Unless you luck out and your office manager knows how to throw a fun event, office parties aren’t always hits with staff. Sometimes, attendance is even mandatory just to ensure employees show up for the event. Being forced to attend a party kind of takes the fun out of the event. What about spicing up your office party with fun and educational cocktail lessons in Bath?
Whether you decide to go with cocktail or mocktail lessons, you can get everyone in on the fun. You can even combine the lesson so everyone feels included even if they’re abstaining from alcohol. So, if hosting cocktail-making lessons seems like the perfect way to get your party started, and keep it going, here are some tips on how to get everything ready for the event.
What is Mixology?
Before we get into setting up for your cocktail-making lessons it helps to have a basic understanding of what mixology is. You see, crafting cocktails is a little more involved than pouring some liquor and a mixer into a glass.
Mixology combines art and science. Professional mixologists skillfully combine spirits, juices, syrups, and garnishes to create balanced flavors that also look great. Their knowledge of the various flavors and techniques also allows mixologists to create delicious new drinks. They have an extensive knowledge of how different spirits are produced, along with their history.
In other words, a mixologist is more than a typical bartender pouring a beer. They are professionals with extensive training and knowledge.
Tips on Hosting Cocktail-Making Lessons at Office Parties
Office parties aren’t only thrown during the holidays. Businesses are looking for ways to boost employee morale. Happy employers tend to lead to increases in productivity and efficiency. Both are good news for companies’ bottom lines. So, whether you’re celebrating a holiday, a company milestone, or giving your staff some well-deserved recognition, the steps for getting everything ready are the same.
Pick a Theme
Every great get-together has a theme. Even if your office party is simply congratulating everyone on surviving a grueling work week, it’s a theme. Your theme plays a role in the type of cocktails and/or mocktails everyone will be crafting.
For example, summer cocktail-making lessons in warm weather. Christmas drink-making lessons for a holiday-themed party. You get the general idea. Some other ideas can include crafting tropical drinks or picking a couple of classic cocktails like Cosmo, Manhattan, or Harvey Wallbanger. A good tip is to stay a little mainstream. Don’t get too exotic with the spirits, mixers, and garnishes. Not everyone in the office may be feeling adventurous when it comes to their cocktails.
Design a Menu
Once you have the theme, planning the menu is usually pretty easy. Your menu only covers the cocktails and mocktails everyone will learn how to craft. You should plan on including a variety of cocktails and mocktails in your menu. Remember, you want everyone involved and having a ton of fun.
Include some easy cocktail recipes. You know the ones that only use a couple of ingredients and the garnishes aren’t too exotic. The menu should also cover some more complicated drinks. Don’t forget to account for any dietary restrictions. You may need to revamp the menu a couple of times before everything is just right.
Get the Ingredients and Equipment
A trip to the liquor store is probably in your future. You should probably plan on skipping the small corner liquor store. They probably aren’t going to have everything you need like glassware, mixers, and your garnishes. A better idea is hitting a larger superstore. There’s usually at least one outfit with multiple locations in every city.
Take a headcount before hitting the store and don’t forget to bring your list or at least the drink menu. Forgetting something like a garnish is easy and it can throw your whole party off. If you have any questions about ingredients, the store’s staff should be able to help.
Have the Drink Stations Ready
Wandering into a party where the host is still setting everything up can be uncomfortable. Guests are never sure if they’re too early and if they should help. Your guests can also get in the way. Trying to set up several drink stations while weaving between guests can be a nightmare. Not to mention, accidents are almost always bound to happen. The last thing you want is to run over a co-worker’s foot when you’re moving a drink station table. Setting up the drink stations ahead of time simply makes everything easier.
Try to limit the number of people at each station to no more than four. This way, everyone has a chance to try their hand at mixing a cocktail. Make sure all of the ingredients for each recipe on the menu are at the stations. Labeling the stations is also a great idea. This way, everyone knows where to go when it’s time to mix a drink.
Encourage Socializing
A cocktail-making lesson shouldn’t be anything like sitting in a school classroom. The goal is for everyone to mix, mingle, and have fun. Setting up a seating area helps encourage conversation and gives guests a place to relax with their cocktails. Depending on your office party budget, try to incorporate snacks and appetizers that go with the cocktails on your menu.
Serving guests a bit to eat helps keep them fueled throughout the event. Food can also encourage conversation and help keep the event going.
Taking the Hassle Out of Hosting an Office Cocktail-Making Class
Hosting a cocktail-making class is a great way of turning a dreaded office party into a fun event. Just imagine not having to make attendance mandatory for your next workplace event. The only potential downside to this idea is the time and effort that goes into getting everything set up. From creating a menu to shopping and setting up, a lot goes into planning the event. An easier way is to partner with a cocktail-making class. The professionals take care of everything so all you need to do is have fun.
