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If you’ve decided to do your own dry bar, it’s likely to be because you want complete control over which products are served at your bar, or it just makes sense for you financially.
Doing your own dry bar can be exciting; but, you really do need to make sure you have absolutely everything you need. There are companies that offer a professional service like this for a reason. It’s not easy, you do need to have all of your ducks in a row and the best service is given when the providers have a wealth of knowledge and experience. We’re going to share our expertise with you so that when you do your own dry bar, you will be 100% prepared to offer your guests a faultless service.
WHAT WILL I NEED?
When non-professionals think of what is needed for a bar, the things that spring to mind are typically ‘drink’, ‘bar front’, ‘fridge’ and ‘ice’. But it’s remembering the stuff in between such as fruit tongs, ice scoops, jiggers that comes with experience and knowledge.
A few insights…
- GLASSWARE | In addition to hi ball and wine glasses, you’ll need flutes, rocks, pint, shot and potentially martini and hurricane glasses.
- CONSUMABLES | The ‘under the sink’ type items. Kitchen roll, bin bags, paper straws and serving napkins.
- BAR TOOLS & ESSENTIALS | More than just a bottle opener and corkscrew, you’ll need jiggers, speed pourers, fruit tongs, ice scoops, tea towels, potentially cocktail equipment, chopping boards, ice buckets…the list goes on and on.
- BAR PERSONNEL – If you have cocktails, you’ll need a mixologist to produce the cocktails to standard. In addition to bartenders, you’ll also need ‘bar-backs’ to collect glasses, empty bottles, re-stock the bar and dispose of waste.
Our DRY BAR HIRE GUIDE gives you a complete list of everything you could possibly need for your bar service.
WHAT & HOW MUCH DRINK SHOULD I BUY?
This is our most frequently asked question and the inspiration behind our ‘How much drink will I need?’ guide. The anxieties surrounding this question often see our clients surrender and hand the responsibility over to us. But if you are committed to doing the whole thing, we’ve got you covered.
A few insights…
- CONSIDER DEMOGRAPHICS | Drinking trends tend to be influenced by gender and age; so, consider that when choosing your menu.
- EVENT DURATION | How long will your party run for? Naturally, if you have an all-day event, you are going to need a lot more than if it was just an evening event, with plenty of soft alternatives on offer.
- EVENT TYPE | An afternoon christening is likely to have fewer drinkers than a 30th birthday party. Stock plenty of soft alternatives and lighter beers and aperitifs.
Our ‘HOW MUCH DRINK WILL I NEED?’ guide gives you a complete list of everything you could possibly need for your bar service.
FEELING OVERWHELMED? You needn’t be. We have referenced three of our amazing guides to help steer you in the right direction and you can download them below.
For everything you need to know to successfully run your own bar.
To find out exactly how much drink to buy for your party.
HOW MUCH DRINK WILL I NEED? THE WEDDING VERSION.
To find out exactly how much drink to buy for your wedding.
We are also on hand to provide you with a wealth of knowledge and experience so please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
Our top wedding tips
Planning a wedding involves a lot more than just hiring one of our mobile bar packages.
Luckily, we’ve picked up a few tips during our time in the industry that we believe will help out any bride and groom.
