Cider Bar(Photo Credit: Flicrkr)

If you’re in the food and beverage industry, be it as a restaurant owner or Food and Beverage Director, it’s essential that you constantly evaluate and update your offerings to match what you customers are demanding. A recent article in Bloomberg’s Businessweek highlighted major brewer’s increasing belief – and more convincingly, investment – that cider is a growing trend in the U.S.

Hard cider sales are up 25% annually over the past five years with increases driven by a combination of the younger, craft beer crowd, the increasing number of people seeking to avoid gluten, and women. Because it’s fruit based, these groups all see cider as a healthier alternative to other choice.

Though cider’s popularity is growing and can be a fun draw and addition, beer is of course still the favorite. Offering both in a beer and cider-based bar theme is fun, casual, and sunny, just right for the upcoming summer. A beer-and-cider theme goes particularly well with daytime, barbecue, and outdoor events.

Selecting and Stocking Ciders

Hard_Cider (Photo Credit: Flickr)

Though all of the the options I talk about here are hard ciders, don’t forget to include some good soft cider for the non-alcohol drinkers. By law any cider with more than 0.15% of alcohol by volume is classified as hard cider. Drinks like Cidre de glace (ice cider, or apple ice wine) where the apples are frozen before or after harvest, can have an ABV of up to 13%.

American ciders are roaring to the front of the cider race, with ranges available from artisanal cider makers like  Foggy Ridge, West County, and Eden Cidre de Glace from Vermont.

Stock a couple of the more popular ciders (local varieties tend to be the most successful) and see what kind of response you get. Prep your bartender with a bit of history and background and be able to emphasize the gluten-free status if that’s a concern. 

European ciders are another option are generally lighter in taste, if not in alcohol content, and there’s a lightly sparkling rose cider, Jacques Fruit du Bois, which is making serious inroads in the wine market. I’d highly recommend it if you don’t have a local pink and foaming equivalent!

Stocking the Beer

Beer Selection (Photo Credit: Flickr)

Overall, this is a theme that really suits tap service, so consider kegs for the primary options with bottled or canned alternatives to suit more particular tastes. 

Keeping all the drinks chilled can be a challenge if you’re holding an outdoor event. Stocking your bar with more ales than lagers can help out though. Ales generally taste best near room temperature, so they can stand a bit of heat. If chilling isn’t a problem, lagers are certainly more popular. 

If you have a local craft brewery (and with over 2000 now operating in the U.S., you do) add some local choices. Craft beers offer a unique taste and story and is growing in popularity with consumers. Aim to offer at least a couple of popular local beers. If possible, include at least one ale for as wide a taste range as possible.

Though getting ahead of the trends may be important, the most popular lager is usually still Budweiser, Bud Light, and similar options from Coors and Miller. Have plenty of stock – kegs, cans and bottles – for the big sellers.

Add a few international options for variety – Corona, Heineken, and Guinness go down well and are generally popular.

 Of course, no one knows their customers as well as you do, so make adjustments based on your experience.

Jazzing it up

Beer Cocktails (Photo Credit: Flickr)

If you’re looking to add a couple of more exotic options without adding to your stock. There are a couple of easy combinations that a beer and cider bar lets you take advantage of.

The Snakebite is a classic (half-lager, half-cider, with more kick than either).

The Black and Tan is a more common well known – pale ale mixed with a stout (even Guinness, if you have no other stout beer) – but goes down well.

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

The world’s favorite season is the spring.

May Ushers In the Spring Season

Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Cinco de Mayo, and International Nurses Day all fall in May.

It’s Drinking Water Month so you could just sit in the spring sunshine and sip water (but use plenty of sunblock, because it is also Skin Cancer Awareness month).

But come on, May deserves more than just water. The sun is shining, spring is in the air, the depression many suffer over winter is fading as the sap rises again, and there are all sorts of official celebrations that could be tucked in between the unofficial ones.

Many of them automatically suggest their own party themes – have a Kentucky Derby theme with winning-enclosure dressing-up and of course mint juleps.

The Derby was won in 2012 by I’ll Have Another – always a good start to a party! In 1994 it was won by Go For Gin.

Spring Season’s Spirit

Gin’s definitely a sunshine drink, so our first suggestions for a May drink are gin based.

Many gin cocktails owe their creation to Prohibition, to mask the awful taste of bathtub gin, although in all fairness the phrase was coined for any home-made spirit. (The spirits weren’t concocted in the bath, but the long-necked bottles could only fit under a bath tap for topping up.) The spring fling would not only have covered the taste, it’s practically your five a day.

There’s nothing wrong with a gin ‘n orange, or the permanent favorite gin ‘n tonic, but we had a little something else in mind

A Couple Of Ideas For Specialty Spring Cocktails

The Brambled Collins

• 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 6-8 blackberries
• Curshed Ice
• 1 ounce crème de mûre
• 1.5 ounces of Plymouth Gin (or similar)

The Brambled Collins has fallen off of a lot of people’s radars, but it’s a perfect way to welcome Spring as blackberries come into season. Make up a batch, and serve it in a glass jug with lots of ice. Use fresh fruit. Guests can sit and relax, enjoy the spring, top up their own glasses.

May is a month with plenty of celebrations, lots of weddings and of course Mother’s Day. One excellent celebration drink is champagne-punch, easy, fun, fruity, andideal for our May drink list.

Champagne-Punch 

• 1.5 ounces grenadine
• 1.5 ounces Cointreau
• 1 ounce brandy
• 1.75 cups Champagne
• Seasonal Fruit of your choice

Whichever you choose, our recommendation for May is punches and batches.

Spring. It’s here at last!

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Functional, but probably not the look that’s going to make you stand out.

If you’re working a lot of different venues or special events, you’re probably using a fold-out table with a table cloth or maybe a banner for advertising on top and a little display of the products you have available. You’ve probably made this look pretty good. I’m usually impressed by what people are able to do with fold-out tables and some creativity.

On the other hand, maybe you’ve gone with a more pro-looking option and have a promotional booth or full-sized portable bar. They definitely have a more upscale, premium look. The problem is, it’s hard to remember how swanky it looks while you’re drenched in sweat dragging the thing in and out of your SUV, isn’t it? You just want the thing set-up inside in the AC.

You need something that’s easier to transport and set-up than a full-sized portable bar or promotional booth, but still has an upscale look and feel that flaunts the premium quality of their product or service.

The Compact Bar

A portable bar that fits in your car and can be set-up by 1 person in less than 90 seconds.

A portable bar that fits in your car and can be set-up by 1 person in less than 90 seconds.

One Person Set-up in 90 Seconds or Less

If you’re setting up for an event yourself, the compact bar can be ready to roll in less than 90 second and can be set-up by one person.

We had a little contest and managed to get it set-up in 64 seconds. You probably won’t be competitively racing to see how fast you can get the thing set-up (but if you can beat our time, let us know).

Take it Anywhere – Fits in Your Car

The Compact Bar easily fits in the backseat or trunk of a standard mid-sized car (like a Camry).

At 71.4 lbs and mounted on two durable hardened-rubber casters, you’ll be able to pop it in and out of a car and roll it wherever you need it without having a crew helping you out.

Sure, 71.4 lbs isn’t the lightest thing you’ve ever hauled around. We refused to sacrifice durability or quality to make it any lighter.

I don’t think you’ll have much trouble managing though. Becky, our lovely 124lb sales rep, didn’t have any problems loading it in or taking it out of her Camry and rolling it into the office.

Speaking of getting it in and out of your car, at 40″ wide, 50″ tall, and only 7″ deep when folded, the compact bar fits in most car cars. Now, if you’re driving one of those minis, it ain’t gonna fit. But as long as you have a midsized or larger car or any truck or SUV, you’re in good shape.

Draw Attention with LEDs and Custom Graphics

Customize the Compact Bar with your Logo or Brand and Draw Attention to it with LED lighting.

Whether you’re out promoting a new product or just want to advertise your business, you know that creating a premium look and vibe is essential.

A stylish black powder coat finish on an 18 grade steel frame gives the bar a clean look without sacrificing  durability or sturdiness.

Custom-printed graphics on interchangeable acrylic panels mean you can easily brand the bar with your logo or for product promotions and effective advertising that stands out in a crowd.

Adding a 133-color, battery-powered LED light (runs 8 hours on a single charge) makes the bar the center of attention, even at packed conventions or over-flowing bars.

If you’ve been “the foldout table guy (or gal),” I’m betting you’ll like the difference in reaction when people see your new set-up.

If you handle promotions for a variety of companies, all the panels are interchangeable so you can easily switch them out for different events.

Improve Service with Professional Tools

A stylish curved counter top, removable ice bin and cutting board, 9-bottle speed rail, and a bottom shelf give you all the tools you need for premium service.

Of course, the bar comes fully equipped with everything you need for speedy and efficient service.

The speed rail holds up to 9 bottles. Removable ice bins and cutting boards make clean-up and restocking a breeze. Bottom shelving give you space to hold extra equipment or stock.

With everything you need to offer professional bar tending service in a compact frame, it’s a simple way to add on demand bar service for those nights where you end up with a lot more people than you expected (quality problems, right?). Just, have someone run  and grab it from the back and you can be ready roll in minutes.

Click Here to Order Now

Or, Call Us at (877) 686-9130 for more information or a Custom Quote

For a custom quote, more information, or to order, give us a call at (877) 686-9130. Just ask for Alasdair and he’ll take good care of you. If you prefer email, shoot him an email at alasdair@theportablebarcompany.com

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Specialty cocktails can be a great way to enhance themed events

While standard wine and beer bars are great for the host because they are easier on budget, a party is also time for a little fun. You can have the best of both worlds by offering clients speciality cocktail drinks as an add-on to a standard beer and wine bar. Guests are entertained, costs are still controlled, and the options for theme and décor are almost limitless.

Specialty cocktails give you and the host and opportunity to tell a story or create a unique feel and vibe that can leave guests talking long after the party or reception is over (assuming they don’t have too good of a time).

Match the theme

You can create a beach party, après-ski winter warmers, or evoke a location on the other side of the world with your décor, your food and your drinks. Here’s a couple ideas to get your imagination warmed up…

Beach Themed Party

Beach Themed Party preparation, looks like a good time.

The sky is the limit for this theme, because there’s hardly a fruit-based specialty cocktail drink that doesn’t fit. Stay with the sunny colors, pineapple garnish and lots of ice, and it’s a theme that lends itself to pre-mixed cocktails in jugs – Hawaiian punch and Sangria really work here too.

Winter Warmer

Bring the feeling back into those chilled fingers quickly with some heat! Mulled wine, when the weather really is cold, can’t be beaten.  The warm cocktail colors are red, purple, all dark, with dashes of froth or cream. Whipped egg white can be painted onto glasses and garnishes, then sprinkled with sugar for excellent frost effect. With a steady hand you can even create patterns!  Along with all the warm colors, consider eggnog, or the equally egg-rich original Snowball as possible specialty cocktail drinks.

Coloring your specialty cocktail drinks

If your client has corporate colors, or a wedding theme, or just a pink-for-a-girl party, you can offer black, white, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple – without breaking the bank and still having a few options within each color. We’ve found 3 for each color to get your imagination started.

A white cosmpolitan can perfect for a “White Christmas” themed event.

Black Specialty Cocktails

Go black! How about – the black martini (vodka or gin)? Either use Blavod, black colored vodka, or mix with either blackberry brandy or black raspberry liqueur. The Black Cat is vodka and cherry brandy, topped with cranberry juice and cola. Or of course the ever-popular Black Russian

White Specialty Cocktail Drinks

The White Russian is the Black Russian with cream. As it isn’t a true white cocktail, better options would be White Cosmopolitan (white cranberry juice), White Lady (which like the Cosmopolitan conveniently also uses Cointreau, reducing the variety of liquors and liqueurs you need to stock), or the popular China White.

Red specialty cocktail drinks

Grenadine is invaluable on any bar featuring a red theme.  The Bloody Mary lends itself well to pre-mixing - Ultimate Pitcher of Bloody Mary  Famous red cocktails include also the Cosmopolitan, the slightly trickier Singapore Sling or the Strawberry Daiquiri. 

Pink cocktails can be a perfect theme for any special, girly-themed party

Pink specialty cocktail drinks

Many of the red cocktails are pinkish, or can shade to pink for a pink theme.  Unmistakably pink cocktails include Cosmo’s Frozen Pink Lemonade.  Sangria Barcelona is another pretty color, and not too strong.   It is generally wise to keep pink drinks as pretty and alcohol light as their color!

Purple specialty cocktail drinks

Purple Haze, Purple Rain, Purple Bandit

Blue specialty cocktail drinks

Blue Moon, Blue Lagoon (proper), Blue margarita

Yellow specialty cocktail drinks

Stock up on orange and pineapple juice, and include Galliano for options like the Yellow Bird, Yellow Submarine, (another good beach cocktail for the beach theme) and Absolut Abbelini

This green cocktail drink served in a champagne flute adds a fun touch to any party.

Green specialty cocktail drinks

If only green cocktails are being offered, stock melon liqueur and green Chartreuse in case a drinker can’t stand the peppermint stuff.   Crème de menthe cocktail suggestions include Mint Frappe, Greentini (usually gin, but vodka will do in a pinch) and After Eight shooters.  Use melon liqueur for drinks like Appletini and Green Tequila, and green Chartreuse for drinks like Funky Monkey, Screaming Lizard and The MacGyver. 

Orange specialty cocktail drinks

Orange is gift theme for a professional barman to work with – just think Sex On The Beach, Harvey Wallbanger, Zombie, Screwdriver, Tequila Sunrise

Mocktails can add a fun vibe without the alcohol. These are fun choices for parties that don’t want to encourage alcohol consumption (like ones that might have plenty of kids hanging around).

Going Beyond Color

Beyond using color alone, there’s plenty of other ways to use cocktails to tell a story or add a unique vibe.

Mocktails – The Non-alcoholic Option

There are some specialty cocktail drinks that don’t need alcohol at all. At a mixed age party such as a wedding reception, set up a separate bar for guests under the legal age. There’s a fun range of cocktails that look grown-up, taste grown-up, and wouldn’t harm a baby. They’re fun for the designated drivers, too.

Most vodka-based cocktails will adapt because vodka has so little taste. The Virgin Mary (or Bloody Shame, if your barman can pull off a convincing Australian accent) is ideal because the taste is so distinctive it is impossible to tell if it has vodka or not.  Grenadine is one of your color friends on the alcohol-free cocktail bar. Fun child-friendly alternatives include this traffic light trio Cranberry cutie (red), fireside-flamer (amber), kiwi-and-ginger (green)

Adding cocktails to a wine bar

Pom-Rasberry Champagne Cocktails

A wine bar with enough champagne, or sparkling wine, can offer cocktail fun without any spirits – Bucks Fizz and Mimosa are just the starters.  Add one spirit option – the ever-popular vodka, for instance – to fizz up options like these – Accomplice (vodka, lemon juice, Champagne, strawberries) Beautiful Boat (with mint), and Champanska (with lime cordial)

Shots and shooters

Adding a range of shots and shooters really goes down well with certain groups, but is the most expensive option for specialty cocktail drinks, because of the range you’ll have to offer.

Signature Specialty Cocktails for Special Clients

Choose just one specialty cocktail if the client wants to highlight a product, evoke a memory, or create an original impression.  A wedding party could serve Manhattans if that’s the drink the couple met over, for example.

Offer to create a unique cocktail for your corporate client and make that the signature cocktail of the event.  A specialty cocktail for a corporate client doesn’t need to be a totally new mix. Taking a traditional cocktail and adding your own unique (and keep it secret) twist can be a memorable way to brand the new product.

If you are not already doing it, infusing spirits in-house will give you a range of colors and flavours which will make your specialty cocktails unique.  There is a color-matching section later in this blog to match any theme.

If you’re looking for a simple option, screwdrivers are delicious and require only vodka and orange juice

Vodka as the only spirit – the Super Simple Version

Without adding any other alcohol at all, here are some easy options which only need vodka, fruit juices or standard mixers, and fruit garnishes.  Use long glasses with cracked or crushed ice, and fun straws, for the easiest specialty cocktail assortment – the Screwdriver, the Greyhound, Sea Breeze, Cape Codder, Madras,  Christmas Jones, Strawberry Berryoska and Basil North.  Add iced tea to your basic bar stocks for a Tea Tini.

Let Your Imagination Roam

I hope you’ve gotten a few ideas here. I’m hoping you’re creative juices are flowing by this point and you’ll have more than your fair share of ideas. If you come up with any great ones, let me know!

Well…thirsty work, this. Anyone for a drink?

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Our Standard Portable Bar, fully stocked and ready to roll!

Do you ever find yourself second guessing whether you’ve set everything up properly before an event? I’m constantly second guessing myself just walking out of my apartment in the morning. This morning I got half way to work before I realized I left my laptop at home! Short of my own noggin, there’s not much else more useful for actually getting work done!

Events and parties are infinitely more difficult to plan than my stroll to work. So it’s now surprising almost everyone I know that works in events uses checklists like crazy.

Whether you’re a caterer, event planner, or mobile bartender, you’ve had the experience of trying to decide how to handle bar service at an event. Should I use a full bar? Or just wine and beer? Wait, what about a specialty drink? Cash bar or hosted bar? How much liquor should I buy? Wait. Are we serving liquor?

Yea. There’s a LOT of questions you need to sort out when you’re figuring out how to set-up a bar for a party or other special event.

We’ve tried to make a little bit simpler for you with a step-by-step process for how to handle it.

Step 1: Deciding on Bar Service

The very first thing you’ll be asking about when deciding how to set-up a bar for your next part is is “what kind of bar service?” There’s essentially two basic options that most event or party bars fall into…

Standard Wine and Beer Bar

Probably the most common option is a wine and beer only bar. By not having liquor, it’s typically much more affordable if the host is picking up the tab, and from the perspective of the bar, it’s a lot easier to stock since there aren’t so many choices.

The standard wine and beer bar will need at least three popular types of beer (keg beer can be a fun option, although it doesn’t suit all occasions), a dry white wine, a semi-sweet, a full-bodied red and some sparkling wine. I’ll go into detail below and mixers are listed separately, under the section on calculating, but remember that designated drivers and non-drinkers will need a generous selection of non-alcoholic choices.

Full Bar – Wine, Beer and Spirits

When budget isn’t a problem, the full bar – wine, beer and spirits – covers all tastes. This is likely appropriate for events like corporate parties and galas where it makes a real difference to the class of the event to have a wide offering.

A simpler version of this, often used at weddings, is the wine, beer, and speciality drink bar – a themed cocktail, for example –
which has serious advantages for the host – it is easier to buy stock, simpler for bar staff, and if the
host is picking up the whole tab, having a single, or very limited, choice of spirits is a lot cheaper than
a full bar.

Choose the bar type that works best for your guest list and fits into the agreed upon budget.

Step 2: Bar Pricing

Everyone knows – guests as well as anyone – that liquor costs a lot of money and at some parties a cash bar is becoming the standard. Many wedding receptions, for instance, have a cash bar.

The main differences are that guests order more drinks at a hosted bar (also known as a banquet bar), will try more variety, and won’t hunt down a lost drink, just replace it. Parties with host bars are happy parties, but can be very expensive for the host. One advantage – the range of drinks can be more limited since guests aren’t going to be too picky if they aren’t the ones picking up the tab. Have plenty of stock – demand will be high.

Cash bars should be well stocked. Guests will paying and so are going to expect a full range along with good prices and good service.

There’s also the option to do some combination of the two. This can include offering wine and beer as part of a hosted bar and liquor on a cash basis or using a time limit before switching from a hosted to cash bar. I won’t delve too much into the different combination bar options as they were covered in detail here. 

As a general rule, the two main criteria to look at are budget and the type of event. If the budget won’t allow for a hosted bar, the decision becomes a little easier. If it does, this post on event bar pricing and options should help you clarify exactly how to set it up.

Step 3: Calculating what people drink

Trying to figure out how much and what people are going to drink is perhaps the trickiest part of setting up a bar for a party. With so many options available and so many factors that influence how much and what your guests will be drinking, it can get tricky.

This particular estimate assumes that the party is on a Friday evening in warm weather, the bar is fully hosted, there are bar snacks (not a meal) and that the fifty guests are mainly thirty-somethings and live locally. That gives us a generalized starting point to work from and is probably a reasonable assumption for what events commonly look like.

Expect your guests to want three drinks each in the first two hours, and an additional drink per hour after that.

This is the generally accepted “best practice,” though your personal experience with similar parties will always be a better indicator.

Wine and Beer Bar

When you a wine and beer bar, allow up to 3 beers, 2 mixers and 2 glasses of wine per head.

For a party of 50 guests, that translates to between 12 and 13 dozen beers, 9 dozen mixers and 20 bottles of wine. You can add two bottles of cordial (orange and lime are generally the most popular), a bottle of bitters, and some fruit juice options to diversify the choices without adding too much stock.

Which beers? 6-7 dozen of the most popular brand, 3-4 dozen of the second most popular, and the last 2 to 3 dozen would be a mixture of light alcohol options, an imported option, and/or cider.

Which mixers / sodas? Your soft drinks or mixers would be fairly evenly split – 3 dozen cola, 3 dozen lemonade or ginger ale, 2 dozen club sodas (for spritzers and the cordials) and 1 dozen fizzy fruit-flavoured options.

Which wines? If the weather is colder, people won’t drink quite as much – allow 2 beers instead of 3 (9 dozen) and buy more reds for the wine. Otherwise your wine could be 6 bottles of dry white, 6 bottles of a fruitier white, 4 bottles of sparkling wine and 4 bottles of a middle-of-the-road respectable red.

A celebration with lots of toasts, or a lunchtime event, would need more sparkling wine or champagne and less red. Cocktails such as Bucks Fizz, Mimosa and Kir Royale are fun for a wine and beer bar.

If you are having food and want some guidance on the wine, this chart from winefolly.com is a nice, quick reference.

Full Bar

If you’re offering a full bar, the calculation becomes 2 cocktails, 2 beers, 2 mixers and a glass of wine. You have to buy a reasonable range of spirits – unless you went the recommended route of one signature drink.

You must get a good idea from the host which spirits to stock – no good bringing 4 bottles of vodka for a whisky crowd, or running out of vermouth after two hours. Wherever possible avoid a range of shots or shooters at a full bar, because they’re expensive for the host and can throw planning completely out the window.

If there’s a spontaneous and unexpected tequila run, when you expected vodka shots – problem. An open bar with top-shelf liquor is extremely costly. A more popular alternative is to limit the options to a specialty drink, especially if it can be themed to the event.

For a general full bar, you should look at buying 6 x 750ml bottles for 50 guests – that will mix up 100 cocktails. If you have a speciality drink, or know what the guests like best, excellent. If not, a fairly safe list is:

• 2 x vodka,
• 1 x gin (make it 2 in summer for gin and tonics),
• 1 x whisky (1 x Scotch and 1 x Bourbon in winter),
• 1 x rum (light rather than dark) and
• 1 x tequila or similar for shots (straight) or shooters (mixed)

Adjust the list to the guests. A martini crowd would need more gin than vodka, and a bottle of vermouth.

The mixers won’t change much from the wine and beer bar, unless you need to include more or extra
stock for a cocktail mix. Buck’s Fizz will need lots of fresh orange juice, for example, while a Mimosa
is heavier on champagne than on orange juice. Kir Royale needs crème de cassis.

A Word on Buying Alcohol

If you go through a wholesaler, you may not be able to return leftover stock so the price advantage is
lost. However, if you can store the alcohol and aren’t worried about cash-flow issues (wouldn’t it be nice if that was ever actually the case…), wholesalers are a good option.

If you go through a liquor store, the higher price is usually largely offset by being able to return sealed
unused stock, professional help with deciding your quantities, and a glasses service.

Considerations

Remember that mid-week, mid-day, mid-winter, mid-life and long drives for the departing guests
would all be factors that affect how to set up a bar for a party! Older guests tend more towards spirits
and white wine. Younger groups will be heavier on beer and cocktails. Everyone drinks less when
there’s a meal provided.

A full list of potential considerations is available in the alcohol section of our bar catering guide.

Garnishes

Lemons (with a good knife and a chopping board) are basic. Salt and limes, if you bought tequila.

Other generally useful garnishes include

Almond Cocktail garnished with fennel

• limes
• olives
• cocktail onions
• maraschino cherries

You can dress up drinks with herbs, like a feathery frond of fennel.

If you’re offering cocktails, check the recipe for each and make sure you stock the relevant garnishes. If you need sugar or salt for the rim of a glass, don’t forget to supply a container large enough for the glass’s rim.

Prep Garnishes in Advance

Lemons, limes, pineapple, and cucumber can be pre-sliced, arranged on a serving plate, wrapped in cling-film and kept refrigerated until needed.

Ice isn’t really a garnish but whether it is crushed, cubed, bagged or creating a handy cooler, you will need a great deal of it! If you have no other refrigeration, allow up to a pound of ice per guest to keep your stock chilled – nobody wants warm beer or Scotch with no rocks.

Staff

Whatever kind of party it is, including totally private ones, it is always a good idea to have at least one
professional bartender who will know how to set up a bar for a party (ideally, one bartender / helper
per 50 guests) and book them to come early enough to set up. It is also a good idea to have a couple
of helpers for busy times. Unless you have a limitless supply of glasses, the helpers will also have to
collect and wash glasses constantly, haul away empties, and top up snacks.

Equipment

A purpose-built bar, a portable bar designed for the purpose – make sure, if you use a table, that it is sturdy enough to not collapse and smash all your bottles and glasses when someone pushes it accidentally! Because they will!

Chillers : In order of preference, a chest fridge, or a portable back bar, or a zinc bath, to keep backup supplies chilled and on hand. Single cans will chill faster in an ice-bath which has salt added, and the ice will last longer. Remember that once a six-pack is opened or damaged by salt it can’t be taken back, so any back-up chiller large enough to hold six-packs is saving the host money.

Bar equipment

The Basics

• Bottle openers – one for every assistant, and a couple extra won’t hurt, especially if your bar
• staff need to be able to draw corks, flip off bottle tops and, if you don’t have cans with pull tabs, puncture cans.
• Small sharp paring knife and cutting board.
• Ice bucket(s) and tongs.
• Tot measures / jiggers
• Towels (several) and aprons for bar staff
• Trash can(s) and plenty of liners

For Cocktails

Our Standard Portable Bar, fully stocked and ready to roll!

• Tall cocktail spoon and swizzle sticks
• Cocktail shaker with strainer
• Vegetable peeler for making twists
• Cocktail straws
• Muddler or other specific equipment depending on the cocktails planned
• Pitchers for cocktails that can be pre-mixed
• Ice crusher, or a supply of crushed ice

Glassware

Assume guests will expect a fresh glass every time they come back for a drink. If you haven’t organized a helper to collect and wash glasses all evening, go back to your calculation to order your glasses. For a beer and wine bar, each guest will need 3 beer glasses, 2 wine glasses (one medium-sized all-purpose wineglass is the easiest) and 2 glasses suitable for soft drinks or ciders. A medium-sized all-purpose long glass is the easiest for beer, ciders and non-alcoholic drinks.

If you have champagne or sparkling wine, especially if there will be toasts, allow 1 flute per guest. For
champagne cocktails, go for 2 flutes per guest, and adjust your long glass order.

For a full bar, including general cocktails, allow for 2 old-fashioned glasses, 1 martini glass, I highball,
2 beer glasses, 1 shot glass and 2 wine glasses.

If you have a bar back and can handle doing dishes mid-event, you can reduce all these numbers significantly. Still, it’s best to overestimate in regards to glassware as running out of glasses will put a major dent in the perception of the bar.

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

All sponsors, particularly alcohol sponsors, recognize that event marketing is valuable because, unlike what you traditionally think of as advertising, it’s a more effective way to target you market and position your brand. Alcohol sponsors can associate their brand with a certain type of event that they know is popular among their target demographic. This lets them niche down and target their market better than a billboard or other broadcast advertising.

More importantly, it lets them associate their brand and their company with that image in the mind of the customer. As the classic advertising saying goes, “show don’t tell.”

By sponsoring a unique, fun event alcohol brands are able to create the association between their product and their customers having a good time. Positioning creates  desirable image and association of their product with their target market!

This is all well and good, but how do you get alcohol sponsors on board for your next event?

Sell them on the benefits

Benefit #1 – Laser Targeting

Your Event should let them “Laser Target” their Market.

A lot of companies waste money on advertising in places where their target market simply isn’t. Sponsoring the right event let’s them get in front of the right people at the right time.

When you’re looking for sponsors, put together detailed demographic information on your event attendees including specifics like age and income. You may also want create an “attendee persona” or an imaginary persona of what a typical attendee at the event will look like so sponsors have a clear image of who they’ll be reaching.

Benefit #2 – Positioning

Convincing potential alcohol sponsors that your event is a good demographic match for their target market is the first step. Next, you need to show them how your event fits in with their brand positioning and image.

When you’re thinking about which potential sponsors to approach, think about how well their brand image syncs up with your event. Brands trying to appeal to a younger, party-going demographic like to sponsor concerts and festivals because they want to have their brand associated with good times and good music.

On the other hand, a premium wine brand might be more interested in sponsoring some sort of charity gala held in a hotel ballroom. They want to create an image refinement, class and sophistication.

No matter what type of brand you’re appealing to, it’s key that you be well prepared and convey the professionalism and service-first mentality that the event is going to be run with. That means when you’re pitching them, you need to be fully prepared to both present you offer and answer any questions they may have.

Benefit #3 – Exposure

There’s also the opportunity for more brand exposure than to just the event attendees. Events often attract media attention. Whether it’s industry media, local media, or even national media, there’s the opportunity for coverage that will reach a much broader audience that hasn’t been exposed to their brand before.

If you can reach out to news outlets and have them agree to cover your event, that’s more value that you’re providing the sponsors by getting their brand exposure.

How it’s Done

One of our customers, the Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles, recently hosted the Hola Mexico Fiml Festival. Victoria, an ultra-premium lager that’s part of the Grupo Modelo conglomerate, sponsored the event and had their logo placed on a pair of portable bars.

From Victoria’s perspective, they were able to associate their brand with a film festival featuring actors, directors, producers, bands, and chefs well known and like by their target market. They were able to put their brand in front of 25,000 potential customers in the process.

Not a bad idea for Victoria, huh?

By clearly defining who’s going to be at your event and how the event fits into the companies overall brand strategy, it will be much easier to bring in alcohol sponsors that want to appeal to that market.

When you’re pitching potential sponsors, create an image of what the event will look like so they can clearly see the benefit in sponsorship. The Hola Mexico Film Festival, beyond featuring great films, had plenty of drinks, a mariachi band, and some of Los Angeles best chefs!

Would an ultra-premium brand like Victoria want to be associated with great food? great music? great films?

Hmmm. Let me think about it…. YES! Make the decision easy for them.

Where to Feature Alcohol Sponsors

The final part of getting alcohol sponsor for your event is offering them a package of where they’ll be able to place their logo and branding.

Call us crazy, but we think a pretty good spot for this is…the bar!

We thought it was such a good idea that we specifically made our Professional Portable Bar, Standard Portable Bar, and Portable Back Bar with interchangeable vinyl panels so you can have a different set of panels printed for each sponsor for every event. The bars are ideal for placing sponsors because they attract a LOT of attention. At over 60″ wide and the backlit with LED lights, both our bars create a presence that stands out in any venue.

Click Here to see Our Product Videos

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Bar Catering: Typically not this hardcore… (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Often, people think regular bartending and bar catering are the same thing and if they’ve tended bar before, doing it at an event won’t pose any real problems. While they certainly have a lot in common, there are a few unique things that you’ll want to when you’re behind a catered bar.

Standardize the Set up

When you work the same bar every night, you become familiar with where everything is.  You can almost bartend with your eyes closed.  It’s not the same with a catered bar.  You usually have more limited space and supplies.  It’s almost like bartending MacGyver style.

If you are setting up the bar, set up in the same way every time or at least in a very similar way. Good bartenders, whether they’re behind a typical bar or a catered bar, are creatures of habit. The last thing you want when you’re bar catering a busy event is to waste time looking for vodka when someone orders a martini.

Manage Your (Limited) Equipment

You can plan as much as you want, but you will likely still be without things that you’re used to having at a full bar.  You probably won’t have a dishwasher, soda gun, and unlimited mixing tins.  That makes it even more important to use what you have intelligently.

• Keep a bus tub to fill up with dirty glasses and make sure there is someone regularly arriving to take them away.  Dirty glasses do not make a bar look pretty.
• Bring an extra trash bag -  Especially if you are using canned or plastic bottles for soda and mixers.
• Place a small bucket or bus tub with water in it for yourself.  This way you can easily rinse things like mixing tins, wash rags, spoons, etc.  Just make sure you change out the water regularly.

Prepare Drinks in Advance

Wine

This is probably an obvious one, but open several bottles of wine before the event.  Generally you will only have wine from one wine maker: a red and a white.  Depending on the event, you may have champagne and blush wine as well,  Open those too.  This way you don’t waste time opening bottles wine while you have a crowd of customers waiting.

Specialty Cocktails

Mix Specialty Cocktails in Advance whenever possible

An increasingly popular trend at many events is to have one or two specialty cocktails instead of a full bar of liquor. This can be great from a bar catering perspective since it’s easy to know what to buy if you’re only serving a few different cocktails.

It also makes it easier to prepare in advance and speed up service. If the drink lends itself to being prepared in batches, you can make a large batch before the event instead of having to make individual drinks. If it’s not something that can be prepared in bulk, prepare a few servings before the event and then take advantage of down time during the event to keep it stocked.

Keep an Eye On Your Supplies

Ice

You probably won’t have an ice maker at your portable bar.  This means you or someone will continually have to go and get ice.  Keep an eye on this and get ice or ask for ice before it is getting low.  Generally if you are about half way out of ice, its time to fill up.  Keep in mind that the ice won’t arrive right away.  That’s why it’s better to ask for ice before instead of when you have five manhattans on the rocks to make.

Other Supplies

Use a Portable Back Bar to keep extra supplies of essential equipment and Drinks

The same goes for things like cups, cocktail napkins, and mixing straws. Ice tends to be more of a problem since it’s more difficult to stock enough in advance to last the whole event. An easy way to manage most supplies is to set-up a portable back bar or something similar to use for additional storage.

Bar Catering Service

The name of the game with bar catering is speed and quality. Guests want their drinks fast and so do the servers, but not at the cost of being sloppy.  If you have a popular drink or specialty cocktails, such as mimosas at a brunch event, pre mix pitchers (if you have them and if you have space).  This way the drink is made and you can pour and go.

If you’re in the bar catering business, it’s important to realize too that your level of service is likely to help (or hurt) your ability to generate more business. Being friendly and outgoing with party guests can be a great way to generate more business and leads.

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Bartender (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Special events staffing can be tricky business.  You have to balance budgetary constraints and not overpay by bringing in too much staff but you need to make sure you have enough staff to offer premium service. Figuring out who is going to handle the bar is crucially important. Here’s 4 questions to ask yourself that will show you how to easily figure out the right bartender for your next event.

What’s on the Menu?

What’s on the menu?   Is it a beer and wine event?  Or is it a full bar?  Do you need a basic bartender or someone with experience?  Look at the event sheet before you decide on how to handle the special events staffing.  More experienced bartenders will cost more, but knows all the drinks and can handle a busy full service bar.  A newer bartender with less experience will cost less and  can handle a beer and wine station.

If you’re in doubt about whether or not a bartender can handle the event, you’re better off playing it safe. If you’re going to cut costs in a specific area for your special events, staffing probably isn’t the right place. Having the right people around can make up for any unexpected issues that arise.

What Type of Event Is It?

Is this a wedding or special event?  Or is this a cocktail party?  Or is a corporate event?  This will tell you several things.  First what type of bartender you need.  If it’s a night-time cocktail party for corporate guests, you’ll need an experienced bartender, possible even one that knows a few bar tricks like spinning tins to entertain the guests.

If it’s a wedding, you won’t need bar tricks.  Also depending on the event, there may be a huge rush at the beginning where you will need someone to help the bartender.  This could even be a server who jumps in to help out.

In general, when managing special events staffing, look for people with a few different applicable skills to give yourself flexibility. For example, having a server that can double as a bar back lets them jump in and pour wine and beer while the bartender handles the cocktails.

Where are you?

Hire a bar back to hep your main bartender if you’re using a portable bar or mobile bar station

Another thing to consider is where your event is located.  If it is in a location where there is a full bar available, this will make things easier for set up, clean up, and service.

However if you are using a portable bar, things will be a bit different.  This is where you may want to consider adding a bar back to help the bartender even with things like getting ice and restocking equipment as necessary.  They can easily double as a bus boy if things are slow.

How Many People Are You Serving?

A general rule of thumb for special events staffing is that for every 50 guests, you need one bartender and enough serving space for him or her to operate from. This may mean having separate bars or it may means having one bar that’s large enough for multiple bartenders to operate from.

But, this again depends on the type of event.  If the event is mainly showcasing a bar and some passed appetizers, you might want to add an extra person to make sure service is speedy.

If the bar is more of a courtesy and you don’t expect guests to drink very much, you can scale back safely.

Got the Special Events Staffing Right? What about the Equipment?

While, admittedly, special events staffing is more important than equipment, it’s hard to expect your staff to perform without the right equipment. Our line of space-saving portable bars is designed to improve service, draw attention and drive sales. Watch our product videos to see how each of our products work or download our product catalog to see our full line.

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Make the Options Fun and Easy

The Professional Portable Bar is a great way to add an additional point of sale at events in draw more attention

Add a separate cocktail bar to the event – you’re adding to the service, adding to the fun, and adding to the revenue. A cocktail bar can charge higher prices on ABV, especially if you have a clever performer mixing the cocktails.  By adding some entertainment to the mix, you add a show and justify charging a premium price.

Wheeling in a portable cocktail bar halfway through the event, with some glitz and sparkle, will get customers up on their feet again.

Make the Bar a Magnet

Increasing bar business sometimes means attracting customers to stay at the bar, not serving them and moving them away as efficiently as possible.  The most popular tradition is live and topical TV coverage – a football game that is on at the same time as the event, for example, will keep fans close to the screen, and therefore the bar, but this can backfire if the sound isn’t set right!

People standing at the bar, or within a few feet, should be able to hear it. People sitting or standing a little further away, don’t want to.  Never make it too loud.  Those who don’t want to listen must be able to move out of earshot, and talk to others without having to lip-read, or they will be increasingly antsy.

Bar Snacks

Free snacks served only at the bar, rather than on offer all round the room, will keep customers wandering back to the bar and give you staff an opportunity to offer them a drink, driving increased bar business.

Bringing out something at regular intervals – as simple (and cheap) as peanuts – will attract a surge of customers each time.

Salted peanuts, mixed nuts and other salty treats are the bartender’s friend.  Have waiters working the room with hot or cold snacks good enough to keep customers wanting more, but also making them slightly thirsty.

The golden rule is to serve something which is easy to hold (or eat in one bite), not too hot, and not too greasy.  Classics such as cocktail sausages in marmalade and mustard, offered on a toothpick, are a cliché for a reason. They work.

Attractive (and Effective) Bar Staff

Using attractive, or deliberately sexy, bar staff can go both ways.  Chippendale-style barmen, or Bunny-style barmaids, can create a good buzz and a lot of banter, but won’t work well if the event is attended by couples.  The partner who isn’t supplied with eye-candy may restrict trips up to the bar or even insist on leaving early!

Even when that doesn’t apply, the bar staff have to be, above all, good at their job.  The novelty wears off very quickly if the drinks aren’t mixed right or the service is really slow.

A friendly and cheerful barkeeper, male or female, is always a good bet to increase bar business. The most efficient barkeepers in the world, if they never crack a smile, are buzz-killers.

Up the Vibe with Music

If music at the event bar is an option, it can be a real winner for drawing attention to increase bar business.  The soundtrack should be not too loud or niche – use original tracks of popular songs.   A good general rule when choosing music is to assess the average age and then pick best-selling hits from their most sociable decade.

If the ages are so mixed there is no easy average, pick the seventies or eighties – the older ones will have good memories prompted by at least some of the tracks, and the younger ones will remember them as classics from their childhood.  And remember – good stuff.  There was crummy music around in every decade. It doesn’t get better with age.

If the music is so loud the customer has to repeat their order more than once, it is too loud.  Having speakers a little way from the bar can set the mood for the approaching customer, without affecting the service.

Offer a novelty drink

A novelty drink can be as simple as an unfamiliar type of beer, or a light alcohol option. It can go to the other extreme and be something very high in ABV and expensive like craft cocktails.

This is effective with the customer who doesn’t know what to get and is looking for ideas, either for themselves or for a companion.  Your smiling friendly barkeeper should be able to reel off two or three options, each with an interesting ‘hook’.

Anytime you can reduce friction for you customers, like by having options presented to them when they can’t decide is an easy way to increase bar business.

Our Portable Bars

If you’re looking for an effective way to draw attention, our line of space-saving portable bars is designed to improve service, draw attention and drive sales. Watch our product videos to see how each of our products work or download our product catalog to see our full line.

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/

Interior view of the Toll Gate Saloon in Black Hawk, Colorado (1897). I’m betting these guys knew service!

The challenge that many food and beverage directors and bar and restaurant owners face is finding ways to increase bar sales. One of the easiest ways to do this for venues that struggle with how to increase  is to improve their customer service and see the accompanying rise in beverage sales.

Better service not only improves customers experience in the short term so they keep coming back to the bar that night, it keeps them coming back again and again in the future.

Improve Accessibility

The most basic way to increase bar sales at events is ensuring that customers can reach the bareven, or especially, when it is busy. A heavy crowd around the bar keeps away more clients than it draws in.

Often, the ones that do go up will just order the first thing they see, or an easy fall-back – a beer, a glass of wine.

Having enough staff and space are key factors. In a well-run bar, no customer should wait more than two minutes. There’s also a tendency for customers to nurse their drinks longer rather than fight for another drink if they know they’ll have to face the hoard in order to get a drink.

If you aren’t making it easy for your customers to get to the bar and order at your event, you’re leaving easy money on the table.

Handle the Rush

Obviously the type of event dictates the way you can handle the rush and increase bar sales.  One easy thing (and great help) is to let the customers know what’s available before they reach the bar.

Put up signs  advertising the drinks and their prices around the venue so that customers reaching the bar know what they want and how much it will cost them.

You can’t plaster the walls at a wedding, for example, but with a little tact and discretion you can spread the word at any kind of event by using sites out of the photographer’s direct line of sight.

Deploy Good Signage

A colorful picture of each drink you’re offering (or promoting), with the name and price in easy to read size that contrasts clearly with the  color of the picture, is worth two bar staff  for the time it saves. It is even more effective away from the bar – scatter the signs on the walls and surfaces outside the actual bar area.  In the restrooms, on the menu, on menus are all effective place to promote you bar service and increase bar sales.

Perhaps the most effective place is in a designated smoking area for customers at the event. Your smoking customers will have a few minutes of exposure to them every time they step out for a cigarette.

Use Effective Pricing at Busy Bars

Event bars can usually set their own prices. Round the prices up, or even down, to the nearest dollar. The time spent on making change will be halved for the bartenders. That means they’ll spend more time making and selling drinks.

If your bar staff rely on tips, make sure their cash drawers are well stocked with dimes and quarters to increase their chances of some of it being pushed back. Keeping your bar staff happy is a highly underated way to increase bar sales.

Make Access Easy to Increase Bar Sales

Deploy Portable Bars at Events in Improve Service and Increase Bar Sales

If your usual venue bar isn’t going to cope with the rush of a particular event, set up portable bar stations to add points of sale.

As a general role, one bartender for each 50 people allows for effective service. If you can’t accomodate enough bar tenders to work effectively at your venue, expanding the serving area with a mobile bar can be a simple and effective way to increase bar sales.

As most bartenders know, Pouring a beer or mixing a drink properly isn’t as easy as it seems, so having extra serving space available will take a lot of pressure off your primary bar.

You can close the bar (or move it away) when the worst of the rush is over and you need the staff member manning it to go elsewhere or want to recover the space.

Set-up Staff for Success

Waiters offering drink service at the tables or wherever customers gather at the event will always be an effective way to increase bar sales.

In a crowded event, where the waiters are struggling with a loaded tray to get past customers who will (jokingly or quite seriously) take the drinks off their trays, it can present a problem.  One option is to have several supply caches around the perimeter of the room, or a portable cache.  The waiter is then always close to the supply point for the drinks order and service is quick and efficient.

Brief staff with suggestions

The customer who is genuinely looking for ideas doesn’t want a blank or puzzled look.  A brisk “well, we’ve this applejack, and it’ll knock your socks off as a straight but we also mix it with whipped cream and soda and call it a Foamer, and that goes down really well” may not be a sale, but you’ve engaged customer with service.

Other listening customers might chip in with opinions, having tried it themselves. Regardless, there’s an immediate connection and rapport between the bartender and the customer so the customer feels more comfortable. Having a suggestion can also eliminate indecision and speed up service which should show in increased bar sales.

Our Portable Bars

If you’re looking for a simple way to improve service, our line of space-saving portable bars is designed to improve service, draw attention and drive sales. Watch our product videos to see how each of our products work or download our product catalog to see our full line.

Originally posted on http://theportablebarcompany.com/