Tag: high desert

bartender for hire, Uncategorized

Rosamond Wedding in the High Desert

shakennotstirredinla
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Groom and groomsmen at Rosamond wedding

Last Saturday, Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending service at a wedding in the high desert near the city of Rosamond. It was my first time doing a wedding in Rosamond and the wedding took place in an orange grove adjacent to the rolling hills nearby. I had another bartender with me and we served approximately 130 guests.

I set up my portable bar near a little guest house where the cocktail hour was to be held. The ceremony took place around 4pm and the cocktail hour was right after that. We served “Sex on the Beach,” cocktails and another drink made with Hennessy, lemonade, and Popeye’s sweet tea, which I coined the “Tiger Woods.” I premade the drinks in my beverage dispenser for faster service. We also served locally brewed keg beer from Kinetic Brewery in Lancaster. We had two different types of brew, including an IPA and a Blonde ale.

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Kegs from Kinetic Brewery in Lancaster

After the cocktail hour concluded, we moved the bar to the dining area where we continued service for the rest of the evening. They had tents set up and a dance floor. A catering company served barbecue. We served out of the Tiger Woods and by the end served out of the other cocktail too. The beer was quite popular, and people were impressed that it was brewed locally.

Hire a Wedding Bartender

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  • Impress your guests

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    Guests mingle during cocktail hour

I hesitate mentioning this, because I don’t know the cause of it, but I got very sick at the wedding. Shortly after I ate I began feeling nauseous. It got worse as the night went on, and eventually I had to go vomit. Luckily the other bartender was covering me. He ate the same food and didn’t get sick. I felt better after I vomited, but when I was driving home, I felt it coming on again, and I threw up in my car before I could make it to an exit. Needless to say that was fun. I don’t want to implicate the catering company for this, because it could have been something totally unrelated. I was fine the next day and bartended an event in Orange County. I wonder if anyone else at the party got sick. Please follow us on Instagram.

Fiesta Bartender, Mobile Bartenders

Have Portable Bar: Will Travel

shakennotstirredinla
The road to Hesperia
The road to Hesperia

My portable bar has been invaluable and has paid for itself many times over. Last Saturday night I took my portable bar all the way to Hesperia in the high desert of San Bernardino County. I bartended a birthday party and was pretty busy making drinks for approximately 100 guests.  I was a bit worried, because it was one of the hottest days of the summer, but once the sun went down it wasn’t so bad.

This event was booked by another bartender friend of mine and she wasn’t able to do it, so she called me. She and I will be doing several events together over the next couple of months. I was happy to take the event, though I don’t usually seek jobs in the Hesperia/Victorville area. I drove the back way in through Palmdale and across the desert. It is a very scenic drive, if you have never done it.  When I arrived in Hesperia the temperature was 104, and the wind felt like a blast furnace.

My portable bar is nothing special. It is what I can carry in my Mustang. It takes literally two minutes to set up, and then I have a folding table with a table cloth that I set next to the portable bar. I put all of the bottles and glassware on the table and I serve off of the portable bar. I have done all kinds of events with this portable bar set up, from Bellaire to Bakersfield and never once has somebody said, “What the hell is that? Get that thing out of here!” That is also why I only charge $35 for the bar.

Full banda playing
Full banda playing

I served many Bloody Mary’s, Micheladas, Margaritas, and Mai Tais. The guests self served their beers, which was fine with me, because 100 guests is a lot for one bartender. I handled it. Toward the end I was pouring a lot of shots. The host had purchased some special Jager Bomb shot glasses, and they worked great. I certainly made good use of them as I served a whole 1.75 ltr bottle of Jagermeister, and small case of Red Bull.

So far I don’t have an event scheduled for this weekend, and I hope I will still get one. Many people wait until the last minute, and also bartender drop out for one reason or another.  I have never cancelled an event, but I can see legitimate reasons for doing that. I have been on my way to events, and barely escaped serious accidents, thanks to reckless drivers.

Shots!
Shots!
Jager Bombs in special cups
Jager Bombs in special cups

I do have many events already booked in September and October, so I am not overly concerned about this little lull. I know the competition is getting tougher, and I will have to work as hard as I did in the beginning to keep the business going. I admit, I have been a little complacent lately. Shaken not Stirred:  Have portable bar, will travel.