Venice – Shaken Not Stirred in LA

Last week was one of the busiest weeks ever for Shaken Not Stirred – my staff and I provided bartending service at 8 great events. I started off the week doing two corporate events in Downtown LA and Venice, and then on Saturday we had a baby shower, a going away brunch, and two birthday parties. Sunday I drove to Palm Springs to bartend a bachelorette party, while another bartender did an anniversary party in Manhattan Beach.

I picked up a new corporate client and they say they will be doing as many as two events a month, all on the weekdays. I love these kind of events. I did the first one on thursday night in downtown Los Angeles, and it was held at the 17th floor pool area of a luxury condo building. I brought all the supplies, and hustled them up to the 17th floor. It is an extra service I provide for an extra fee, and many of my clients do not want the hassle of shopping for their supplies. I am glad to do it.

august3 — New Favorite Mode of Transportation in Venice

On Friday, I once again traveled to Venice to do a mixer that coincides with the First Friday Food truck event on Abbot Kinney. This was my third time doing this event. Once again, I shopped for and brought all the supplies. I served wine, beer, and soft drinks to 30 or so people. Not a bad way to spend a Friday afternoon.

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Fullerton Baby Shower

Saturday was the big day that I was worried about because I had four different events staffed by four bartenders, plus myself. I had a baby shower to do with another bartender in Fullerton. One bartender did a daytime event in Sylmar, and then a birthday party later that night in Santa Clarita. Two other bartenders headed out to Pacoima to do a birthday party. Fortunately, everyone was on time and everything went great.

august5 — Palm Springs Bachelorette Party

This weekend I have a wedding at the Diamond Bar Center on Saturday, and a birthday party in Studio City on Sunday. The month of august is flying by, and it won’t be too much longer that I will be booking Christmas parties. Like last year, I am saving all dates in December for my existing customers. Please follow us on Instagram.

Special Event Bartenders, Uncategorized

Bartending Service Kicks off Summer with Three June Events

June 5, 2018 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred, the Los Angeles based bartending service started off June with three big events last weekend. Friday I was in Venice to bartend a first Friday networking event at a law office near Abbot Kinney. On Saturday, I drove to Santa Clarita to bartend a 40th birthday party, and then finished off the weekend in Hidden Hills for another birthday party. A busy weekend, just like I like it.

Abbot Kinney Blvd. is a thriving area in Los Angeles and on the First Friday of every month dozens of exciting food trucks converge on the area to offer a dazzling array of cuisine. It is a happening event that brings in a lot of people from out of the area, and young professionals in the area. So, the law firm that hired me has a monthly cocktail hour in conjunction with the First Friday event. I served wine, beer, and soft drinks to approximately 50 young professionals. It was a fun event, and hopefully they will call me again. I did all the shopping and delivered the supplies, which is an extra service I provide.

june5 — Backyard 40th Birthday Party Setup

On Saturday, I went to Santa Clarita to do bartending service for a 40th birthday party. The hosts had a very nice backyard where I set up my portable bar on the patio. The husband had set up a very nice birthday party for his wife’s 40th birthday party. He even bought a whole DJ equipment package and was the DJ for the evening. It was his first time as a DJ, but I must say he did better than some professional DJ’s I have seen. I think it was definitely a memorable milestone birthday party for the birthday girl.

Advantages of Hiring a Bartending Service

Bartender keeps bar area clean and organized
Can provide shopping and delivery of supplies
Bartender creates specialty drinks
Guests are impressed
Hosts can enjoy themselves
My Son Behind Portable Bar in Hidden Hills

On Sunday I did a second annual birthday party in Hidden Hills. I remember last year I did it and it was blazing hot. The ice melted quickly. This year it was one of the first hot days of summer, but wasn’t that bad. They had over 100 guests, so I took my son with me to help out. We served a lot of margaritas, including my special jalapeno margarita, that is always a hit. The hosts had an important announcement to make – they are having a baby girl. The announcement was met with huge applause from the guests. The host told me I will be coming back to bartend the baby shower. I am blessed to have such great clients.

I must mention that the weekend started with a bit of sadness. On Friday I lost my cat, Batman, who has been with me for 21 years. I am glad I was busy, so my mind was not focused on that. I was kind of expecting it, but it is always a shock with you lose a pet. This weekend I will be providing bartending service for a wedding in Rancho Palos Verdes, then have a another wedding at the Reptacular Ranch in Sylmar, and have other SFV and Orange County events later this month. Follow us on Instagram.

bartender for hire, Uncategorized

Shaken Not Stirred Shows up Strong for 2017 Holiday Season

December 29, 2017 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred had its best holiday season to date and so far in December we have completed 21 events, with two parties still to go. When I first started doing this blog, I would write one blog post for every event I did and that has gotten harder and harder to do as I do multiple events in one week. It has a been a hectic season, and I am a little relieved that it is over, but as far as I know, all of our clients were happy and there were no major problems.

xmas17hh — My son bartending in Hollywood

My goal this year for the month of December was that I would save as many dates as possible for repeat customers and referrals. For the most part I did that. I had great repeat customers book parties in Valley Village, Hollywood, Venice, San Clemente, Silver Lake, Van Nuys, Reseda, Santa Monica, and Simi Valley. I didn’t have to travel too far, with San Clemente being the furthest I went during the month of December. I picked up some great new clients in Simi Valley, Hermosa Beach, Santa Clarita, and Moorpark. I am probably forgetting someone, but will remember them later.

I had multiple bartenders, including, Tanner, Edie, Matt, Melanie, Thomas, and Will helping me. Some of the bartenders went out and completed gigs on their own and I got great feedback from all of my clients. We literally served thousands of cocktails over the course of the month. We went through gallons and gallons of vodka, whiskey, and tequila. We emptied cases and cases of wine and beer.

Highlights included the big casino night in Venice, the annual Christmas party in Hollywood for the Better Call Saul production company, the Spacex launch, and numerous wonderful home parties, food, drink, and music. I sampled all kinds of fantastic food, from tacos, prime rib, pork belly, steaks, and many ethnic delicacies.

This weekend marks the final chapter for Shaken Not Stirred in 2017. Saturday I will drive to Huntington Beach to bartend a 40th birthday party/whiskey tasting. On Sunday, I get to stay in the San Fernando Valley for New Year’s Eve – I will be doing a NYE party in Sherman Oaks. Looking forward to a great New Year and already have several dates booked in January, February, and March.

IMG_20171222_201508_427 — SpaceX test over Moorpark

Corporate Event, Uncategorized

Venice Beach Corporate Events

November 18, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

zefr5 — Guests gather at the “succulent bar” with Komodo Truck standing by

This week Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending service at two different corporate events for a tech company in Venice Beach. I did an event there last year and was delighted that they booked me again this year. This time, I did one smaller event on Wednesday night for around 40 people, and then on Thursday I brought a staff of four to serve cocktails o 250 people.

zefr1 — “Weekend Celebrity” setting up at Venice corporate event

For the smaller event I worked with the coordinator to come up with unique drink menu. They chose the Pisco Sour and the Paloma as the specialty drinks. I didn’t think about it at the time, but the drinks are kind of similar. Pisco is a grape liqueur, but tastes more similar to tequila than to vodka, for instance. Then, both drinks have a similar sweet/sour thing going on. The Pisco Sour is a classic South American cocktail, that many people haven’t tried, so I always like serving.

zefr2 — My mom with one of my barbacks, Karen

The company hired a “succulent bar” as part of the event. The succulent bar has different pots, different varieties of live succulents, dirt, and other plants to accentuate the chosen succulent The coordinator told me how much they paid for the succulent bar and I couldn’t believe it. I guess I am in the wrong business. I also couldn’t believe how excited the guests were about the succulent. I was standing there behind the bar twiddling my thumbs while all the guests were at the succulent bar. These millennials are quite different than my generation, who would have been three drinks in already. The guests eventually made it to the bar. I’m sorry I forget a business card for the succulent bar. Komodo Food brought their truck into the lot and provided the catering.

zefr3 — Full house at corporate cocktail party

The second night was the big event. Last year we scrambled making the specialty cocktails one at a time. This year I brought my drink dispensers and premixed the cocktails, which maked serving large groups a breeze. The line moves so much faster. My mom was here visiting from Montana and she went to the event with me, as she did last year. She is very outgoing and helped pour wine. The guests seemed to love her, though I was a bit embarrassed, because she tells anyone who will listen her life story…Weekend Celebrity provided the live entertainment, and this is the second time I’ve seen them on a gig, and they are very good. I highly recommend them. Dave’s Catering did the food, which unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to sample, but it looked good.

This weekend I have one event in Thousand Oaks on Saturday and then next week is Thanksgiving. I could have taken a job on Thanksgiving, but I am done doing that. I own my own business now and I don’t work on Thanksgiving. That is a day for gratitude. Next month there will be plenty of work.

Birthday Party Bartender, Private Bartender, Uncategorized

Hermosa Beach 30th Birthday Party

November 15, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

Saturday I returned to my old home, Hermosa Beach to bartend a 30th birthday party. I just love Hermosa Beach and it is by far the best place to live in Los Angeles County- if you can afford to live there and don’t have to commute to the rest of the city. It is a little difficult to get in and out of, if you have to drive back and forth to LA. It is also a fantastic place to live if you are in your twenties, or just turning 30.

The birthday boy’s wife hired me to bartend the party and we came up with a drink menu and shopping list together. I made Moscow Mules and Old Fashioneds. I keep making those drinks over and over again at parties, but they are very popular right now. An Old Fashioned is a very strong drink, and maybe that is why it is called an Old Fashioned. Strength is not often in style now days. Anyway, the guests seemed to like them.

I set up my portable bar in the backyard and The Taco Guy Catering set up across from me. This is the way it goes at most of these birthday parties – the hosts hire a bartender and a caterer so that they can enjoy themselves without having to run around serving everyone. I try to be of maximum service at every event I do so that the hosts can actually enjoy themselves and not have to worrry about the bar.

herrmosa3 — Friends mingling at 30th birthday party

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Throw a backyard party
Hire a bartender
Invite friends and family
Create a theme

This week I have two corporate events at a company in Venice. I did an event for them last year with over two hundred guests and it went very well. I will be serving Pisco sours at one of the events and it is always fun making those. This weekend I will travel to Thousand Oaks to bartend a birthday party. Next week is Thanksgiving week and I had inquires about bartending jobs, but I am spending that day with family. Next month will be very busy with tons of holiday parties and many of them are on the weekdays. Happy holidays!

Birthday Party Bartender, Fundraisers, Uncategorized

Gingerbread Boutique and Silverlake Birthday Party

November 11, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

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.

Birthday Party Bartender, Uncategorized

Torrance 40th Birthday Party

April 16, 2016April 16, 2016 shakennotstirredinla

Last night, Shaken Not Stirred provided bartending service for a 40^th birthday party in Torrance. The South Bay is my old stomping ground, and the parties in the South Bay tend to be ragers. This party was no exception, as the birthday boy rang in his 40^th year in true South Bay style. Let’s just say that I served a bunch of vodka, tequila, single malt scotch, and even moonshine. It was some of that moonshine they are selling in the mason jars at the liquor stores, but it is still 100 proof. I once drank real backwoods moonshine from Tennessee, and I woke up driving through Tijuana.

Backyard 40^thBirthday Party Ideas

Hire an experienced bartender
Hire a caterer
Make a theme
Offer specialty cocktails

The hosts had a very nice back deck that was adorned with dozens of beautiful succulents. This was a neighborhood in Torrance bordering Redondo Beach and there was a great view from the backyard of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and Redondo Beach in the near distance. The weather was perfect for a backyard party, and they had a nice bar and barbecue area, and a fire pit.

torrance3 — Succulents adorn Torrance backyard

Sierra Madre Catering provided the food, and they had all kinds of interesting goodies, including mac and cheese, refried beans, pulled pork sliders, mini Philly Cheese steaks, and more. Servers kept roaming the crowd with trays of goodies all night. I served my fresh grapefruit drinks, Palomas and Greyhounds. Single Malt scotch was quite popular and many of the guests brought some nice bottles of liquor to the party and some of them were consumed.

Tonight, I am staying in the San Fernando Valley to bartend a Southern themed birthday party in Encino. I am making some drinks I have never made before for that one, so I need to study up. Next weekend I have a party booked in Hancock Park, and then later in the month I have events in Eagle Rock, and will be doing a special event at the Venice Art Fair that I am excited about.

Birthday Party Bartender

Two Birthday Parties in One Day

November 16, 2015 shakennotstirredinla

On Saturday, Shaken Not Stirred was the official bartending service at two big birthday parties in Los Angeles. The first big event was an 80^th birthday party in Venice that started at noon, and then the second event was a surprise birthday party in Glendale that went on until midnight. Needless to say, I mixed a bunch of drinks that day.

The 80^th birthday party was put on by the birthday girl’s son on the rooftop deck of her Venice home. The lady had lived in the house for over forty years and just recently installed the rooftop deck. It was a perfect day for the party in Venice and sun was shining and an ocean breeze blew in from the Pacific just a few blocks away. They had also installed a simple wooden rooftop bar and it was perfect for my purposes.

In honor of the birthday girl, whose name was Fleur, the host requested a classic cocktail, the Fleur di Paradis. The drink is made with Plymouth Gin, St. Germaine, fresh lemon juice, simple syup and champagne. The drink was such a hit, that we served out of it. I invented another cocktail on the spot and deemed it the Boccacio, in honor of the street the party was on. The Boccacio is a simple drink but with a velvety taste: Tito’s Vodka, coconut water, and a splash of orange juice. It was also a hit. Let it be known that Shaken Not Stirred of Los Angeles invented that drink.

Entertainment was provided by a very talented ukulele artist and singer Jason Arimoto. He sang for at least three hours straight and then packed up to go and do another party. Slinging drinks for eight hours is tough, but imagine singing for six hours in one day.

I packed up from the first party and drove to Glendale to bartend a surprise birthday party at a beautiful Chevy Chase home. I sat up my portable bar in the back yard, and served simple Cosmos, Black Lable on the rocks, and wine. The caterers had a fabulous selection of finger foods and I regret not getting their card, because they really were fabulous.

The birthday girl was truly surprised when she walked in the door and was greeted by fifty of her family members and friends. I kept busy pouring drinks and ran out of Grey Goose. Of course, there are liquor stores that deliver and we received a replacement batch. Two successful events in one day.

On Wednesday, I will return to Venice to bartend a large company party, with extra staff, and then on Saturday will be in the San Fernando Valley in Reseda to bartend another big birthday party. I still have Saturday, 11/28 available if you need a bartender for that date.

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!

Party Bartenders, Special Event Bartenders

Venice Post-Wedding Luau

October 5, 2014 shakennotstirredinla

Shaken Not Stirred performed bartending services for the second event of a three event weekend at a Venice, California post wedding luau.

The couple was married earlier in the year, but had family in from out of the country and decided to throw a Hawaiian themed event in their backyard for their friends and family. They really spent a lot of time decorating and had a time and place tunnel that guests had to walk through when entering the party that takes them to “Hawaii”.

When I arrived the whole backyard was already full of people. I panicked, thinking I was late and had the times mixed up. The host informed me I wasn’t late. I have never been late to an event yet, and don’t want to break my record. Even though I was on time, I was thrown right into the fire. Guests started lining up at the bar right away and I had to start making Pina Colladas, Mai Tais, and Blue Hawaiians right away. These are the standard drinks at all Luaus and there are different variations of them.

They had a Hawaiian trio, Lei Aloha, performing music and the food was provided by King’s Hawaiian Bakery. They had some of the best Hawaiian pork I have ever tasted. When the sun went down, the temperature cooled down nicely and I continued to make tropical drinks. The hosts had purchased some plastic coconut cups that were kind of fun. Many of the guests at the party were visiting from Holland and it was nice meeting and talking to all of them. I have a good friend in Holland, Big Pete, who is a successful musician, and I will give him a shout out here.

I have history in this particular neighborhood in Venice. I used to hang out with a girl and we would dog sit some dogs just down the street from where the party was held. We used to walk the dogs in that neighborhood and admire all of the cute houses in the area, fantasizing that we would someday own one of them. I recognized the address when I booked the party.

The highlight of the party was a performance at the end of the evening by some traditional Hawaiian dancers, Tausala Polynesia. They got the guests involved for a couple numbers, and then did a traditional fire show as their finale. Tonight, I do it again as I bartend a Christening here in the San Fernando Valley, in Porter Ranch. Two very successful events down this weekend, one to go.

Tag: Venice

Shaken Not Stirred Provides Bartending Service at 8 Big Events

Hire a Bartending Service

Bartending Service Kicks off Summer with Three June Events

Advantages of Hiring a Bartending Service

Shaken Not Stirred Shows up Strong for 2017 Holiday Season

Venice Beach Corporate Events

Hermosa Beach 30th Birthday Party

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Gingerbread Boutique and Silverlake Birthday Party

Torrance 40th Birthday Party

Backyard 40^thBirthday Party Ideas

Two Birthday Parties in One Day

Los Angeles Bartending Service Kicks off the Holiday Season

Venice Post-Wedding Luau

Hire a Bartending Service

Advantages of Hiring a Bartending Service

30th Birthday Party Ideas

Backyard 40th Birthday Party Ideas

Backyard 40^thBirthday Party Ideas