Diamond Bar Center – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

Diamond Bar Center Wedding, 2018

August 14, 2018 shakennotstirredinla

august11 — Notice Groomsmen in the Background

Saturday Night, Shaken Not Stirred traveled to the Diamond Bar Center to provide bartending service for the fifth time at the venue. Diamond Bar Center is maintained by the City of Diamond Bar and is an excellent venue with scenic views and smart landscaping. I am always happy to go back there and like working with the system they have there for vendors.

The bride and I had done much planning for this wedding, as we went back and forth on the drink menu and shopping list in the months prior to the wedding. It is always nice that after much planning, everything comes together and is over with in a few hours, just as planned. For this particular wedding, the lighting and color coordination in the ballroom looked especially nice. I credit the wedding planner, DreamsComeTrueWedding.

august11b — Storybook Wedding at Diamond Bar Center

For this wedding we had a two bar setup, with one bar outside the dining room for the cocktail hour, and then we moved inside to another bar for the main reception. The Diamond Bar Center has two very nice portable bars, and the staff and security there helped us move everything. Within 15 minutes we were able to break down the first bar and move it into the second dining room bar.

Diamond Bar Center Venue

Dining Room can accommodate over 300 people
Bar service is limited from 6pm until 10pm
Scenic views of San Gabriel Valley
Large outdoor patio area
Two portable bars available

We made several different easy cocktails for the guests, including Jameson and Ginger, Cactus Coolers, and Cosmos. Many of the guests were not drinking alcohol, and we had plenty of options for them, including Mango juice, orange juice and sodas. Part of bartending wedding is making Shirley Temples for the kids, and we made plenty of those at this wedding. Another successful wedding for Shaken Not Stirred at the Diamond Bar Center.

august11c — Large Dining Room at Diamond Bar Center

The next three weekends in a row I will be going to the Palm Springs area to bartend a couple of birthday parties, and a wedding. I also have a baby shower and a corporate event to do in Los Angeles, and a going away party in Lake Forest. There was a slight chill in the air this morning, which signals fall is coming. My favorite time a year for doing events. Please follow us on Instagram.

bartender for hire, Uncategorized

Shaken Not Stirred Provides Bartending Service at 8 Big Events

August 8, 2018August 8, 2018 shakennotstirredinla

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.

Mexican Wedding, Uncategorized

Diamond Bar Center Wedding, Part Four

November 22, 2017 shakennotstirredinla

db12 — Outdoor Cocktail area at Diamond Bar Center

Last Friday Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending services at the Diamond Bar Center, and it was the fourth time I have been there. It is a great venue for weddings, or any other kind of large events. The extensive grounds around the Diamond Bar Center are also known as the Diamond Bar Kajukenbo, and it is an excellent place to walk dogs, take photos, or just enjoy nature. Since then, I booked another wedding at the center next summer.

Since the wedding party was held on the weekend before Thanksgiving the traffic in the LA area was horrible – way worse than usual. It took me two solid hours to get there, and it is only 35 miles from my home. The bride and groom were even late coming from the church, as were most of the guests. We were supposed to start serving at 5:30, but most of the guests didn’t arrive until six.

db13 — Photo ops at the Diamond Bar Center

There were 200 guests in attendance, and that requires two bartenders. I brought a trainee with me who had no experience bartending with cocktails. She did fantastic. She picked it up very well, and once all the guests finally arrived we were busy for five solid hours. We served out of beer a half hour before last call, and when we were finished we had a half a bottle of vodka left and two bottles of tequila. That was it.

Diamond Bar Center Wedding Parties

Sweeping views of the San Gabriel Valley
Outdoor space for cocktail hour
Large space for wedding ceremonies
Large dining room can fit over 300 guests
Large kitchen and ice machine

The Diamond Bar Center has a strict protocol on how bartending service must be executed. It is no big deal, really. Basically the alcohol has to be locked up in the kitchen until one half hour before the cocktail hour. Security then unlocks everything and escorts the bartender to the bar. Alcohol service is limited to five hours, at which time security escorts the bartender back to the kitchen with remaining supplies. It’s a good policy I think and then gives some of the guests some time to sober up during the last hour or two of the reception.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I’m going to spend time with family, rather than do a bartending job. There were inquiries, but declined them. I have spent too many holidays away from my family over the years working. Next month will be extremely busy. I have another wedding party this coming weekend in Fontana, and then after that the December holiday parties start. Please follow us on Instagram.

Uncategorized, Wedding Bartender

Diamond Bar Center Wedding III

July 20, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

dbar5 — A bride’s final moments as a single woman

On Sunday, Shaken Not Stirred returned to the Diamond Bar Center for the third time to provide bartending services for a wedding reception. I believe the bride found me through this blog when I wrote about a previous wedding I had done at the venue. They have a very efficient system setup there for the vendors, and I have the system down.

I had done a big wedding in Solvang the night before, so I was tired after the long drive and everything, but this is wedding season in Southern California. I always like doing Sunday weddings. I had planned the bar service with the bride for several months, and made a shopping list for her. Everything was there when I arrived.

dbar2b — Bride and groom at the Diamond Bar Center

They have two very nice portable bars at the Diamond Bar Center, and they are easy to setup, and move them if you have to. The plan for this wedding was to have a cocktail hour in the reception area just after the wedding ceremony, and then move the bar into the dining room while the guests were eating dinner. I was able to do that no problem and it took me less than fifteen minutes, thanks to the bar on wheels.

Diamond Bar Center Weddings

Nice hilltop location with scenic views
Large dining room can seat up to 300 guests
Reception area and back patio
Great yard for ceremonies
Portable bars
Shots!

Approximately 80 guests were in attendance and I served out of vodka fifteen minutes before the party ended. I made simple drinks and served wine and beer. Chris Christopher provided DJ services, and Belladonna Catering did the food. Another great Diamond Bar Center wedding completed.

This coming weekend I will be traveling across the San Fernando Valley to Woodland Hills to bartend a birthday party for a client I did a wedding for previously. It is always nice to get repeat business. Later this month I will be bartending an anniversary party in Beverly Hills for a couple that I have done many business cocktail parties.

Uncategorized, Wedding Bartender

Whispering Rose Ranch Wedding

July 18, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

solvang5 — Bar setup at Whispering Rose Ranch

Shaken Not Stirred traveled to Solvang in Santa Barbara County to bartend a wedding at the beautiful Whispering Rose Ranch. This is the kind of wedding venue that brides dream about – an idyllic setting on a working equestrian property. The location, north of Santa Barbara is at the end of my range, but it was worth it to drive up there, and I hope to return there again.

The Whispering Rose Ranch is a great venue and it also expects alot from its vendors. I had to purchase a $2,000,000 vendor insurance policy for the day from Vendorinsurenow.com, which the client reimbursed me for. This may solve my insurance problem, since Shaken Not Stirred does not have ongoing insurance. Many venues do require it, and this may be a way for me to take those jobs, by purchasing event insurance for a specified date and venue. Crowned Events of San Diego were the wedding coordinators and they were a pleasure to work with.

solvang4 — Deer grazing at Whispering Rose Ranch

I was paid extra to arrive early and bartend at the Groom’s Saloon. At the Whispering Rose Ranch, they have a special saloon, full of western memorabilia where the groom and groomsmen prepare for the wedding. I made a couple of drinks for the guys, but more importantly I helped them tie their neckties. The groom and all of the groomsmen did not know how to tie a necktie and were panicking as they tried to get ready. I was able to tie their neckties for them, and I also helped the father of the bride with his bow tie. I was glad I was able to be of service that way. It’s not all about making drinks.

solvang2b — Guests mingle during Cocktail hour

Whispering Rose Ranch Weddings

Beautiful rural setting
Groom saloon and bridal cottage
Ocean breezes
Fantastic photo backdrops
Rustic atmosphere
Hire a bartender

There were 100 guests in attendance, which is a lot for one bartender. I premade a bunch of drinks so I could quickly pass them out just after the ceremony. The dinner was delayed and cocktail hour went an hour longer than it was supposed to. I completely served out of vodka and whiskey. The wedding coordinators ran to Buellton, a few miles away and bought more to close the night out.

There were no places to stay in the area under $200, so I had to drive back to LA, and needless to say, I was dog tired. I must have made 1000 drinks during the day. I had to get up and do it again the next day, because I had a big wedding to do at the Diamond Bar Center.

Wedding Bartender

Diamond Bar Center Wedding II

October 12, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

Balloons in flight above Diamond Bar Center

Yesterday Shaken Not Stirred returned to the Diamond Bar Center for the largest wedding they have done to date. We had three bartenders and three bars to service 350 people. I always allow myself one hour set up time, but I arrived two hours early, because this kind of event requires a lot of preparation. I was very nervous when I first arrived that something was going to go wrong, and that is why arriving early is so important, because it gives you time to fix any potential problems.

The Diamond Bar Center has two portable bars and we used those, plus I set up my portable bar. We had approximately 400 pounds of ice and that seemed to be just enough on a 95 degree day. When we looked at the liquor stock and cups we were panicking that it wouldn’t be enough. Well, it was pretty hard drinking crowd and it ended up being just enough. We ran completely out of everything but wine, one half hour before we were supposed to stop serving.

Setting up three bars at the Diamond Bar Center

I had me two best girls, Mia and Kelley working with me and they did a stellar job. I was very proud how we all came together and pulled this massive event off. I was thinking when I arrived I don’t want to do any more events this big, but I have since changed my mind about that. It was a great experience.

This Saturday I will be bartending a wedding party in Culver City and will be taking another bartender and two cocktail servers with me. Then on Sunday, I will stay in the San Fernando Valley and bartend a baptism party in Tarzana. Later this month, I will return to Coachella to bartend a wedding, and then have another wedding to bartend in Northridge on Halloween night. I still have the Friday before Halloween available if anyone wants to do a Halloween party on that night.

Birthday Party Bartender, Corporate Event

Two Rancho Mirage Events

October 11, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred does events in Rancho Mirage and bartended two great parties this weekend. On Thursday I returned to Desert Periodontics on Bob Hope Drive to help with a seminar for area dentists. This is the second time I have done events there, and am scheduled for another in December. Then on Saturday , I bartended a 30^th birthday party at a private home in Rancho Mirage.

The corporate event at Desert Periodontics was typical for many corporate events I do. I served beer, wine, soft drinks, and water. The guests usually drink one or two drinks. I am there to be of service, keep the area clean, and help serve food when needed. At this particular event they had a sit down dinner of 40 people and I helped with that. I will be returning in December to help with the company Christmas party.

I stayed in Palm Springs on Friday rather than drive back to LA. I stay at the Knight’s Inn in Palm Springs. The pictures online don’t make the place look very good, but it is really much nicer than the pictures. It is reasonably priced and clean. The staff there is very nice and treat me great. I also get rewards points from the Wyndham Rewards Program. It is a very good program and covers several hotel chains. I highly recommend it.

On Saturday, I bartended a 30^th birthday party at a Rancho Mirage home. There were about 40 guests in attendance, and the specialty drink was the Moscow mule. When I arrived, many of the guests were already there, so I had to set up on the fly. Once I got set up, it settled down and it was a very nice evening. The house had a sunken bar and guests sat at the bar like it was in a real bar or restaurant.

Today I am driving back toward LA, but am stopping in Diamond Bar to bartend a large wedding at the Diamond Bar Center. This is my second event at the Diamond Bar Center, and this is big one with 350 guests. I have two more bartenders joining me. Next weekend I have two events in Los Angeles, so I get to stay close to home.

Corporate Event, Wedding Bartender

OC Corporate Event and Hollywood Wedding

October 6, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

This past weekend Shaken Not Stirred worked two events – a grand opening corporate event in Newport Beach, and a wedding in Hollywood. The corporate event I booked under Shaken Not Stirred, and the wedding in Hollywood was booked by my affiliate, Mia Martini. She and I are doing several events together this month and will be working together again this Sunday at the Diamond Bar Center.

I have done several parties in Newport Beach and it is a very affluent area. There are many nice homes, on the coast, on the islands, and further inland. There are also many corporate structures, business parks, and large hotels in the area. I’m sure a private bartender could do quite well just doing events and parties in Newport Beach alone, not to mention Orange County.

The particular party I did this time in Newport was a the grand opening of a doctor’s office and we set up the party in the courtyard of the office building. I served Blue Hawaiians, Pineapple margaritas, Bay Breezes, and variations of those drinks to approximately forty guests. It was a short three hour event and everything went very well.

On Saturday, I traveled to the Lombardi House to help my affiliate company, Mia Martini bartend a wedding there. The Lombardi House is just north of Hollywood Boulevard on Bronson, but is a historic building in the area. I brought 200 pounds of ice to the party and we used every single bit of it by the end of the night.

This wedding had real glassware, which is nice to use, but presents its own set of problems. All of the glassware has to be picked up, emptied and put back into the proper containers. Invariably glassware gets lost and broken. For a party of 130 people, they probably used 700 glasses.

Wedding guests at historic Lombardi House

We also had kegs for the beer. I try to discourage people from getting kegs, and this was a perfect example why. The kegs required a jockey box, CO2 regulator and taps. The deposit for those alone was $450. If the CO2 regulator is a little off the beer will keep pouring foamy. It is almost impossible to pour a beer. Pouring a tap beer takes up to one full minute, while uncapping a bottle beer and handing it to a guest takes five seconds. This means a lot when there is a big line at the bar. At the end of the night, both kegs were over half full. Don’t get kegs for your parties, people! It is not worth the extra expense, deposits, and hassle.

On Thursday I am driving out to Palm Springs to do another corporate event, and then have a birthday party to bartend on Saturday. So far, I have no event on Friday, but will take one in the Palm Springs area if I can. On Sunday I have a big wedding at the Diamond Bar Center with 350 guests.

Wedding Bartender

Diamond Bar Center Wedding

July 16, 2012 shakennotstirredinla

Saturday, July 14^th was the date of a beautiful wedding at the Diamond Bar Center. Shaken Not Stirred manned the bar and served cocktails to 160 people. I did this one by myself – something I don’t recommend for that many people, but I did okay with the help of some of the catering staff, the staff at the Diamond Bar Center, and some of the bride’s maids.

It was a very hot July day and as I was setting up the bar outside I wondered if the ice would melt before the wedding was over. As the sun went down though, a cool ocean breeze blew in making it a perfect night overlooking the San GabrielValley. People were waiting at the bar 20 deep and I was busting my hump making martinis and pouring beers, but in the end I think everyone was happy.

The bride and groom worked with me before hand and we made a cocktail menu consisting of the Appletini, Pomegranate Cosmo (my signature drink), and the ever popular Margarita. We also served Jack Daniels, and I made the various drinks popular with that. For beers the groom chose Pacifico and Shock Top, and it was a toss up to know which one was most popular. We had four cases and the beers were completely gone by the end of the party.

The Diamond Bar Center is an excellent location for a wedding or any event. They have a first class kitchen, a portable

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bar and large dining area. At this particular wedding 17 tables were set up with the finest table clothes ect. There is ample parking and a fantastic view of the San Gabriel Valley. I hope to do many more events at the DiamondBar Center.

Somebody asked me at the party as he took my business card if Shaken Not Stirred only serves the Los Angeles area? Let me clarify this – Shaken Not Stirred serves the entire Southern California area, including: Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and even San Diego counties. We will travel to Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, or even Barstow for a great event. Call today and plan your event because I am booking up August and even into October already.