Gingerbread Boutique – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

silverlake3b — View of dry Silverlake Reservoir

Last week I provided bartending service at the annual Gingerbread Boutique in Oak Park, and then on Friday bartended a birthday party in Silverlake. Both of these were repeat clients and it certainly nice to not have to work so hard drumming up business. So far I have several parties booked this month and next month and nearly all of them are repeat clients or referrals. Shaken Not Stirred must be doing something right.

This was my third time bartending at the Gingerbread Boutique. The Westlake Village Junior Women’s Club hosts the event every year and it is kind of a pre-Christmas season bazaar, and is usually quite busy. I brought another bartender to the event as I always do, and this year we served only champagne. We went through five cases of champagne by the end of the night.

silverlake1 — Guests mingle in Silverlake

On Friday, I drove to Silverlake to bartend a 75th birthday party at a hilltop home overlooking the now empty Silverlake reservoir. The weather has been fantastic for November in Los Angeles, so we were able to set up the bar outside this year. I served many martinis in real martini glasses and I think everyone had a great time.

Tomorrow I am going to my old stomping grounds in Hermosa Beach to bartend a birthday party. They really like to party in Hermosa, I can attest to that, so I expect a hard drinking crowd. Next week I am doing two corporate events in Venice (repeat business) and then a referral job in Thousand Oaks. I will have my first job in the city of Bell later this month and then the real Holiday season begins.

Mobile Bartenders, Party Bartenders, Uncategorized

La Bartender in Orange County for Two Parties

October 31, 2016October 31, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

orange2 — Metropolis themed Halloween party in Orange

Shaken Not Stirred, the LA bartender service was in Orange County last weekend to service two big parties. This was Halloween weekend for most people in Southern California and most of the Halloween parties were held Saturday night. I can’t tell you how many calls I had from people wanting bartenders at the last moment. My client was smart and booked me months ago.

The Halloween party in the city of Orange I guess is an annual event, but this was my first time doing it. They had the house decorated very nicely with a Metropolis, speakeasy type theme. I was nervous and arrived plenty early to get things set up. My motto for bartending is be prepared. I was nervous because the bartender who was supposed o work with me on this party dropped out at the last minute. I had to use a bartender I had never used before and I was afraid he was going to suck. I got a barback too that I had never used before.

The extra bartender showed up early which was a good sign and he brought a big cooler with him. I think he did a good job, but don’t know for sure because once the party started we were so busy at our seperate bars we didn’t have a moment to spare. At most times during the night I had a line of people leading up to the bar. The barback showed on time and helped us alot. We served out of almost everything by the end of the night. We used almost 300lbs of ice.

LA Bartender Service

Birthday parties and anniversaries
Corporate events
Weddings
Holiday parties
Openings
Reunions

One thing I want to mention was the entertainment, Phil Shane. He was just incredible and I guess he is kind of an Orange County legend. He can sing Elvis better than Elvis, and did a whole range of Elvis songs, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Diamond, Conway Twitty, and many other classics. The guy did not singing the entire five hours I was there. He was a genuine human juke box. At the end of the party he came up to me and tipped me, because I kept sending him drinks. I told him, that it was me that should be tipping him.

laguna1 — Some of the ladies at Laguna Beach Reunion

I stayed at a motel in OC Saturday night because on Sunday I had to do a reunion at the Laguna Beach Women’s Club. The reunion was for a group of ladies that went to a Catholic high school in Tehran, Iran in the seventies. Their families had to leave the country after the Iranian revolution in 1979. So, many of the ladies traveled from far and wide to attend this event.

laguna3 — Vintage photo at Laguna Beach Women’s Club

They had a great time and danced to traditional Persian music and ate traditional Persian food. I served Mojitos and margaritas, and I helped clear the plates from the dinner. I drove back to LA after the party and was dog tired. I was supposed to do another event tonight (Halloween), but they cancelled this morning. I was just as glad. The LA bartender had a full weekend. This week I am bartending an event I have done twice previously – the Gingerbread Boutique in Westlake Village. Then on Friday I am returning to Silver Lake to bartend a birthday party that I also did last year.

Birthday Party Bartender, Mobile Bartenders, Party Bartenders

Los Angeles Bartending Service Kicks off the Holiday Season

November 9, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred, the Los Angeles bartending service kicked off the Holiday season last weekend with three big events. The official start of holiday events started Thursday, when we returned to Oak Park to bartend the annual Gingerbread Boutique, put on by the Westlake Village Junior Women’s Club. On Saturday, we traveled to Lancaster to bartend a 40^th birthday party for another repeat client, and then on Sunday we bartended a children’s birthday party in sunny Porter Ranch.

The annual Ginger Bread Boutique is a fundraiser and is held at Saint Maximillian Kolbe Church in Oak Park. Vendors from all over Los Angeles come and show their wares at the annual event. We served wine to almost 400 guests throughout the night. I always love to events like this and hope to do it again next year. The gingerbread boutique is the official kick off for holiday events for Shaken Not Stirred.

On Saturday I drove to Lancaster to bartend a 40^th birthday for a repeat client. I had bartended his birthday party a year earlier and he was happy with my service so he invited me back. I set up my portable bar in his backyard just like I had done before. They like to have several kinds of drinks out there, and I made Mojitos, Long Island Ice Teas, Margaritas, Kamakazies, Jaegar Bombs, and many others for this party. The weather changed drastically from what it has been, and the temperature in Lancaster dropped down to 33 degrees. Another reminder that the holiday season has begun.

Los Angeles Bartending Service

Corporate Events
Birthday parties
Fundraisers
Weddings
Holiday parties
Screenings
Grand openings
Engagement parties

On Sunday I didn’t have to drive far to get to Porter Ranch and bartend a children’s birthday party. The kids were busy in a video game truck the host had rented, so I wasn’t making mocktails for them, but made adult cocktails for the adults. I made Cadillac Margaritas and the Madras was the second drink of choice. Barracho Tacos catered the party. They had some fantastic homemade salsas, and made great tacos and quesadillas. I booked another holiday party on the spot with one of the guests, and others said they would call.

Next weekend I will bartend two parties in the Los Angeles area. I will bartend an 80^th birthday party in Venice during the day, then will travel to Glendale to do another birthday party at night. I have several company parties coming up later this month in Los Angeles, and as far away as Rancho Mirage. I am starting to book many more parties closer to home, mostly as a result of my Yelp reviews. Shaken Not Stirred is the Los Angeles bartending service that you can count on!

Tag: Gingerbread Boutique

Gingerbread Boutique and Silverlake Birthday Party

La Bartender in Orange County for Two Parties

LA Bartender Service

Los Angeles Bartending Service Kicks off the Holiday Season