Century City – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

Cheviot Hills Fundraiser

May 6, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

ch2 — Dark skies looming over backyard grapefruit tree

Thursday, Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending service for a fundraiser in Cheviot Hills. Cheviot Hills is a very nice neighborhood tucked away between Century City and Culver City. There are many nice neighborhoods in Los Angeles that seem to be sanctuaries from the urban jungles that border them, and Cheviot Hills is one of those.

I love doing fundraisers and get-togethers on week nights. This fundraiser in Cheviot Hills was for a charity that helps underprivileged students further their education. One of the students that benefited from the program gave a talk about how he was able to lift himself out of a desperate and hopeless situation in South Central and complete his college education. He made a compelling case for the program.

I set up my portable bar in the backyard and served some tasty tequila drinks. The hosts had a nice grapefruit tree in their backyard and I made Palomas. I have been doing a lot of that lately, because grapefruits are plentiful in California and are excellent for making cocktails. The host developed a drink he called the Mexican Old Fashioned and it is part Mezcal, part Casamigos Tequila, a dash of Peychaud’s bitters, and an orange peel. That is a strong drink for those with acquired tastes. Amateurs need not apply. I also made margaritas with tequila, fresh lime juice, and Cointreau. That is a really good way to make them, if no Cointreau, used triple sec, or Gran Marnier.

ch3 — Guests mingle at Cheviot Hills fundraiser

Tu Tacos provided the catering. There are of course, many taco caterers in Los Angeles, and most provide their own twist on tacos. This caterer put cucumbers on tacos and I have never seen that done before. They were delicious. Really adds something unique to the tacos.

Fundraiser Occasions

School functions
Fraternal organizations
Alumni Associations
Mixers
Charities
Political groups

Tomorrow night I will be bartending a birthday party in Burbank and then next week the graduation season starts. We will be doing graduation parties in Castaic and Chino Hills, and a wedding in Perris. Later this month we have a baptism celebration in La Canada, a bachelorette party in Palm Springs, and a Wedding in downtown Los Angeles.

Birthday Party Bartender, Party Bartenders, Private Bartender

Event Bartender Finishes November

November 30, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred, the Los Angeles event bartender service, finished the month of November with two big events. The first event was a Monday cocktail party at a luxurious apartment on the 15th floor of a Wilshire Boulevard high rise in Westwood. The second event of the week was a 50th birthday party held at a very nice HOA community building at a housing development in Valencia.

An event bartender has many different types of jobs, and I have experience doing all kinds of different parties, in all kinds of situations. The cocktail party in Westwood, was more about being a waiter than mixing drinks. The event was held in a stunning apartment full of amazing artwork, with a 180 degree view of West LA, Century City, the Pacific Ocean and Catalina. There were only 12 guests and my job was to keep their drinks full, mostly wine, hand out appetizers and clean up. Invisible service is called for in these situations. Some clients want the bartender to be the entertainment, and this was not one of those situations. The host asked me if I could also be a waiter at dinner parties, and I told him I can, because I have many years of fine dining experience. Some event bartenders don’t want to do food serving gigs, but I will do them, especially on weekdays.

Duties of an Event Bartender

Help host plan drink menu and shopping list
Prepare garnishes, special mixers, etc.
Setup and maintain bar
Keep drinks iced and at proper temperatures
Suggest drinks for guests
Continuous cleanup of bar and surrounding areas
Leave bar area as it was before

By Wednesday of last week I had nothing scheduled for Saturday night after Thanksgiving, but picked a party up Thursday morning. I spent Thanksgiving with family in Bakersfield, and then returned to Los Angeles to bartend the Saturday night party in Valencia. The host did not consult with me at all about a shopping list and drink menu, so I showed up not knowing really anything about the party or what they wanted to serve.

I set up my portable bar and saw what they had to serve and acted accordingly. They had rum and Pina Collada mix, and tequila with various margarita mixes. So, it was a blended drink night. I had my blender and made many blended drinks for the 50th birthday party. It was not a hard drinking crowd, but I think a good time was had by all.

This week starts off the December season of holiday parties. On Thursday I will bartend for a good repeat client at their office in Rancho Mirage. On Saturday I will bartend a holiday party close to home in Valley Village, which is also a repeat customer. I have many more holiday parties scheduled and during one week of December have five in a row. I do still have some dates open, so please call me if you need a bartender.

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.