Mixologists Only
£270.00
1 Mixologist
From £270 for 3 hours per mixologist, then £67.50 per extra hour.
Cocktailhire · Mixologist hire
Hire a Mixologist for Private Dinners, Bespoke Parties & VIP Receptions
For a private dinner, tasting event or VIP reception, the cocktail menu should give guests a clear choice of flavours and drinks prepared with care. Hire a Cocktailhire mixologist to make and serve your selections from the existing menu, with attention to measurement, dilution and presentation while you spend time with your guests.
Book 1 mixologist for every 50 guests. Hire starts from £270 for the first 3 hours, then increases by £67.50 per extra hour per mixologist. Working tools, menu selection and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links are included. Postcode travel is separate.
How Private & Event Mixologist Hire Works
Plan cocktails around a private dinner, tasting event or VIP reception. Choose the flavours and service windows first, then have your mixologist prepare and serve those existing-menu drinks.
Choose Cocktails from the Cocktailhire Menu · 5:04
Watch the existing 5:04 film, Choose Cocktails from the Cocktailhire Menu. It explains the menu choices; the details alongside it show how to use those choices for your private event.
Which private-event service are you planning?
- Private dining: Set a welcome or after-dinner cocktail window and choose drinks that give your guests different flavour styles.
- Tasting events: Fit the selected cocktails around your organiser’s tasting presentations, with one agreed service schedule and timing contact.
- VIP receptions: Share how guests will arrive and when drinks should be offered, so the selected menu and opening service can be planned together.
- Menu-led preparation: Choose up to five existing recipes. Their ingredients, ice and serving glasses form the client-supplied brief; your mixologist brings working tools.
If you need a separate drinks station, view the staffed mobile bars. To have the ingredients supplied as well, see the all-inclusive packages. The calculator below prices your mixologist. Follow those links to compare equipment or ingredient-inclusive service. Check your date and postcode.
Work Out Your Mixologist Hire Price
Enter your guest count and service hours. Allow one mixologist for every 50 guests. Your price starts with 3 hours of service and increases by £67.50 per mixologist for each extra hour.
15–300 guests. Enter an exact count, or use the slider in steps of 5.
Service starts from 3 hours.
This service subtotal is before postcode travel, optional extras and date-specific pricing. Your final total and availability are confirmed in checkout.
Your quote: Mixologists only.
Lock In This Exact Quote & Check Date AvailabilityYour ingredients. Your choice of supermarket.
How much would the shopping list be?
You buy the ingredients and ice. We send you an itemised shopping list with direct product links, and you keep every leftover bottle.
Approximate ingredient shop
£359.25
40 guests · 3 hours
Separate from your service price
Craft Mixology, Menu Curation & Precision Serve Standards
Stu Hoyland’s background includes international competitive flair and cocktail service. For private dinners, tasting events and VIP receptions, your mixologist prepares your choices from the existing Cocktailhire menu with attention to flavour balance, dilution, fresh ingredients and presentation.
Menu Curation & Flavour Balance
Start with the flavours your guests enjoy, then choose up to five drinks from the existing Cocktailhire menu. A citrus-led Whisky Sour, a sparkling French 75 and a stirred Negroni offer different drinking styles. An Old Fashioned gives whisky drinkers a spirit-forward choice; fruit-led options can broaden the selection. Your event menu consists of those selected recipes. The linked shopping list brings their ingredients together, so you can check the complete menu before buying bottles, juices, mixers and garnishes.
The Lychee Martini combines vodka, lychee liqueur and lychee juice and is served straight up in a coupette. The Paloma uses tequila, triple sec, grapefruit juice and agave syrup, with grapefruit garnish. These give you two different fruit-led choices from the existing menu: one centred on lychee, the other on citrus and agave. Compare their listed ingredients with the rest of your selections and arrange the glasses and supplies for the drinks you choose. Your staff-only mixologist brings the working cocktail tools.
Technique, Double-Straining & Presentation
Preparation method affects temperature, texture and how a drink tastes. Shaking combines the ingredients of recipes that call for it while chilling them with ice; stirring chills and dilutes spirit-forward serves such as a Negroni or Old Fashioned. The water released by the ice is part of the finished drink. Your mixologist works from the selected recipes and their measured quantities. Have the listed ice ready alongside the ingredients before preparation starts, so the chosen drinks can be made using their intended method during service.
When a cocktail is double-strained, it is passed through a second, finer strainer as it is poured. It can catch small ice fragments or pieces of fruit where the selected recipe calls for a smoother finish. The technique is useful for suitable drinks served straight up; a drink served over ice has a different finish. The recipe and presentation guide the method. Plan the serving glasses around your selected drinks, including stemmed glassware where required, and have them ready with the rest of your client-supplied ingredients and ice.
Private Dining, Tastings & VIP Hospitality
Decide when you want guests to order cocktails: before the meal, after dinner or during another agreed part of the evening. A shorter welcome selection can help guests choose when they arrive together; the full selected menu can then follow your planned service. Share the meal and service times before booking so preparation can take place beforehand. Agree which drinks the mixologist serves from the cocktail station and which dining-table drinks are being handled by your host, venue or caterer.
Give us the guest count, service windows and the way people will move through the event. At a reception, arrivals may come together; at an event with tastings, the organiser may want cocktails served between planned presentations. Choose the existing-menu drinks that fit those moments and record who gives the timing cues. Your mixologist prepares and serves the agreed cocktails while your event host runs any tasting presentation. Confirm the selected ingredients, ice, serving glasses and working position before the day so the service follows one clear plan.
Still deciding what equipment and supplies to arrange? Compare the booking formats and service focus before choosing your drinks.
Where can I read client feedback and see completed work?
Read selected genuine Google testimonials and view photographs from documented Cocktailhire events. About Cocktailhire.
What do clients say in Google reviews?
These are selected testimonials from our Google Business Profile. Our overall Google rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 40 Google reviews.
Jennifer Pash
Google review ·
Communication was very good throughout the whole process, they turned up on time and our guests were really impressed!
Excerpt from a Google review
Kate May
Google review ·
Harry was fantastic, and the cocktails were flowing all night. Everyone had a great time, and it really made the party.…
Excerpt from a Google review
Sarah Kearns
Google review ·
I was very impressed with the whole service, and I will definitely be booking them again!
Excerpt from a Google review
Google review data checked on 1 November 2026.
Completed event
What did we supply for Claridge’s, London?
A completed mirror-bar installation at a Claridge’s wedding. This photograph shows Claridge’s; the separate Savoy record documents its own installation.
Completed event
What did we supply for Amazon Manchester?
A three-metre wooden bar for an after-work team event, with client-arranged ingredients and ice.
Completed event
What did we supply for Represent Manchester?
Separate staffed bars on the ground and first floors of the Manchester store launch.
Read the separate Savoy mirror-bar installation record
How Does Hiring a Mixologist Work? Four Booking Steps
Set the service hours, choose your drinks, receive the linked shopping list after payment and allow access for preparation before service begins.
Step 01
Pick Your Service Format & Hours
Choose staff-only mixologist hire at your suitable counter. Choose your service start and finish, starting from three hours at £270 per mixologist, then increasing by £67.50 per extra hour per mixologist. Book one mixologist for every 50 guests, rounding up using your full guest count.
Step 02
Select Your Cocktail Menu
Compare Negroni, Old Fashioned, Whisky Sour, French 75, Lychee Martini or Paloma, then choose up to five drinks from the existing Cocktailhire menu. Your selected recipes form the event menu and the ingredient shopping list; include the listed alcohol-free choices where wanted.
Step 03
Deposit & Instant Paperwork Release (With Direct Shopping Links)
Once your payment is made, including a deposit where available, your full booking paperwork is released immediately. This includes an itemised shopping list with direct clickable links to every single ingredient, with bottle counts, mixers, fresh garnishes and ice quantities calculated for your guest count and selected drinks.
Step 04
Early Arrival & Full Prep Before Your Start Time
Your mixologist arrives early with ample time to unpack the kit, set up the working area and prepare your selected drinks before service starts. Confirm access for that preparation in your event details. Setup and preparation do not use your paid service hours: your mixologist is ready to serve the first drink at your booked start time.
Mixologist Hire Prices by Guest Count (The 1:50 Rule)
Match the price row to your full guest count. Up to 50 guests requires one mixologist; 51–100 requires two. Add another mixologist for each further 50 guests, rounding up: 101–150 requires three, 151–200 four, 201–250 five and 251–300 six. Service starts from three hours and extends by the hour.
| Your guest count (staff included) | First 3 hours total | Each extra hour total | 4 hours total | 5 hours total | 6 hours total | Included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 50 guests (1 mixologist) | £270.00 | +£67.50 / hour | £337.50 | £405.00 | £472.50 | Professional working tools, your selected event menu and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links. |
| 51–100 guests (2 mixologists) | £540.00 | +£135.00 / hour | £675.00 | £810.00 | £945.00 | Professional working tools, your selected event menu and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links. |
| 101–150 guests (3 mixologists) | £810.00 | +£202.50 / hour | £1,012.50 | £1,215.00 | £1,417.50 | Professional working tools, your selected event menu and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links. |
| 151–200 guests (4 mixologists) | £1,080.00 | +£270.00 / hour | £1,350.00 | £1,620.00 | £1,890.00 | Professional working tools, your selected event menu and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links. |
| 201–250 guests (5 mixologists) | £1,350.00 | +£337.50 / hour | £1,687.50 | £2,025.00 | £2,362.50 | Professional working tools, your selected event menu and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links. |
| 251–300 guests (6 mixologists) | £1,620.00 | +£405.00 / hour | £2,025.00 | £2,430.00 | £2,835.00 | Professional working tools, your selected event menu and an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links. |
For a guest list above 300, continue with one mixologist per 50 guests: divide the full total by 50 and round up. The same hourly rate applies to each extra mixologist.
Which drinks can I select for mixologist service?
Choose up to five drinks from the Cocktailhire menu. Compare the fruit-led Lychee Martini and Paloma, citrus-led Whisky Sour, sparkling French 75, or spirit-forward Negroni and Old Fashioned. The listed alcohol-free choices are available to include in your selection.
Spicy Margarita
Paloma
Old Fashioned
Why Book Direct With Cocktailhire Instead of an Event Directory (Like Poptop) or Agency Broker?
Event directories such as Poptop connect you with separate suppliers, while staffing agencies arrange teams through their own rosters. With Cocktailhire, you book directly with the operator providing your bar service. Compare the fees, team, paperwork and preparation arrangements before paying a deposit.
| What Matters on Event Night | Cocktailhire (Direct UK Operator) | Event Directories (e.g. Poptop) | Generic Staffing Brokers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform & Broker Commission | 0% booking-marketplace commission when you book directly with Cocktailhire. Fixed direct rates from £270 for staff or £595 for a staffed mobile bar. | Poptop publishes a 12% supplier booking fee, including VAT, deducted from the deposit. A separate customer Protection Fee applies; see the current fee sources below. | Ask for the complete quote, including any agency or administration fees and applicable VAT. |
| Who Actually Turns Up? | Vetted Cocktailhire professionals trained under Stu Hoyland, with the booking and team brief managed by Cocktailhire. | You choose a listed supplier. Poptop's terms require suppliers to confirm appropriate qualifications, insurance and experience. | Confirm who is allocated, their cocktail-service experience and which company is responsible on the day. |
| Deposit Paperwork & Shopping List | Immediate paperwork release after payment, including a deposit where available. Client-stock bookings include an itemised shopping list with direct clickable ingredient links; stocked packages include the agreed ingredients. | Ask your chosen supplier which booking documents and ingredient guidance are included and when they are provided. | Confirm when the agency releases its paperwork and whether ingredient quantities and shopping links are included. |
| Early Arrival & Preparation | Arrival planned 45–90 minutes before service, with access agreed. Setup and preparation take place outside paid service hours at no extra preparation charge, ready for the first drink at your booked start. | Confirm the selected supplier's arrival time, preparation allowance and any setup charges before booking. | Agree arrival and access in writing, and check whether preparation is separate from the quoted live-service hours. |
| Bar Hardware Engineering | Our in-house bar units are 1.5m wide and 108cm high, at £325 per standard unit. Two bartenders can work side-by-side behind one unit: £865 for one bar and two bartenders for three hours, covering up to 100 guests. | Equipment depends on the selected package. Check the actual bar dimensions, working area and staffing capacity. | Request the proposed bar configuration and itemised staff/unit costs for your guest count. |
The staff-only and bar-and-staff examples above are for three hours, before postcode travel. You arrange ingredients and ice for those formats; glassware hire is optional with a mobile bar. Stocked packages are priced separately.
Poptop's published customer Protection Fee has a £9 minimum, is capped at £49 for bookings up to £490, and adds 5% on the value above £490. It is separate from the supplier quote. Sources checked 2 November 2026: supplier payment guide, customer Protection Fee and Poptop's terms. Other suppliers and agencies set their own terms.
Mixologist Hire FAQs — Watch the Films or Read the Details
Watch the films about menu selection, ingredient paperwork and preparation, then read the booking details for your private-event mixologist service.
Who Buys the Cocktail Ingredients? · 1:07
When will I get my linked ingredient shopping list?
Payment, including a deposit where offered, releases your paperwork with an itemised list, direct ingredient links, ice and garnish quantities for the guest count and drinks you choose.
Does Mixologist Setup Time Cost Extra? · 1:14
Is preparation taken from my mixologist service hours?
Preparation is allowed for before the paid service begins. Confirm arrival and access so the mixologist can prepare the working area and serve the first drink at the booked start time.
Do We Have to Choose from the Cocktailhire Menu? · 1:21
Which menu do we choose our cocktails from?
The existing 1:21 film explains choosing from the Cocktailhire menu. Select up to five existing drinks for your event; your menu and linked ingredient shopping list are built from those selections.
What should I check before booking a mixologist?
How much does it cost to hire a mixologist?
Mixologist hire begins at £270 per mixologist for the first three service hours. Each additional hour is £67.50 per mixologist, so one mixologist costs £337.50 for four hours or £405 for five hours. Your quote lists postcode travel separately.
How many mixologists should I book for my event?
Allow one mixologist for every 50 guests, rounding up from the full guest count. Up to 50 guests needs one; 51–100 needs two. For 80 guests, the staff total is £540 for three hours, £675 for four hours or £810 for five hours, before travel.
Are alcohol, ingredients and glasses included in mixologist hire?
With staff-only mixologist hire, you provide the alcohol, mixers, garnishes, ice and glasses. The mixologist supplies working tools. Following payment, your paperwork includes an itemised shopping list with direct ingredient links and quantities based on the guest count and chosen drinks. Any leftover bottles are yours.
What should I budget for the ingredient shopping list?
Your shopping total varies with the chosen cocktails, number of guests, service hours, product brands and current shop prices. Use the itemised list to check each quantity, account for suitable stock you already have and price what remains. Include the listed ice and garnishes alongside bottles and mixers.
Can my mixologist serve wine, beer and soft drinks too?
Yes. Your mixologist can also pour the Prosecco, wine, bottled beers and soft drinks you provide, alongside your selected cocktails. Record these drinks in the event details so the available glasses, working area and service timings reflect what your guests will order.
How do I book a mixologist and receive the shopping list?
Start an instant quote with the event date, full postcode, guest count and required service hours. Check the payment option available for the booking. Your full paperwork and linked shopping list are released after payment, including a deposit where offered, with availability confirmed as part of booking.
How do I choose flavours for a private dining cocktail menu?
Select up to five drinks from the existing Cocktailhire menu. Compare citrus, fruit-led, sparkling and spirit-forward choices so guests have a useful range. The Lychee Martini, Paloma, Whisky Sour, French 75, Negroni and Old Fashioned are existing options. Your staff-only booking uses ingredients, ice and serving glasses supplied by you, with working tools brought by the mixologist. The menu selections drive the ingredient quantities in your paperwork.
Where can my venue check the insurance confirmation?
Cocktailhire is named for event catering on the published insurance confirmation. Check that the printed dates cover your event and discuss any specific venue requirements before booking. If the occasion falls after the stated policy period, ask for a renewed confirmation.
Where in the UK can I book a mixologist?
Use the regional guides below and enter the complete event postcode so your quote can include travel and access arrangements.
Where in the UK can I book mixologist hire?
Cocktailhire provides mixologist hire across the UK from Bury. Choose your regional page below; the full event postcode sets the separately quoted travel. Listed postcode districts are examples. Postal spans show broad coverage bounds, not a continuous list of valid districts; adjacent-guide links identify districts handled in another regional guide. Each linked regional guide contains its complete district list; the postcode index also accounts for districts requiring a full venue address.
Use a town or county name, a postcode district, or your full postcode. Postcode matches use the existing England district index; your full event address confirms travel and access.
Showing all 12 regional guides.
| Regional service area | Towns, cities and areas covered | Postal bounds and example districts | Regional booking information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester & Greater Manchester | Greater Manchester, Manchester, Salford, Bury, Unsworth, Whitefield, Prestwich, Bolton, Stockport, Altrincham, Hale, Bowdon, Sale, Didsbury, Chorlton, Oldham, Rochdale, Wigan, Trafford, Tameside | Postal bounds and markers: M1–M90. Example districts: M1, M2, BL9. | Hire a mixologist in Manchester & Greater Manchester |
| Cheshire | Cheshire, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Prestbury, Macclesfield, Chester, Nantwich, Crewe, Tarporley, Congleton, Warrington, Northwich | Postal bounds and markers: CW1, SK9, WA16. Example districts: SK9, SK10, CH1. | Hire a mixologist in Cheshire |
| London & Greater London | London, Greater London, Central London, Westminster, Mayfair, Marylebone, Soho, Covent Garden, City of London, Canary Wharf, Shoreditch, Hackney, Islington, Camden, Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Fulham, Putney, Wandsworth, Clapham, Battersea, Richmond, Wimbledon, Greenwich, Dulwich | Postal bounds and markers: SW1–SW20. Example districts: WC2R, W1K, W1H. | Hire a mixologist in London & Greater London |
| Liverpool & Merseyside | Merseyside, Liverpool, Wirral, Southport, St Helens, Birkenhead, Formby, Knowsley, Sefton | Postal bounds and markers: L1–L40. Example districts: L1, L2, CH41. The L1–L40 span crosses guide boundaries: L39 and L40 use the Lancashire guide. For nearby CH1, use the Cheshire guide. | Hire a mixologist in Liverpool & Merseyside |
| Leeds, Yorkshire & the North East | Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Leeds, York, Harrogate, Sheffield, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax, Ilkley, Skipton, Wetherby, Ripon, Hull, Beverley, Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, North East England, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham, Darlington, Northumberland | Postal bounds and markers: LS1–LS29, YO1. Example districts: LS1, YO1, HG1. | Hire a mixologist in Leeds, Yorkshire & the North East |
| Birmingham & the West Midlands | West Midlands, Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Edgbaston, Harborne, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Walsall, Dudley, Worcestershire, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Hereford, Shropshire, Shrewsbury, Telford, Staffordshire, Stafford, Lichfield, Cannock, Stoke-on-Trent, Warwickshire, Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon | Postal bounds and markers: B1–B98. Example districts: B1, CV1, WV1. | Hire a mixologist in Birmingham & the West Midlands |
| Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire | Surrey, Guildford, Woking, Farnham, Cobham, Weybridge, Esher, Epsom, Reigate, Dorking, Camberley, Berkshire, Windsor, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead, Newbury, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Amersham, Aylesbury, Oxfordshire, Oxford, Henley-on-Thames, Banbury, Bicester | Postal bounds and markers: GU1, KT1, SL1. Example districts: GU1, GU2, KT13. For nearby KT1, use the London guide. | Hire a mixologist in Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire |
| Kent & Sussex | Kent, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Canterbury, Whitstable, Ashford, Margate, Folkestone, Dartford, Medway, Rochester, Dover, West Sussex, East Sussex, Brighton, Chichester, Horsham, Crawley | Postal bounds and markers: TN1, ME1, CT1. Example districts: ME14, CT1, TN1. | Hire a mixologist in Kent & Sussex |
| Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire & East Anglia | Essex, Chelmsford, Brentwood, Shenfield, Loughton, Chigwell, Epping, Billericay, Colchester, Southend-on-Sea, Saffron Walden, Hertfordshire, St Albans, Harpenden, Watford, Hertford, Bishop's Stortford, Stevenage, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge, Ely, Newmarket, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, Norfolk, Norwich, Suffolk, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds | Postal bounds and markers: CM1, AL1, CB1. Example districts: CM1, CO1, AL1. | Hire a mixologist in Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire & East Anglia |
| Lancashire & Cumbria | Lancashire, Clitheroe, Ribble Valley, Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Chorley, Lytham St Annes, Blackpool, Lancaster, Cumbria, Kendal, Windermere, Lake District | Postal bounds and markers: PR1–PR26, BB1. Example districts: PR1, BB1, LA1. | Hire a mixologist in Lancashire & Cumbria |
| Nottingham & the East Midlands | East Midlands, Nottingham, West Bridgford, Mansfield, Newark, Derby, Chesterfield, Bakewell, Peak District, Leicester, Loughborough, Market Harborough, Rutland, Oakham, Northampton, Towcester, Kettering, Lincoln, Grantham, Stamford | Postal bounds and markers: NG1, DE1, LE1. Example districts: NG1, DE1, LE1. | Hire a mixologist in Nottingham & the East Midlands |
| Bristol, the South West, Wiltshire, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight | South West England, Bristol, Bath, Salisbury, Amesbury, Wilton, Wiltshire, Swindon, Devizes, Marlborough, Chippenham, Andover, Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Romsey, New Forest, Fordingbridge, Ringwood, Verwood, Lymington, Petersfield, Farnborough, Fleet, Hampshire, Somerset, Taunton, Frome, Glastonbury, Yeovil, Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Cotswolds, Gloucester, Stroud, Dorset, Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester, Christchurch, Devon, Exeter, Plymouth, Cornwall, Truro, Isle of Wight | Postal bounds and markers: SP1–SP11, SO14–SO53, BA1, BS1. Example districts: BS1, BA1, SP1, SP6, SP10, SO23. | Hire a mixologist in Bristol, the South West, Wiltshire, Hampshire & the Isle of Wight |
Ready to Hire a Mixologist for Your Event?
Provide the date, full postcode, guest number and service hours. Review the mixologists, time and travel listed in your quote before you confirm.
Planning a Christmas drinks reception? Explore the Christmas drinks service and menu choices.
Planning drinks for 31 December? Explore the five-hour New Year’s Eve service.