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Blooming with Flavor: Using Flowers and Herbs in Cocktails (Or Mocktails)

July 30, 2023July 30, 2023by Geaux Mobile Bar CoLeave a Comment

When it comes to creating refreshing and flavorful beverages, the possibilities are endless. One increasingly popular way to elevate your cocktails and add a touch of elegance is by incorporating flowers and herbs. Not only do they bring vibrant colors and beautiful aromas to your drinks, but they also infuse them with unique and delightful flavors. In this blog, we will explore the art of using flowers and herbs in cocktails and how they can transform your drinks into works of art.

Flowers have long been used in culinary and medicinal creations for their innate ability to tranform our senses with their delicate flavors, tantalizing aromas, and visual appeal. When it comes to cocktails (or mocktails), edible flowers can be used as garnishes or infused into syrups and infusions to add a subtle floral note. Some popular edible flowers include lavender, rose petals, hibiscus, violas, and elderflower. Lavender, for example, adds a calming and aromatic touch to beverages, while rose petals bring a romantic and fragrant essence. These flowers not only enhance the taste of your cocktails but also create a visually stunning presentation that will impress your guests.

Herbs, on the other hand, offer a wide range of flavors that can take your cocktails to the next level. From mint and basil, to thyme and rosemary, herbs bring freshness and complexity to your drinks. Mint, in particular, is a classic herb used in many cocktails, adding a cool and invigorating element to Mojitos and Mint Juleps. Basil, with it’s sweet and slightly peppery taste, pairs well with fruity cocktails, such as a Strawberry Basil Smash, while rosemary adds a savory and aromatic twist. By muddling herbs or using them as garnishes, you can infuse your cocktails with a burst of flavor that will leave your taste buds satisfied!

In addition to their flavors, flowers and herbs also offer a myriad of health benefits. Many flowers and herbs are known for their medicinal properties and can provie a natural boost to your creation. For example, chamomile and lavender are known for their calming effects, while hibiscus is rich in antioxidants. By incorporating these ingredients, you not only create a delicious beverage but also add a touch of wellness to your drink menu!

When using flowers and herbs, it is important to source them from reputable suppliers and ensure they are safe for consumption. Not all flowers and herbs are edible, and some may have been treated with chemicals. It is best to shop local and purchase them from local farmers or specialty stores. Or even better, grow them yourself using organic methods. Additionally, be mindful of any allergies your guests may have and provide alternative options if needed.

So remember, when you want to elevate your celebration, using flowers and herbs in your cocktails (or mocktails) is a wonderful way to add flavor, aroma, and visual appeal. Whether infusing syrups with lavender or garnishing with fresh herbs, these natural ingredients bring a unique and delightful twist. So the next time you are hosting a gathering, let Geaux Mobile Bar bring your menu to the next level. Cheers to a vibrant and flavorful bar experience!

Mobile Bar, Wedding

Pricing: Mobile Bars vs. Food Trucks

July 18, 2023August 24, 2023by Geaux Mobile Bar CoLeave a Comment

Everyone is familiar with food trucks. From delicious tacos to amazing barbecue, and everything in between, we have been enjoying their fare at our homes, businesses, and festivals for many years. Mobile bars, however, are a fairly new trend sweeping the country. They go hand in hand, both helping to take all the fuss and stress out of planning and executing your event, as well as bringing charm and style. Although they are quite similar, there is a key difference that people should be aware of when looking to get a quote.

Let me first tell you how they are the same. When you hire a food truck you are getting personalized catering on location, with the kitchen, equipment, chef, and staff all brought to you, with the skills and experience necessary to prepare fabulously styled freshly cooked fare for you and your guests. When you hire a mobile bar, you are getting personalized cocktails, made on location, with the whole bar, equipment, bartender/mixologist, and staff all brought to you, with the skills and experience necessary to prepare fabulously styled freshly made cocktails for you and your guests.

Both bring the charm and style of their mobile units. Both are extremely convenient. Both set up and break down and leave you with very little clean up. Both add to the atmosphere of your celebration, impress guests and help create lasting memories.

When planning with a food truck caterer, you decide which foods you would like prepared and let them know how many guests you will be having, as well as the location and times of service for your event. They then calculate how much supply will be needed to properly serve your guests. Yep, you guessed it, replace food with cocktails, and it is the exact same when planning a mobile bar service.

Now to understand the key difference.

When hiring a food truck, one does not expect to pay at cost for the food. Just as in a brick and mortar restaurant, the food is upcharged, so that all actual business costs are covered, as well as creating a reasonable profit for the business owner. I mean, people aren’t in business to make money…said no one…ever. The business costs include the food, supplies, staff, time, skills, insurance, licensing, upkeep and equipment maintenance, rent/storage and more, that are all involved in running a business. Mobile business costs differ from brick and mortar, but they do have them. ALL businesses have this in common. But, back to my point, to put it simply, food trucks sell food.

On the contrary, most mobile bars DO NOT sell alcohol at private events. There is no profit made from it. Unless they have acquired a liquor license for the event, they are not allowed, under Louisiana law, to do so. So how do they stay in business you may ask? How do they cover their business costs and make a profit? They RENT the mobile trailer. This is the MAIN difference between a food truck and a mobile bar. Food trucks do not rent their trucks out, but within their price, as part of their business costs, is the convenience of coming to your location. Mobile bars do not sell alcohol, but price in the convenience and fabulousness of having one at your event by charging you to have it. And make no mistake, it saves you money.

Allow me to break it down for you. On average a 1L bottle of a popular call brand vodka is $26. A regular pour would serve 22 cocktails from this bottle. Adding in only a few dollars to cover the extra costs to make the cocktails, i.e. the mixer, ice, cup, straw, napkin, garnish, etc., that comes out to only $1.27 per drink. That is ACTUAL COST.

Now, for comparison purposes, let’s say that a mobile bar let’s you have the bar for FREE, but is allowed to sell you the alcohol. We will bring you our fabulous bar, NO CHARGE. You only pay for the drinks. The average retail price of a call brand cocktail is, say, $7. Of course, this varies greatly depending on where you live, and where you purchase it. Is it a local dive bar, the airport, or a five star hotel bar? That will make a BIG difference in price. One does pay for convenience, style, sophistication, and atmosphere! However, for our purposes, $7 it is. Now let’s do math. The extra costs are built into the drink price. Multiply $7 ( a pretty good price) by 22 drinks made from the same bottle. Your cost is now $154 per 1L bottle for the same 22 cocktails!

We can put this into a scenario. A party of 50 people for approximately 3 hours would, by standard industry calculations, require about 200 cocktails. This would use 9 1L bottles of alcohol. So, with the above pricing, it would cost you $1,386. This is the cost you would pay for the mobile bar, and the cocktails with call brand alcohol and basic mixers. On top of this, just as with a food truck, delivery, taxes, and staffing charges will be added.

Now, let’s go back to the idea that you don’t get the bar for “free” anymore. We will charge you to rent our bar, $499 for up to 4 hours, but you will pay “actual cost” for your alcohol. Taking into consideration the above, 50 people, 3 hours, with 200 cocktails, your cost would be $751! That is a $635 dollar savings!

So when you see that rental cost on your Geaux Mobile Bar quote, understand , not only are you getting an amazingly unique, cute, and stylish bar for your event, you are being smart with your money!

Click the link below for your quote today!

Geaux Mobile Bar Co

Wedding

Choosing Your Wedding Bar

August 6, 2021April 16, 2022by Geaux Mobile Bar CoLeave a Comment

We can help you calculate and create the PERFECT bar for your Wedding!

The bar at any event is one of the most popular areas besides the buffet and the dance floor. Actually, maybe more so! It is important to consider what kind of bar you will have, how you will stock it, and who will be behind it!! Unfortunately, this can be challenging and costly to the inexperienced. And it is only one part of the many things to consider when you are getting married.

Couples want to complete their union surrounded by their loved ones and CELEBRATE in a beautiful setting, with delicious food, wine flowing and the dancing non stop! Yet, the cost of doing so has been a little challenging for many even prior to the pandemic rise in prices. Never mind the countless individuals who in the past year and a half, at best, were temporarily out of work, or had their businesses on pause. The average cost of a wedding in the US back in 2020, according to valuepenguin.com, was $20,300. Louisiana was at $16,842 ($255 per guest).

They break down the most expensive costs for a wedding from most costly to least as follows:

Venue

Catering of Food/Drink

Engagement Ring

Music/Band

Photographer

Flowers/Decorations

All of these elements are VITAL to a fabulous wedding.

The liquor is one of the MOST vital and it can be the SECOND highest cost. The average bar cost according to some sites is $20-$25 per guest for alcohol. This can vary greatly.

No one really wants to serve the cheap liquor at their event. Sure, I’d want Chopin Vera Wang or Absolut Cristal for all my friends too. However, choosing only a few top choice liquors for your bar helps cut down costs. There are many amazing brands that people are not aware of that are even more delicious than more widely recognized brands. There are also many local vintners and brewers that carry excellent and affordable products. Of course, if money is no object, then we can suggest many more FABULOUS bottles too! Having a bar service that understands brand, pricing, and budget is a must.

A per head cost is not always the best way to get an estimate for your bar set up. What liquor will they serve, how much will they bring, do they charge by the bottle or per drink? Do you keep the left over bottles or do they?

Next, what type of set up will be best for your event? Having a fully stocked open bar at a large event requires a lot of bottles. It can also create unnecessary lines at the bar! When a guest orders an Old Fashioned, 2 Margaritas, and 6 Kamikaze Shots for their table, it’s going to take more than a minute. Having TOO many choices is not always a good thing! It is important that your guests do not feel like they are missing out on the fun because they had to stand in line most of the time waiting on a cocktail. I can’t tell you how many people have said to me that they enjoyed a wedding they attended, except for the issue of not being able to get a drink! Creating a few “Featured Cocktails” to put on tap is another way to not only save money, but have faster service! We can customize up to 4 Cocktails (or champagne, wine and beer) to be on tap. This is also a fun way to personalize the cocktails for your event. We have had a great time making up names with our clients for their specialty cocktails!

There IS a way to keep your alcohol costs down and STILL have an AMAZING bar set up and service for your wedding, no matter what venue, entertainment, or engagement ring you decide on! Having been a bar proprietor for several years, I have learned how to find the best costs, the best bartenders, and make the best batched cocktails to ensure a memorable and affordable experience for you and your guests!

Renting a bar from Geaux Mobile Bar Co means that you can have the experience of a One of a Kind Bar with excellent service and amazing drinks for what you could pay for the alcohol alone somewhere else! Let us help you design your bar set up and calculate your alcohol needs. You will be glad you did!