Professional consultation
Multiple bartenders available
ABC certified
Fullerton Baby Shower

Saturday was the big day that I was worried about because I had four different events staffed by four bartenders, plus myself. I had a baby shower to do with another bartender in Fullerton. One bartender did a daytime event in Sylmar, and then a birthday party later that night in Santa Clarita. Two other bartenders headed out to Pacoima to do a birthday party. Fortunately, everyone was on time and everything went great.

august5 — Palm Springs Bachelorette Party

This weekend I have a wedding at the Diamond Bar Center on Saturday, and a birthday party in Studio City on Sunday. The month of august is flying by, and it won’t be too much longer that I will be booking Christmas parties. Like last year, I am saving all dates in December for my existing customers. Please follow us on Instagram.

Mobile Bartenders, Uncategorized

Vista Wedding Reception and Baby Shower at Shady Canyon

August 21, 2017 shakennotstirredinla

Last weekend Shaken Not Stirred went on the road and provided bartending service at a Vista wedding reception and then at a Shady Canyon baby shower the next day. I also had one of my other bartenders do a wedding reception in Tujunga on Saturday night. It is getting to the point where I have much repeat business and am having to send multiple bartenders out each week.

The wedding reception in Vista was held at Thibodo Park , a beautiful little out of the way location operated by the City of Vista Recreation Department. Chef Shawna of Best Mobile Catering of Oceanside hired me and L&S Productions of San Diego did the wedding coordination. It was a pleasure working with both of them, and they obviously are very good at what they do. We were of service to over 100 guests and I think everybody went away happy.

vista2 — Toasts at Vista Wedding Reception

The groom was a decorated member of the Marine Corps and was in full uniform and so were some of the guests. I am always reminded when in San Diego that it is a military town. I once did a wedding reception on the beach at Camp Pendleton, where they have a resort for military members. I served wine and beer at the Vista reception and we used a punch card system, where the guests were limited to three drinks each. That worked well, and nobody got out of control.

The next day I drove up to Irvine to the Shady Canyon Golf Club Golf Club to bartend a baby shower. It was the second party I have done at that location. They have a very nice clubhouse for the residents (apart from golf club house). The host put a lot of work into decorating the event and it looked fabulous.

irvine1 — Fruit tray at Irvine Baby Shower

I set up my portable bar in the corner of courtyard. There were about 100 ladies in attendance and I served mimosas and beer. There were two servers that distributed drinks to ladies as I poured them. I kept pretty busy pouring for at least four hours and emptied over a case of champagne.

irvine2 — Elegant table setup at Shady Canyon

This coming weekend I have events in Hidden Hills, Hawthorne, and Mission Viejo, and I am happy to report that is all repeat business. I just got a call this morning from a past customer for two more events – a movie premier and a baby shower. I am not bidding on any jobs in December and believe I will keep busy with repeat business only. The whole December calendar is open at this point, but that is going to change quickly after September 1. Follow Shaken Not Stirred on Instagram.

bartender for hire, Uncategorized

Bartender for Hire Does Three Weekend Events

June 27, 2017 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred, the Los Angeles bartender for hire had a busy weekend and did three fantastic events over the weekend. Friday night I bartended a short cocktail hour at a beautiful home in Pacific Palisades, on Saturday I did a wedding south of downtown Los Angeles, and then on Sunday I drove out to Mentone to bartend a baby shower. I met a lot of great people and served a whole lot of drinks.

Pacific Palisades Cocktail Party

I set up my portable bar and the back deck that had a great view of the Santa Monica Bay and mountains. The host told me that she has regular get togethers with a few of her friends, and this was the perfect place to do it. We were going to serve martinis and margaritas, but the guests only ended up drinking margaritas. For small parties, I make margaritas with tequila, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, and Cointreau, with a salt rim. This was a big hit with this crowd, and I didn’t make a single martini. The two hours went quickly, and I was on my way back home.

South Los Angeles Wedding

On Saturday, the bartender for hire drove to South Los Angeles to bartend a wedding, that was booked months ago. Many brides book their weddings up to a year in advance. I usually don’t like to bid on jobs that far in advance, but often book them six months in advance. Then I help plan the drink menu and shopping list. I arrived at the home where the wedding was being held, and they had a tent setup in the back yard. Nobody was around and everybody was at a different location at the ceremony. I guessed where to set up the bar and I started preparing for the wedding.

The DJ, Ed Deejay Entertainment arrived and they set up their photo booth, and DJ equipment. Event pros instinctively know what to do, and usually don’t need a lot of instruction from the hosts. In this case we were there a full two hours setting up before the hosts arrived and everything worked out just fine. Finally the party got going and I made Mojitos, Palomas, and other drinks for a full eight hours.

Bartender for Hire Essentials

Has a portable bar and table
Provides coolers, ice bins, and shakers
Is ABC certified
Helps with bar menu and shopping list
Knows how to make a variety of drinks

Mentone Baby Shower

mentone1 — Portuguese American Club in Mentone

Sunday I drove to Mentone to bartend a baby shower at the Portuguese American Club. Mentone is a small town north of Redlands in San Bernardino County. The Portuguese American Club is a very nice old style venue with a nice bar. I set up the bar as the host set up several coolers with soft drinks, water and beer. Dad’s Tacos and Burritos did the catering they cooked the meat outside where it was a toasty 108. Instaglam provided the photo booth, and the DJ emceed several fun games for the guests. The host hired me for his Halloween party and gave me a deposit on the spot. I have several events coming up, including Ventura, Chino, San Diego, Sylmar, Villa Park, Rolling Hills, and Thousands Oaks. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook, please do so.

Mobile Bartenders, Uncategorized

Palmdale Rehearsal Dinner

June 22, 2017June 22, 2017 shakennotstirredinla

20170617_174318 — Tent setup in driveway for Palmdale Rehearsal Dinner

Last Saturday I drove to Palmdale to bartend a wedding rehearsal dinner at a private home. It was one of the first hot days of the summer and the temp was 104 when I arrived. The host had tents setup in the yard and driveway. There was a tent for me, another for the DJ, and a big tent for the guests.

My mom was in town visiting, so I asked the host if I could bring her along, and she helped out. I served margaritas, beer, and wine to approximately 70 guests. I used my drink dispenser and premixed margaritas – that makes service faster when I am working large events by myself. My mom helped serve beer, and wine and she helped cut the cake.

20170617_174306 — DJ Bryan K in Palmdale

The DJ Bryan K setup in his own tent and spun tunes throughout the night. He just moved here from Maryland and quizzed me on how to get jobs in the LA area. I was happy to help him and I am always happy to help other event professionals, including caterers and photographers get more jobs. I get jobs from caterers I have worked with in the past, and I want to return the favor. The idea is to get a whole network of event vendors working together and helping each other out.

Rehearsal Dinner Ideas

Do it in your backyard
Hire a bartender
Provide some form of entertainment
Invite people who can’t attend wedding
Serve great food

The host did the food herself for this rehearsal dinner. She got a fried chicken, potato salad and other fixins from the local grocery store. Everybody was just fine with that. A rehearsal dinner doesn’t have to be fancy. The host told me that this party was mainly for the people who could not attend the actual wedding that will take place in a different location later this summer. Most of the people were family members and everybody seemed to get along well.

20170617_174325 — My mom helps me bartend in Palmdale

This weekend I have three events. Tomorrow I will bartend a cocktail party in Pacific Palisades. Saturday I am doing a backyard wedding south of downtown LA. On Sunday I am driving out to Mentone, past Redlands to bartend a baby shower. I have many events already booked in July, including Fourth of July parties, a wedding in San Diego, and many other events throughout the month.

Baby Shower bartenders, Uncategorized

West Covina Baby Shower

September 19, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

On Saturday Shaken Not Stirred traveled to West Covina to bartend a baby shower. The expectant father has twins on the way and his surrogate mother was also in attendance. Approximately 70 guests showed up and the host put on a quite a party with contests, great food, and he hired me to make the cocktails.

The condo had a very nice home bar set up in one of the bedrooms. The host called it his “mancave,” and it has a foosball table, a poker table, and even an old style video arcave game. 90’s hiphop videos were playing on the television above the bar. The host made a honey vodka lemonade punch which was very popular, and I made a variety of drinks, including Margaritas, Mai Tais, and Appletinis. As the baby shower wrapped up, I handed out Fireball shots to all that wanted them.

Baby Shower Ideas

Hire a bartender
Create a theme
Have fun contests
Serve great food
Guests enjoy entertainment at West Covina baby shower

On Sunday, I returned to a Sherman Oaks house to bartend a pool party. I bartended there a year ago and was asked to return. I made Moscow Mules, Margaritas, and various other drinks for about 80 guests. It was a three hour party and I kept pretty busy. Last year she had a band at her Labor Day party and this year she hired a different band, called “Weekend Celebrity.” They do top 40 hits and a few original songs. They were pretty good and their lead singer is from Ireland and actually won Ireland’s version of “The Voice.”

On Wednesday I will be providing bartending service for a wedding on the Esplanade in Redondo Beach, and then on Saturday will be returning to Villa Park in Orange County to bartend a birthday/pool party. Summer may be over in some parts of the country, but it is still going strong here. The holiday season is just around the corner and I am trying to hold the December dates for my repeat customers. I have one Saturday in December booked so far, December 10th,but all other December dates are open.

Baby Shower bartenders, Retirement Party Bartender, Uncategorized

Two Woodland Hills Parties

June 14, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

Saturday and Sunday I returned to my old stomping grounds of Woodland Hills to bartend two very nice parties. On Saturday I went to the home of a previous client to bartend his wife’s retirement party, as she put in 20 years of service as a PE teacher at LAUSD, teaching junior high kids (also known as hard time!) On Sunday, I went to a neighborhood just a few blocks from my old house and bartended a baby shower.

woodh5 — Host gives award winning speech at retirement party

The Saturday night party was held in the backyard, and I had done a party there before. The host had everything pretty much setup for me when I arrived. A local brewer donated some kegs for the party and we had four different types of beer available. Everyone really enjoyed the beer and had nothing but good things to say about it. The brewer had started making beer in his garage, but it grew into a business. I guess he will be opening a brewpub sometime next year in Glendale. The name is Paperback Brewing, so watch out for it.

The host is a fun guy and he made a very good speech on a megaphone about his wife’s retirement, and ended the speech by playing “Take this Job and Shove it!”. I was training, Maria, my barback to make drinks. She got pretty good at making Cadillac Margaritas, and then I showed her how to make Mai Tais. We also served some really nice French wine.

IMG_20160612_124843 — Portable bar at Woodland Hills Baby Shower

On Sunday the baby shower party started at 1pm, so I was on location at noon to set up. I have done a few baby showers, and sometimes it’s all women, but other times everyone is included. This wedding shower was coed, and a everyone in the family showed up. I made Margaritas, Mojitos, and Moscow Mules. Traditional Mediterranean cuisine was served. The weather was just perfect, because I know that section of Woodland Hills can be one of the hottest areas in the San Fernando Valley.

woodh1 — Hosts and friends at Woodland Hills baby shower

Next weekend I only have one party booked so far – a wedding in San Diego. It is supposed to be 100 degrees in LA, so hopefully it will be a bit cooler down there. Later this month I have events in Hemet and Beverly Hills, and then the month is over. Time flies when you are having fun.

Birthday Party Bartender, Uncategorized

Palmdale 21st Birthday Party

June 11, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

I drove up to Palmdale last night to bartend a 21st Birthday party. It was actually a dual birthday party, because the host and his son had birthdays just days apart and it was a joint celebration. I have done several parties in the Palmdale/Lancaster area, and it usually a nice drive out there.

This was a party that booked the day before, so I didn’t spend a lot of time preparing and talking to the host about it. He texted me and said they would be having Mojitos, Margaritas, and another drink called a Flying Dragon. I just showed up and set up my portable bar, though we hadn’t discussed that. I always carry it with me, so if I need to use it, I can.

21st Birthday Party Ideas

Hire a bartender
Invent theme cocktails
Take the car keys
Call Uber to take people home
Hire a band

The Flying Dragon consists of Dragonberry Bacardi rum. That is rum infused with strawberries and dragon fruit. You pour two parts rum, one part Sprite, and one part lemonade. People described it as tasting like a popsicle. It was definitely a hit with the younger crowd. Tacos were provided by Taquizas Diana (661) 878-0936. They also rent tables, chairs, jumpers, and linens. The host also got a jumper for the kids. I remember when I was a kid, the only time we got to use a jumper was at the annual carnival, and how excited we were.

The weather has been very weird here this month. Talk about June Gloom. I have a back yard retirement party tonight in Woodland Hills, and the weather is not nice at all. I have a baby shower in Woodland Hills tomorrow during the day that is also going to be outdoors and the forecast calls for drizzle. I am ready for some heat after this extended gloom. Next weekend I am driving to San Diego to bartend a wedding, and hopefully this gloom will have lifted.

palm21a — Friends celebrate 21st birthday party

Baby Shower bartenders, Uncategorized

Fullerton Baby Shower

January 24, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

ns3 — Ladies gather for baby shower inside tent

Saturday, Shaken Not Stirred traveled to Fullerton in Orange County to bartend a January baby shower. The host had a tent set up in the front driveway as there was a chance of rain. These tents are available from event rental companies and people can have a very nice party on their own properties that don’t cost a fortune. It didn’t rain, but the tent also provided privacy and a cozy setting for the baby shower.

I set up my portable bar and table in the back of the tent. I served Mojitos, Margaritas, Madras, and Mimosas – the four M’s. The host had a plenty of supplies, and the 60 ladies in attendance drank more than I thought they would. With all the tables in the tent, it was a bit difficult to move around, so I went and took drink orders from the ladies and delivered them with my tray, like a male cocktail waiter.

I have done a few baby showers and champagne and Mimosas are always popular. At this baby shower they served food buffet style with disposable plates and silver wear. I helped keep the tables clear, and I always do that when I am not busy making drinks, because it makes the time go faster for me, and my hosts always appreciate it. I am not one of those bartenders who just stands behind the bar waiting for guests to come order drinks.

I am starting to book more weddings and parties in the spring. I have booked several jobs in the Palm Springs area where the competition is not as tough. It seems that everybody in Los Angeles is now a mobile bartender. I had a great month in December doing all my jobs in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, but now I have to venture out because everyone in Los Angeles is hungry. Sometimes people go for the cheapest bid, and then realize they get what they pay for. As it is, I think my prices are fair, and maybe even a bit low. Next week I have three events in downtown Los Angeles at the Reef merchandise mart. I have done several events there in the past and am always glad when they call me back.

Next month I have a Super Bowl party lined up and have received inquiries about doing an Academy Awards party. I am still available for the Academy Awards, so please call me if you need a bartender for your Oscar’s Night party.

Fundraisers, Mobile Bartenders, Uncategorized

Greek Night at Huffington Center

January 19, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

huff1 — The Huffington Center in Los Angeles

Shaken Not Stirred bartending service was on hand for the second annual Greek Night at the Huffington Center in Los Angeles hosted by the Sons of Pericles. I bartended the event last year and was very pleased that they called me back again. The event was held at the Huffington Center, which is connected to the St. Sofia Cathedral near downtown Los Angeles.

I panicked a little when I showed up, because the parking lot was full and people were overflowing from a party already in progress in the banquet room where last year’s event was held. I walked inside and there was another bartending company with two bartenders busy making drinks for the party. I wondered if I had the date wrong and immediately called my contact. He informed me that we would be doing the party in a different room. They were having a wedding in the large banquet room. The Huffington Center is World Class facility and has basketball courts, a theatre donated by Tom Hanks and his wife, banquet facilities, and a professional kitchen.

They were using the facility’s only portable bar for the wedding, so luckily I had my portable bar in the car. I always carry it for that reason. I can set up my portable bar in a matter of minutes and be ready to go. The host was worried that they would run out of booze, but I assured them that they had plenty for 100 guests. The event was a fundraiser, and the guests had to buy tickets for drinks.

I made standard mixed drinks for the party, including screwdrivers, Cuba Libres, Jack and Coke, and Cape Cods. Last year we had Ouzo which was quite popular. The Sons of Pericles is a fraternal organization connected to the Greek Orthodox church, and this event was represented by chapters all over the United States and even Canada. I talked to guests from Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, and Canada. A very nice group of people and they keep up their cultural traditions with traditional Greek music and dancing.

This weekend I will travel to Fullerton in Orange County to bartend a baby shower. I have done a few of these and usually serve a lot of champagne. I have received many inquiries for weddings in the spring, and have booked a few of them as far away as August. Next month I will travel to Palm Springs to bartend a birthday party and then am bartending a repeat super Bowl party in Glendora.

Baby Shower bartenders

Shaken Not Stirred Travels One Mile to Bartend Valley Glen Event

January 12, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred, the Los Angeles mobile bartender broke an all time record and traveled one whole mile to bartend a baby shower in his home base of Valley Glen. Valley Glen is a fancy way of saying Van Nuys. Van Nuys gets a bad rap because of ongoing garage sales in the area. Seriously though, they have expertly designed some of these neighborhoods so that they are perfectly isolated from the mean streets of Van Nuys. There are some nice little streets in there, and the party was on one of them.

I have bartended at baby showers before and served a few mimosas. This one was not like that. This was a coed event with about forty guests, and they were drinkers. The host wanted pink signature drinks in honor of the baby, and I served strawberry Mojitos, French Kiss cocktails, and pink grapefruit martinis. The strawberry Mojito was very popular and I went through two handles of rum. It drizzled rain for awhile, then it cleared up and was nice for the rest of the night.

The host hired a two piece band and they played almost the entire time, four hours without a break. The lead singer didn’t have a card, and he said he was going to email me his information and asked if I would promote him. I must say, the live music added a lot to the party, and this two piece band was better than most I have seen. Whether people realize it or not, music makes a big difference. The live music turns a hoh-hum party into something epic. I hope he does email me, because I will promote him to my clients. I forgot my camera, so didn’t get any good pictures.

This coming Saturday I will be bartending a fundraiser in Koreatown. I have planned this party for a few weeks now with the host, who is coming from New York City. I feel like he and I are best friends now, though we have never met. I find him refreshingly direct, compared the laid back and sometimes wishy-washy California way of doing things. Then the following week, I have another party to do in good old Valley Glen. Two parties in one month in my neighborhood – my car is not getting enough wear and tear!

Tag: baby shower

Shaken Not Stirred Provides Bartending Service at 8 Big Events