DIY cocktail bar with liquor, ingredients, and a cocktail recipe sign for party guests to make their own drink
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DIY Cocktail Bar

the idea

Take the pressure off drinks service and help break the ice by providing recipe cards and ingredients for guests to make their own cocktails

DIY self service Vodka bar at a party with vodka and various juices in carafes
illustrated cocktail recipe card for an Espresso Martini with instructions

the how

  • Choose a few cocktails to offer guests (or just one signature cocktail)
  • Edit and print illustrated recipe cards for each cocktail (see templates below)
  • Set up the necessary ingredients and equipment i.e liquor, mixers, juices, garnishes, ice, measures, glasses, stirrers, shakers, straws, etc on a bar / table
  • Add a printable ‘Please help yourself’ sign
  • Displays signs and recipe cards in frames or acrylic display stands
DIY self service cocktail bar at a party
illustrated cocktail recipe cards with instructions

the why

This Idea

  • Time-saving; takes the pressure off the host to make drinks
  • Variety; allows you to offer guests more sophisticated or complicated cocktails that would be too fiddly to make for large numbers yourself
  • Interactive; allows guests to get actively involved rather than standing on the sidelines
  • Ice-breaker; encourages different groups to interact at the drinks station
  • Conversation-starter; gives guests something to talk about and discuss with one another
  • Entertaining; will keep guests entertained during the party
DIY self service Margarita bar at a party
DIY self service mimosa bar at a party with champagne and juices in carafes

the why

party activities

  • Engagement; essential for creating atmosphere and ensuring people have a good time
  • Circulation; activities encourage circulation, which raise energy levels
  • Atmosphere; keeping guests moving, exploring, and discovering creates a lively atmosphere
  • Mingling; activities help prevent guests clustering in corners with people they came with
  • Flow; giving guests things to engage with diffuses crowds, prevents bottlenecks, and helps flow
  • Introductions; allows guests who arrive alone or donโ€™t know many people to connect with others
  • Ice-breaker; arrival activities let guests ease in gently before walking into a room full of people
  • Conversation-starters; funny, creative, or quirky activities give guests things to talk about
  • Interactive; allows guests to participate so everybody feels included
  • Bonding; a shared experience creates a bond and unites different groups as one; people that are all important to the guest of honor
  • Entertainment; activities keep guests entertained and prevents boredom or leaving early
  • Distraction; gives guests an excuse to change the subject or extract themselves from awkward conversations
  • Memorable; gives guests something to talk about, photograph, share, and remember
  • Experiential; guests leave feeling as though theyโ€™ve had an experience
Please Help Yourself to Drinks party sign on a bar top
party sign holder display stands
Recipe card display stands

ADVICE FROM A PRO

Matt’s tip

Matt James professional event planner

“I’d recommend setting up all the ingredients and equipment in a logical order so guests can work their way from one end of the bar / table to the other, step by step. For example:

Step 1: Set up a number of cocktail shakers and ice at the left hand end of the bar (you can pick up a set of 8 plastic shakers and measuring shots for around $28, see below).

Step 2: Next, arrange all bottles of the base liquor together, e.g vodka, gin, rum, whiskey , along with measuring shots

Step 3: Then arrange all the bottles of secondary liquors together, e.g liqueurs, vermouth etc, along with measuring shots

Step 4: Next, cluster together all the mixers, juices, syrups etc

Step 5: Then, group any garnishes, e.g fruit, salt rims, together at the end along with serving glasses and any decoration or styling elements e.g straws, cocktail napkins etc

Step 6: Finally, provide a drinks dispenser filled with water for rinsing and a lined trash can for disposing of ice from the shakers as the final step. Then use a custom text printable sign (below) to asks guests to ‘rinse and return’ their cocktail shakers to the starting point.

For larger numbers, you might want to duplicate each step working inwards from both ends of the table, with the final step in the middle, so that multiple guests can work their way along from each end at the same time to avoid lines and waiting.

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set of disposable plastic cocktail shakers and measuring shots
Plastic cocktail shaker set
disposable party drinks glasses
Disposable cocktail glasses
disposable party drinks glasses
Disposable cocktail glasses
glass drinks dispenser
Water dispenser

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