Every event host faces this debate at some point: do I hire a cocktail bar vendor, or do I just buy the drinks myself and set up a station?
The DIY option feels cheaper on the surface. You buy the bottles, you get some cups, your cousin who “knows how to make cocktails” mans the table.
Done. Right?
Let’s actually do the maths.
When you DIY, you’re buying retail. Full-price bottles. Ice you have to source and figure out how to keep cold. Cups, napkins, garnishes, mixers all of it adds up separately. And then there’s the time cost: the running around, the logistics, the fact that you’re mentally coordinating drinks while you’re supposed to be present at your own event.
You’re also absorbing all the risk. Over-buy? That’s money sitting unused after the event. Under-buy? Someone’s making an emergency run mid-party which happens more often than people expect.
A professional cocktail bar service covers all of that. Procurement, logistics, staffing, equipment, setup, and service. It’s one package.
And because vendors buy in volume and know their quantities, the actual per-drink cost often isn’t as far from DIY as you’d think.
What you’re really paying for with a service like OTRwithB isn’t just drinks. It’s the freedom to actually be present at your own event. Professionalism. Expertise. And aesthetically pleasing presentation.
You spent months planning this. The drinks are what guests hold in their hands all night. The experience is what they remember. That’s probably not where you want to cut corners.
Curious what a proper cocktail bar experience would cost for your event? Send us a message and let’s break it down together.