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Saturday,
December 18, 1999
Orange County Edition
Section: Home Design
Page: N-1
Do-It-Yourself.
This
Year, Make It a No-Holds-Barred Party
By:
ROSE APODACA JONES
Planning
to entertain at home this holiday season? Don't keep parched
guests waiting for a refill while you try to juggle every
other aspect of the party.
Hosts
too often worry more about the salty nosh or where the coats
will go than providing a station for quenching.
But
there's more than one way to easily keep everyone in spirits.The
snap solution is a bartender-for-hire. Ask your favorite mixologist
if he or she freelances for a flat or hourly rate (usually
starting at $30 per hour).
Another
option is to enlist a professional outfit that specializes
in this, such as About Town Bartending. The
Huntington Beach bar-catering service shows up at Southland
corporate and private events, even those afloat, with everything
necessary, down to the cherries and trash bags. Bar setups
can toast a theme, from a surfboard-topped bar to service
by tuxedoed bartenders.
"We
bring the party to them," says Travis Crivaro, who runs
the full-service company with fellow bartending veteran Guy
Scharff [714] 969-4769; http://www.AboutTownBartending.com
starting at $7 per person for a four-hour minimum).
"The
host has more time to be with guests instead of worrying about
the ice," Crivaro says. "That's what a party is
about.
"If
hiring a pro isn't in the budget--or you can't find a warm
body most bar services, including About Town Bartending, are
nearly booked for the next two weeks, with several events
stacked up on December 31, then go for Plan B.
That's
B as in bar. As in setting up a self-service spot where everyone
can meet their needs, and maybe even live out some Tom Cruise-in-"Cocktail"
fantasy.
This
is, after all, the era of DIY: do it yourself. All it takes
is a little planning.
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