Party Planning, Uncategorized

Five Cocktails That Are Popular at Private Events Right Now

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Moscow Mule

5. Moscow Mule

The Moscow Mule is very popular right now at private events including weddings, birthday parties, and corporate events. Here is the recipe for the Moscow Mule
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1.5 oz Vodka
Splash fresh lime juice
2 oz Ginger beer

There are several different brands and types of ginger beer available at Trader Joe’s or Bevmo.
Cock & Bull, Bunderberg, and Gosling are some of the popular brands. You can also make a Kentucky Mule by substituting Bourbon, or a Mexican Mule by substituting Tequila. I usually garnish with a lime slice.

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Old Fashioned

4. Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is called the Old Fashioned because it is old. As a cocktail, it has been around a long time. It has recently become popular again because of the hit television show, “Mad Men. This is how you prepare an Old Fashioned:

First of all, put a sugar cube, a cherry, and an orange slice into a shaker. Splash some Angostura bitters onto the other ingredients and muddle. Pour 2.5 oz of Bourbon into the shaker and then add ice and shake it. Pour into a glass and top it off with Club soda.

The Old Fashioned is ready to serve.

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Lemon Drop

3. Lemon Drop Martini

The Lemon Drop is a favorite at private events, especially among women. It should have the perfect balance of sweet and sour.

Here is how you make the lemon drop:

Place a scoop of ice into a shaker. Pour in 3.5 oz of Vodka, 1 oz of fresh lemon juice, and 1 oz of simple syrup. Shake it vigorously, and then pour it into a martini glass. Sometimes I rim the glass with sugar and add a lemon wheel as a garnish, or a twist.
The secret to this drink is using mostly vodka, and not making it too sweet.

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Fresh grapefruits make for great drinks!

2. Paloma

The Paloma is a popular Mexican cocktail and is made a few different ways. The way it is often made at Mexican weddings is by mixing Tequila and Squirt. The way I like to make it is a bit different. Here is how I make it:

I pour 1.5 oz Tequila, 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice, and 1 oz of simple syrup into a shaker and shake it up. Pour into a glass and serve. I sometimes use a salt rim and garnish with a lime slice.

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Jalapeno Margarita

1. Jalapeno Margarita

I make my own Jalapeno Margarita mix to make the Jalapeno Margarita. This is by far the most popular cocktail I serve at private parties. The way I make it is by adding 70 percent lime juice, 15 percent water, 15 percent Agave Nectar, and two sliced jalapenos into a blender. I blend it up real good.

I pour 2 oz of tequila and 2 oz Jalapeno Margarita mix into a shaker with ice and shake them up. I pour into a salt rimmed glass and add a lime slice for a garnish.

Birthday Party Bartender, Uncategorized

Thousand Oaks Birthday Party

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Portable bar setup inside Thousand Oaks home

Saturday night I drove to Thousand Oaks to bartend a birthday party. The weather is getting cooler in Southern California and it is time to start moving inside – I do probably 90 percent of my events outside, so it is always kind of strange when I setup inside a house. In this case, I setup my portable bar and table in the corner of the dining room.

I had worked with the host to come up with a drink menu and shopping list. They wanted to have Moscow Mules and spicy jalapeno margaritas. I made the spicy jalapeno margarita mix at home with fresh ingredients. I use fresh squeezed lime juice, agave nectar, and jalapenos. The mix has a real kick to it and it has been a hit at several parties, and it was a hit at this one.

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Spicy Jalapeno Margarita

The hosts had visited Cuba and they had a genuine bottle of Cuban rum and that was a hit also. They only had Diet Coke, which some people don’t like, so I made a Blanco Libre – which is Cuban rum, Sprite, a dash of bitters and lime garnish. That was popular enough that I used the whole bottle of rum. They also had some very nice wines, including a Fess Parker Melange Blanc. I remember we used to serve that at a restaurant I worked at and it is an excellent white wine.

For entertainment, they had a mechanical bull set up outside. I have tried to ride those before with very little luck. I have tried to ride real bulls back in Wyoming when I was in high school, also with very little luck. I remember it was like being kicked in the crotch several times in quick succession, then landing on your head. My cowboy days are over. I was telling one of the guests there is a movie about it called “Urban Cowboy,” and she had never heard of it. That was one of the biggest movies at the time it came out. They also had a taco caterer at the party, but I didn’t get their card.

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Friends mingle at Thousand Oaks birthday party

This is Thanksgiving week and I don’t have much scheduled – I am taking Thanksgiving off to spend it with family. I may be doing a party in La Jolla on Saturday. Next month, of course will be the busiest month for Shaken Not Stirred. I have several parties already booked all over Los Angeles. New Year’s Eve is still open – so book it quickly is you want it.