FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I charge by the hour, which buys you: --Me, arriving 30-60 minutes prior to the event start to set up, making your drinks and entertaining your guests with snappy banter. --Drink Menus! You and I will work together to create a list of featured cocktails for your guests. This can follow a particular theme you have for your event, such as a luau or Halloween party, or simply to provide some suggestions for your guests to be able to try new things. They can order from the menu, or order whatever they want. As long as I have the ingredients I'll be happy to make whatever they order. --Two unique specialty Cocktails! Following your direction and themes, I will create two unique specialty cocktails just for your event. I have a lot of experience creating drinks, and I often use fresh fruits or homemade syrups and mixers to really push the envelope of creativity. --I'll bring along my own bar tools. Shakers, strainers, spoons, pour spouts, wine keys, bottle openers, fruit knife, and blender. For an additional fee, I will compile a shopping list and purchase all liquor, wine, beer, mixers, juice, etc for your event. This fee is typically the same as my hourly rate, billed for the time spent shopping. Receipts for all purchases will be provided & the cost of supplies added to your total charge. If you prefer to do the shopping yourself, I will provide a list of items needed.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I like to know what the occasion for the event is, any themes we will be working with, who the attendees are, and any other pertinent information about the event that might help me create a memorable experience. After being hired, I'll get to work on making drink lists, creating custom cocktails, and whatever else the occasion calls for. Before your event, I'll meet with you for a tasting of my specialty cocktail creations, and we'll have a chance to make some tweaks to the menus or recipes as needed. It's all about making your event shine, and you will have all of my considerable expertise at your disposal.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I completed on-the-job bartending training at one of the busiest bar/restaurants at the Jersey Shore, and tended bar at several of the Shore's busiest restaurants and nightclubs. From there I moved to Philadelphia, where I honed my experience in an upscale French restaurant as well as one of the edgiest dance clubs in the city. From there I moved on to managing the bar of one of NJ's first and best craft beer bars, the High Street Grill, where I developed an award-winning craft beer program. After ten years in the restaurant business, I used my connections in the industry to land a job with NJ's premier craft beer distributor as the restaurant sales rep for all of Southern NJ. After 2 very successful years there I took a job covering the entire Northeast region from Delaware to Maine as the Sales Manager for the venerable Belgian Trappist ale, Chimay. I got a little burnt out from all the travel (I was only home one or two weeks out of every month), regrouped, and eventually found a place with Victory Brewing Company covering Greater Philadelphia and eventually Delaware and NJ as Area Sales Manager. As a craft beer expert, I hold the rank of "Recognized Beer Judge" in the Beer Judge Certification Program as well as "Certified Beer Server" in the Cicerone Program. I have excellent wine knowledge as well as a huge library of drink recipes committed to memory. I have been TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures) and RAMP (Responsible Alcohol Management Program) certified.