We recently had the pleasure of supporting the Honorary Life President of Comic Relief, Lenny Henry, with a cocktail reception for his 60th birthday. Working with our friends at the Steelyard in London, we put together a cocktail party for Lenny and around 350 guests. Working with Comic Relief the first and perhaps most important decision was which cocktails to feature on the menu for the evening!
We settled on four different cocktails, all of which would be prepared and ready for the guests evening arrival, with more being prepared during a 2 hour service window. Although a cocktail reception may seem quite straightforward, a cocktail party for this many guests can present problems. We take the quality of the drinks we serve very seriously here, working with only the best bartenders to ensure we can follow through on our quality of service from start to finish.
It is important to ensure that everybody had a drink upon arrival, from then onward you have to continue to prepare drinks based on which cocktails are most popular so that a long queue for cocktails wouldn’t suddenly form at the bar. At the same time it is important to ensure you don’t prepare the cocktails too early, or the ice will melt and the drink will get warm.
The cocktails we decided on with the client were Lenny’s very own Rum Runner, our own Amarspresso Martini, a Tennessee Sour and a Ginger Lady. As well as the bespoke cocktails, we also provided four of our best mixologists to prepare the drinks, a mobile bar and all associated glassware and drinks. Here is a sneak peak of the cocktails we provided for Lenny Henry’s 60th birthday party:
Lenny’s Rum Runner – Havana Club, Blackberry Liqueur, Banana Liqueur, Lime Juice, Passion Fruit, Pineapple Juice, Grenadine, served in a long glass with a flamed passion fruit husk.
Amarspresso Martini – Absolut Vodka, Kahlua, Amaretto Syrup, Espresso, served in a martini glass with amaretti biscuits.
Tennessee Sour – Jack Daniels, Triple Sec, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Soda, served in a Julep mug with a lemon twist.
Ginger Lady – Gin, Lemon Juice, Ginger Puree, Sugar, Foaming bitters, served in a tumbler with an edible flower.
Cocktail receptions or cocktail parties are a great way to cater for a large number of guests, keeping the focus of the event where it should be and not at the bar. Having provided them for small groups of connoisseurs through to networking events for large corporate clients, a good drinks reception can be a versatile offering.
