We thought a nice touch would be to provide an open bar to our guests. It's never really expected, but in order for our friends to have a
really good time, and shake it on the dance floor, this element was a must for us.
People sway away from a full and open bar because of the cost. It can be extremely costly, but we found a way to get around the huge bill at the end of the night.
Here's what we did to save money:
1. We paid a corkage fee ($300) to bring in our own bar. This made us responsible for alcohol, cups, ice, mixers, fruit, and a bartender. We also had to apply for and bring and alcohol license ($50) from the state. The application has to be signed and notarized, sent to the state, and the license arrives in a few days. This made us solely responsible for the serving of guests, just like a bar.
2.We provided little of each: a 1/6th of a keg of a local brew, 12 bottles of wine, and a few liquor selections. We decided on bourbon, vodka, rum, tequila, and some Southern Comfort.
3. I crafted a signature cocktail with my bartender. This helped to focus down on a few selections. We came up with a Peachy Love Potion: as kind of an ode to Georgia. It was easy to make and people liked it. We used organic juices and top shelf ingredients.
4. We were not snobs about wine. We regularly drink
Winking Owl from Aldi. It's $2.99 a bottle, thank you, and it does just fine. We bought 6 Chardonnay, 6 Merlot, and 2 Cabernets and had about quite a bit left over. Maybe 6 bottles? We hosted a bonfire and cook out the next night, which took care of the leftovers.
5. We provided our own bartender. This was easy due to my working in the service industry for a few years. I've shared the bar with Kurt for a couple years, and he was more than willing to help out. If you are going this route, but don't personally know a bartender, try your favorite watering hole. There may be someone there willing to pick up some extra work. If you're having just wine & beer, then all you need is someone to pour. Our bartender even helped blow up balloons. And he regularly wears a kilt! I sat with him over some beers to figure out payment. I set up a jar and he did fine all together.
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6.Another thing you must provide is glass ware. Ours was made from
corn. Then I picked up some cheap plastic cups, solely for the rounds of shots:
7. Another thing you must provide is the mixers. I am a huge bargain store shopper. I found some decent juices at Big Lots. I tested them out beforehand so I knew the Apple & Eve Organic Mango Peach Juice, and the Organic Northland Cranberry juice was pretty tasty. I also got some pineapple juice, sparkling cider, and soda from there. I had a coupon, so it turned up to be cheaper than Costco. So we just got our sodas and fruit from Harris Teeter.
So like everything DIY, its a lot of work. I usually enjoy the process, this time was no different. It felt like everything came together and our guests were happy. Very happy.
8. Oh, another thing you may wanna consider is cabby info. You can just make business card size cards, and place them on the bar. It's a nice touch.
Raise your glass and enjoy responsibly!
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