summer – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

Southern California’s traveling gig bartender, Shaken Not Stirred bartended several events in the past two weeks across the region. I have been very busy the past two weeks and have not had time to keep up with this blog. I have done events in Inglewood, Downtown LA, Pacific Palisades, Fullerton, Beverly Hills, and Simi Valley. All were successful, and I think my clients were happy with my service – I did pick up some more five star reviews and referrals.

I started off the string of events in Downtown LA at the La Kretz Innovation Campus. SheEO sponsored an fundraising event and I served wine and soft drinks to approximately 50 ladies. SheEO seems like a very worthwhile organization, and should appeal to any female entrepreneurs. I hope to do more events with them in the future.

Next I bartended a party in Inglewood attended largely by a local contingent of Nigerian immigrants. They served traditional Nigerian food, like jerk goat, and mint pies. I served wine, beer, and cocktails. The host invited me to work there every Friday night. I was tempted by the offer of ongoing work, but turned it down. An ongoing weekly gig feels too much like a job to me. I would rather see where the universe takes me.

Types of Events for a Gig Bartender

Birthday parties
Weddings
Corporate Events
Fundraisers
Pool parties
Class Reuinions

The day after, I went to Pacific Palisades to bartend a summer/company party. A local law firm held the party for employees and friends. I set up my portable bar on the deck next to the pool. It was a hot summer night, and I got bitten several times by mosquitos, which is rare in California. The host had a very nice selection of liquor and mixers and I was able to make some craft cocktails.

palisades1 — Guests mingle in Pacific Palisades

On Sunday, I traveled to Orange County to the Fullerton Community Center to bartend a wedding. It was a my first time working the venue and it had a large ballroom big enough to seat at least two hundred people. Over 100 people attended this wedding and I kept pretty busy making drinks for all of those people. Luckily they were mostly wine drinkers, which makes to easier for me to serve 100 people by myself.

Mid week I bartended a corporate event in Beverly Hills for one of my best clients. They have hired me for at least a dozen events, and most of the events are one weekdays, which I really appreciate. I brought another bartender with me and we served cocktails to approximately 75 guests. It was deathly hot and humid that night in Los Angeles, with the humidity hovering at 60 percent.

I finished off the week in beautiful Simi Valley bartending a baby shower on Saturday Night. The humid weather subsided, and it was an extremely pleasant night for August in Simi Valley. It even got a bit chilly after the sun went down. I served cocktails to around 50 guests and finished at 11pm.

This coming weekend I have only one event scheduled for Saturday night, but that could change. I will be bartending a birthday party in Northridge. Later this month I have events in Tujunga, San Diego, Irvine, and Hawthorne. All of my Saturdays are booked through October. Please follow Shaken Not Stirred, the gig bartender on Instagram.

Uncategorized, Wedding Bartender

Mission Beach Women’s Club Wedding

June 20, 2016June 20, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

Saturday, Shaken Not Stirred traveled to San Diego to provide bartending services at a wedding at the Mission Beach Women’s Club. This was my first time working at this venue, and I hope to return there many more times. What a fantastic spot to have a wedding and reception. The scenery is great, the vibe is happening, and I just had an overall nice experience.

The hardest part of working this venue was getting in and out of there. Summer is here and it’s starting to get hot. Everyone in Southern California heads to the beach. The bars and restaurants are full of people, parking is hard to find and traffic is a nightmare. I arrived plenty early and the hosts even saved me my own parking spot at the venue. I had plenty of time to set up my portable bar, outside on the patio next to the bike path.

mb4b — Dad escorts bride at Mission Beach Women’s Club

Mission Beach Women’s Club Venue

Views of the Mission Bay
Cooler weather
Relaxed atmosphere
Patio reception area
Indoor dining room and dance floor
Wedding with scenic backdrop

The wedding was held on the grass just across from the venue with Mission Bay in the background. This makes for some great photography. They set up chairs and a wedding arch, everyone sat down and the ceremony was over in less than half an hour. The chairs and wedding arch rapidly disappeared and the party started.

I made simple drinks like Captain and Coke, Jack and Coke, Sea Breezes, and Moscow Mules. Fireball shots were popular. I was worried we were going to run out of a few things, and we did, but the guests adjusted. Bekker’s Catering of San Diego provided the food, and they did an excellent job.

I will be bartending a cocktail party in Beverly Hills on Thursday, and then doing a wedding in Hemet, which I booked over a year ago. The big Fourth of July weekend is coming up and I will be busy in Palm Springs and Orange County.

Mobile Bartenders, Wedding Bartender

Idyllwild Wedding Turned into an Upland Wedding

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 shakennotstirredinla

Early last week I heard reports of a fire burning out of control near Idyllwild, California. I was scheduled to bartend a wedding on Saturday at the Quiet Creek Inn at Idyllwild Pine Cove. On Wednesday my client emailed me and informed me that the wedding had been moved to the bride’s parent’s house in Upland. I was just happy that the wedding was going to happen and quickly switched my plans. The girl I had hired to help me actually lived in Upland, so she was happy.

I guess the family and friends of the bride and groom came together and scrambled to make the wedding happen on schedule. I must say it was a great save, and if the married couple is this adaptable throughout their marriage, they should do fantastic. The wedding came off well with around 80 guests in Upland on Saturday, July 20th. As the festivities were starting it began raining, making us wonder if the universe was not in line with this wedding, but the rain subsided and the ceremony went on.

My client requested that two specialty drinks be on the menu: the Pink Penny, which consisted of Gin, Rose syrup, peach juice, grapefruit juice, and lemon juice, and the Clementine Fizzy, which was sparkling wine, St. Germaine, peach juice and a dash of lemon juice. Interesting drinks I had never made before and I think they came off well. As a result of having the St. Germaine, which is an Elderflower liqueur, I created two new drinks. The first being what I call a G&G tonic, which is a Gin and tonic with a splash of St. Germaine. The other is a V&G tonic, which is the same thing, except made with vodka. People just loved it!

Beers for the night included Model Especial, and Negro, Hanger Wheat Ale, and Pyramid Hefeweizen. The groom provided several nice bottles of red and white wine but nobody drank any wine – I have found that to be the case on most summer events. We did go through a case of champagne, though. I used probably three cases of Arrowhead water and we were completely out by the end of the night. My suggestion is to buy plenty of water and it may be less expensive and more eco-friendly to buy gallons of water and have the bartender pour it into cups.

Catering was provided by Guerrilla Tacos. I have done many events with taco carts, but I must say these were very unique. He had some of the best salsa I have ever tasted. By the time my barback and I were able to grab something all the meat was gone. The caterer made me some vegetarian tacos that were just excellent, and I don’t have a vegetarian bone in my body. The caterer was also supposed to go to Idyllwild, but changed his plans as well. Everyone was flexible and everything worked out great.

I have had events nearly every weekend this month but don’t have much yet booked for next month, so make your plans for August now. I have not yet done any class reunions this year and would love to do some. Shaken Not Stirred services the entire Southern California area, including the LA Basin, The San Fernando Valley, The Inland Empire, Palm Springs, Ventura County and Santa Barbara to the west.

Mobile Bartenders, Party Bartenders

Sherwood Forest 50th Birthday Party Mixologist

June 2, 2013June 2, 2013 shakennotstirredinla

northridge1 — Mixologist Rob mixing a concoction

June 2, was date of a 50^th birthday party in the exclusive San Fernando Valley hamlet of Sherwood Forest (formerly, Northridge). My clients went all out and decorated the backyard pool area to create a memorable event for the birthday girl. I brought a server, Katie (who has worked with me several times) to help with the food, while I manned the bar.

Our client rented a bar, tables and chairs from a party rental company. It’s always nice to have a real bar as opposed to a table set up, and makes me think I need to get one, but then I would need a truck to haul it in. In reality a table works fine and in the end the guests don’t really care where their excellent drinks come from.

I’ve never called myself a “mixologist”, I’m old school and that word seems a little pretentious, but I was the hired mixologist of the night. I’ll take it. The host came up with an excellent drink menu. I served Margaritas, Cadillac Margaritas, Bay Breezes, Cosmos, and a couple of specialty drinks that were favorites of my clients. The most popular cocktail of the night was the Island Breeze: Malibu rum, Blue Curacao, and pineapple juice, garnished with pineapple and a cherry. Shock Top and Corona Light were the beers of the night. Arnold Palmers were the non-alcoholic drink of choice.

The guests dined on Mexican food from a local restaurant and deserts made by the host. Overall, the party seemed to be a smashing success. The forecast called for triple digit weather, but as the sun went down the weather was perfect for backyard partying. Plan your summer party today and let us help you. Shaken Not Stirred serves the San Fernando Valley, the LA Basin, and pretty much the whole Southern California area. We’ll go anywhere in the world if the price is right! Now that I’m a mixologist, I’m sure I can get gigs in Europe, South America, the Far East, and Down Under.

Seriously, Shaken Not Stirred is serious about summer birthday parties, weddings, pool parties, class reunions, openings, and all other events. Several dates in July are already booked, but I have many skilled bartenders available. Call or email for rates and availability. I had two last minute calls yesterday and couldn’t fill them on such short notice, but don’t hesitate to call, because sometimes I can.

Class Reunion Bartenders

Ten Year Class Reunion Event

June 24, 2012 shakennotstirredinla

Last night I bartended at my first ten year class reunion event in swanky Rancho Santa Fe. Rancho Santa Fe (north ofSan Diego) ranks as one the priciest zip codes in the U.S., but the people attending and organizing last night’s event couldn’t have been nicer. There were probably seventy people in attendance, and everybody seemed to have had a good time.

The reunion committee decided for the party that they would serve beer, wine, and unfortunately had only water as a non-alcoholic beverage. I noticed that several people weren’t drinking alcohol and were disappointed that there wasn’t more of a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. That is something to keep in mind if you are planning a party. Many people do not drink alcohol these days, and I think party planners should be more mindful of that. There are many exciting non-alcoholic beverages on the market.

They had several brands of beer available including Stone IPA, Fat Tire,Newcastle, Samuel Adams, and Corona. Stone IPA seemed to be the most popular among this crowd, with Newcastle coming in second. Corona is usually the most popular at the parties I do, but came in last as this reunion. Cupcake Cabernet was the most popular wine, followed by Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.

As summer continues, I’m sure there will be many, many more class reunions taking place inSouthern California. Shaken Not Stirred will be happy to accommodate as many of them as possible. We have both male and female bartenders and servers available. We also have relationships with DJ’s, entertainers, photographers, and caterers. Make your summer event, class reunion, wedding, engagement party, pool party, or Fourth of July party memorable and stress free by hiring the event professionals at Shaken Not Stirred.

Tag: summer

Shaken Not Stirred Gig Bartender Does Events Across SoCal