downtown – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

Corporate Event, Special Event Bartenders, Uncategorized, Wedding Bartender

Five Special Events in SoCal

May 30, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred closed out the month of May with five big special events throughout Southern California this week. I am dog tired and sore as I write this, as I served literally hundreds of drinks in the past few days – maybe even thousands. Yesterday alone I served four cases of tequila and a case of whiskey. Today is Memorial Day and I am taking it easy, but if somebody calls me last minute I will probably put on my bartender cape.

Brea Corporate Event

The first event of the week was a corporate event in Brea. I am not sure what the occasion was, but we served drinks to 200 people in the back lot of the company headquarters. We used the drink dispensers to pour margaritas, which saves alot of time. Two bartenders are needed to serve 200 people. Mariachi Sabor De Mi Tierra provided the mariachis. They had a three different food trucks serving up the food.My associate, Mia Martini helped me out, and we worked well together as always.

BREA2 — Guests mingle in makeshift food court

El Segundo Corporate Event

The following night I traveled to El Segundo to help Mia Martini with one of her gigs. Once again it was a corporate event on a weeknight (I love those). The company that hosted the event was a 3D printing company that manufactures parts for the aerospace industry. Their equipment is quite fascinating and I’m sure this company has a bright future. The caterer did not show up and when the host called him, he apparently had the date wrong. The hosts scrambled and ordered pizzas and a local El Segundo restaurant stepped up and delivered 50 pizzas and salads within an hour. This is one of my worst nightmares that I mix up a date and miss an event. That isa why I always confirm a week in advance, and again the day before.

elsegundo2 — A Hurricane hits El Segundo

Alexandria Ballroom Wedding

On Saturday night my son and I bartended a wedding at the historic Alexandria Ballroom in downtown LA. The ballroom has hosted presidents and dignitaries like Winston Churchill in the past. Once again, we were serving 200 people. The plan was to have a whole bunch of drinks already poured so the people could just grab them when they came out of the wedding ceremony. I poured a bunch of red wines and was waiting to start pouring the cold drinks until fifteen minutes before the end of the ceremony. Well, the ceremony ended 20 minutes early and we were faced with a wall of people wanting drinks. We handled it. Maxim Restaurant provided the catering and they had many delicious Russian specialties.

alex1b — My son bartending at Alexandria Ballroom

alex2 — Guests mingle at Alexandria Ballroom

Palos Verdes Wine Tasting

On Sunday afternoon, I traveled to my old stomping grounds in Palos Verdes Estates to pour wine for Jaques at Le Rive Gauche. He put out a spread of appetizers and charged people $20 a head to taste several French wines. It was a great deal and I think all of the people attending certainly got their money’s worth. He had two red Bordeaux, a white Bordeaux, a Grenache, a Champagne, and two Cotes Du Rhone reds. The Grenache, a rose wine seemed create the most attention.

Santa Monica Wrap Party

I had to quickly transition from the wine tasting and hustle over to Santa Monica to bartend a wrap party. I had to buy the ice and supplies and deliver it to the house where the party was taking place. The house was on PCH and had a weird address. The GPS kept directing me to this parking lot by the beach. If I left that parking lot, it took me twenty minutes to turn around and go back on PCH. I was a few minutes late and had to pack all the supplies around the back of the house through the sand. I barely had gotten setup when guests started arriving. I served 120 people by myself for five hours straight. I was so busy I didn’t have time to ask the name of film that they were wrapping or what is is about. Needless to say, I am tired today after five special events in one week..

wrap1 — Portable bar at beachside wrap party

wrap2 — The wrap party just getting started in Santa Monica

Next weekend I will be bartending a birthday party in Stevenson Ranch on Friday, and then have a wedding party in Eagle Rock on Saturday, and my son will be doing a wedding party by himself in Sierra Madre also on that day.

Corporate Event, Uncategorized

Three Day Event at LA Mart

April 6, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

lamart1b — New Skyscraper going up in Downtown LA

Shaken Not Stirred just finished providing bartending service for a three day event at the LA Mart in downtown Los Angeles. I have done many events for them, and for this event they were offering complimentary Mimosas to the buyers that were at the Mart for their annual Spring designer week. I always like doing these events and it is fun talking to all the people going through there. I have even made some friendships with some of the sellers in the building who have seen during the different events that I have done there.

lamart4 — People bring their dogs to work at LA Mart

The LA Mart is the largest marketplace of its kind west of the Mississippi. I think they like to serve complimentary drinks as a way to set themselves apart from other markets. Many of the buyers don’t want to start drinking at 9am, but it is a nice touch anyway. Some of the buyers are in ffrom out of town, so they try to have some fun and make a semi vacation out of it.

I am ABC certified and have taken the LEADS class put on by the California ABC, and that is required to serve alcohol at the LA Mart. Most venues and corporate clients require that. I will be taking another class soon to keep that up to date. The state ABC classes are held at various locations around the city once a month.

LA Mart/The Reef

Open five days a week
500,000 square feet of showrooms
Permanent showrooms
Furniture, gift items, premium product lines
South of downtown Los Angeles
Showroom window at LA Mart

I am now getting ready for a big weekend in the Coachella Valley. I have a wedding party in La Quinta on Friday night, and then another one on Saturday night. I will be serving several exciting drinks to hundreds of people in the desert, including the Sazerac cocktail, which I have never made before.

Birthday Party Bartender

Los Angeles Loft Party

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

I was on vacation in Montana for a week and when I returned I had a birthday party to bartend in a Los Angeles loft overlooking MacArthur Park. I had contracted to bartend a different party months earlier, and the host had to cancel because she got very ill. I told her at the time, that when she was ready, I would apply her initial deposit for another party at a later date. She finally called me, was doing much better and scheduled the party for last Saturday.

I state on my website that deposits are nonrefundable, but I of course make exceptions. There are many reasons that hosts cancel parties that are beyond anyone’s control. I recently had a host cancel a pool party because a cold front with rain happened to roll in that day. I require deposits for parties because it protects me somewhat if a party does cancel, but it also protects the host, insuring that I will hold that date for them.

Saturday’s party was held in an 11^th story loft in the Cement Building overlooking MacArthur Park near downtown Los Angeles. The party was based around a “Kill Bill,” theme, and I developed a bar menu based on the different characters in “Kill Bill.” The guests arrived dressed in Kill Bill garb, and I congratulate the two hosts for their authentic costumes. I even wore a Japanese head scarf, and I looked like Christopher Walken in the “Deer Hunter.”

View of MacArthur Park from Cement Building

I wore the headdress down to the liquor store to buy ice. I went to a small liquor store a block away and was purposely bumped into by a gang member as I was walking out. I didn’t have time to deal with the egregious act of disrespect like I probably would have in the past and just kept going. When I got back to the building where the party was being held, the manager of the building told me it was probably a member of the notorious MS13 gang from El Salvador that controls the neighborhood. “They aren’t too happy this neighborhood is being gentrified,” he told me.

Friday, I am off to Palm Springs to bartend a bachelorette party, then on Saturday, I am bartending a birthday party in Long Beach for a repeat customer. After that, I have a wedding lined up in Malibu, and a birthday party in Marina Del Rey. The summer is flying by for Shaken Not Stirred.

Cocktail Hour Bartenders, Mobile Bartenders

Bartending Service for Downtown Los Angeles Reception

January 6, 2015January 6, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

Monday, Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending service for a downtown Los Angeles reception and party to celebrate the swearing in of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Teresa Magno. The reception was held in the lobby of luxury condominiums downtown, across from the courthouse. About 100 guests were in attendance, including incoming Los Angeles County Sheriff, Jim McDonnell, and several people from the district attorney’s office.

Judge Teresa Magno poses for a shot with me

The event planner, April Easley, did an excellent job setting the stage for the reception and provided flower arrangements, candles, and all the little details that make for a memorable event. There were finger foods including barbeque beef sliders, tamales, turkey wraps, and various chips and salsa. Paulina’s Catering brought the taco bar.

I served a standard assortment of drinks including Cape Cods, gin and tonics, margaritas, and Jameson whiskey. I helped the hosts with a shopping menu based on other parties I have done. As usual, there was much left over, that can be used at another party. I think it is better to load for bear, and if bears don’t show up, we were prepared any way. I can develop a drink menu for any budget. I would say the beverage shopping list for this particular was around $300. I always try to save hosts money when I make shopping lists.

January can be a slow month for a mobile bartending service, but it isn’t starting out slow. Sunday I will bartend my third event of 2015, right here in my own neighborhood of Valley Glen. I am providing bartending service for a baby shower/cocktail party. Then on January 17, I will be bartending a fundraiser in Koreatown. I have put bids out on several big weddings in the spring and hope to land some of those. I want to think all of my customers for supporting me in 2014.

Corporate Event, Special Event Bartenders

Downtown Los Angeles Office Party

November 14, 2014November 15, 2014 shakennotstirredinla

LA's tallest building — LA’s tallest building

Last night I bartended an office party in downtown Los Angeles for a top PR firm in the city. They were celebrating the opening of their new office on the tenth floor at a high rise downtown. Approximately 100 guests, including employees and clients attended the party and no expense was spared. They had an event photographer, sushi chefs, a DJ, and I brought my portable bar. Another bartender was also hired and I worked with him. We got along great and I will probably need his help again.

The office itself was very cool, and had an excellent view of the downtown area. There was a pool table in the center of the office and the employees were working on their pool shooting skills. It seems that the whole office is populated with women and there is only one male working there. He told me that he has a lot of fun working there. Everyone seemed so nice there, including the owner of the company.

We served Apothic Red wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Firestone IPA, and Stella, along with a signature drink – the Greyhound. Also known as a Salty Dog, the cocktail has vodka, grapefruit juice, and a salt rim. We went through almost three handles of vodka, so the drink was apparently popular. It was a quick three hour office party and I’m sure there will be many of these as the holiday season progresses. Tomorrow night I have a Quincinera in Cerritos scheduled.

I received an email last night with an inquiry for a December wedding. In Southern California, wedding season seems to last throughout the year, though most weddings are in the summer. I hope I get to bartend the December wedding, along with the many corporate events, office parties, and holiday parties that will take place in December. I also have birthday parties booked. I hope to do some repeat Christmas parties from last year. Some people have contacted me, but don’t have dates locked down yet. If you want to hire Shaken Not Stirred in December, it is best to book your date now.

Fundraisers, Special Event Bartenders

Downtown Los Angeles Charity Fundraiser

June 21, 2014June 23, 2014 shakennotstirredinla

Last night I was one of the bartenders at the DIFFA Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS at The Reef in downtown Los Angeles. We served beer and wine to approximately 400 people. There were only two bartenders but we worked well together and we handled the crowd no problem. Most of the guests were interior designers all over the country.

I have no done too many of these events, but want to do more of them. When I arrived everything was pretty much set up. I just setup the cups and bottles the way I like them and went to work. People started coming in around 7:30 and we were pouring non stop until 10:30. A maintenance guy from the building acted as a barback and was a big help. By the time we were done serving, he had taken away all of the empty bottles and leftovers. We were out of there by 10:50.

I am LEADS certified, which they required for me to do this event. There is a certification put on by the LAPD called STAR certification. I will get that certification the next time the class is offered. Right now I am preparing for a birthday party in Lancaster. The host has about ten specialty drinks he wants me to make, including the Purple Hooter, King Kong Bomb, Long Island Ice Tea, and Mojito, among others. The party should be interesting.

Tomorrow I am off to the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps bases to bartend a wedding I booked months ago. Next week I will be doing a screening event in Hollywood and a birthday party in Orange County.