When drinks are a main part of the party, give the bar sustained service capacity rather than treating it as a brief arrival extra. The team, supplies and serving hours should match how guests will order throughout the evening.
Support the evening as well as the first round
Start with the full guest count and identify the busiest periods. Choose a compact menu from the existing options and make it easy to see before ordering. Confirm enough working space for the agreed team, with stock, ice and clean glasses close to hand.
Assign replenishment and used-glass collection so they do not repeatedly interrupt service. Decide who provides any drinks outside the cocktail booking, and make the final serving time clear. If food, speeches or entertainment create a pause followed by another rush, include that in the plan rather than assuming demand will stay even.
- Plan the whole serving window, including likely peaks.
- Keep stock, glass collection and other drinks responsibilities explicit.