Service · Liverpool · Manchester · North West
Hands-on, expert-led cocktail classes brought to your venue, office or front room. Three cocktails per guest, history and technique you'll actually remember, and the laugh of trying to flair a bottle without dropping it. From £35 per person.
The service, in plain English
What it is
An interactive cocktail-making experience hosted at your location by a senior mixologist. Guests learn the history, technique and balance behind three iconic cocktails, then build and drink their own.
Who it's for
Hen parties, stag dos, milestone birthdays, corporate team days, client entertainment, brand activations, school-leavers, retirement parties, anyone who wants something more memorable than 'we went to a bar'.
When you need it
Afternoons, evenings, weekends, wherever you have a room with a table, power and water. Most popular slots: Saturday afternoons in summer, Friday after-work in winter.
Why it matters
Sitting at a restaurant table is fine. Building a Negroni from scratch with your team, then drinking the one your colleague made wrong on purpose, is a story you tell at work for the next two years.
The cost of getting this wrong
We've inherited every kind of let-down: classes where one person made one drink, courses run by someone whose only qualification was working a chain bar for six months, and 'experiences' where half the kit didn't arrive. Done badly, a cocktail class is the most expensive way to drink a single mediocre Espresso Martini.
Our process
Tell us group size, vibe (chilled hen, competitive corporate, milestone birthday) and we recommend the format.
Pick three cocktails from our menu, or build a bespoke list around a theme (gin-led, low-ABV, classic 1920s, etc.).
Host arrives 45 minutes early with bar, glassware, ingredients, shakers, jiggers and aprons, everything per-guest.
90 minutes of history, technique demos, hands-on shakes, prize for best presentation, then sit back and enjoy round three.
Kit removed, space left clean. Recipes emailed to every guest so they can recreate the night at home.
What you actually get
Every guest builds every drink themselves, not a single demo-and-sip in the entire class.
Classes are hosted by senior bartenders with 8+ years of bar experience, not weekend trainees.
Recipe cards emailed afterwards mean guests can recreate the cocktails at home, and most do.
Cocktail history, flair tricks, blind taste-tests and team competitions baked into every class.
Real lime juice, real syrups, premium base spirits. No sour mix, ever.
Your home, office, garden, function room or hotel suite, we bring the entire setup.
Indicative pricing · from
Two ways to book your class: 'Tutor Only' if you'd like us to send a tailored shopping list and arrive with the kit, or 'The Works' if you'd rather we turn up with bar, ingredients, glassware and prizes. Minimum 10 guests; final flat-rate quote is built bespoke around group size, format and venue.
All prices shown are priced from, ex VAT, and indicative only. Your final flat-rate quote is built bespoke to your guest count, venue and date.
One senior cocktail tutor for a 10 to 25 guest class, including all bar-making kit, setup and breakdown, and a tailored HTB shopping list and event guide. You provide ingredients, ice and glassware.
Upgrade to 'The Works' (adds ingredients, glassware, branded aprons, notes booklet and winner's prize)
per guest
Additional prize
1
Late travel surcharge (after 23:30)
1
Travel outside standard radius (per round trip)
1
Everything in 'Tutor Only' plus all ingredients, glassware, HTB branded aprons, recipe and notes booklet for every guest, and a winner's prize for the best cocktail of the night. You provide the room.
Additional cocktails above the standard three per guest (includes glassware)
per guest
Gin Masterclass upgrade (tasting flight plus infused G&T builds)
1
Molecular Mixology add-on module (spheres, foams, smoking serves)
1
Themed welcome drink on arrival (per guest)
1
All prices are 'priced from', exclude VAT and assume our standard North West coverage area. Bespoke menus, themed setups (hen, stag, milestone birthday, brand activation) and multi-station classes for 30 plus guests are quoted individually. Your final quote is flat-rate and itemised, with no per-cocktail or per-guest surprises after the event.
The detail
Cocktail classes split into three honest categories. Knowing which one you're booking is the difference between a great night and a disappointing one.
We run three formats depending on what your group actually wants to do.
Every guest gets their own jigger, shaker, mixing glass and apron for the duration of the class. Ingredients are pre-portioned per cocktail so no one runs out. Three full-size finished cocktails per person are included; additional drinks bolted on at cost.
Sweet spot is 10–24 guests. Below 8 the energy drops; above 30 you need two hosts. We've run classes for 60 people across multiple stations and corporate offsites for 120 in waves.
We've hosted classes everywhere from penthouse Airbnbs in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle to boardrooms in Spinningfields. The only requirements are a flat surface (table or kitchen island), a sink within 10m, and one 13A socket.
Our most popular use case. We bring everything, the class runs to a predictable timeline, photos look great on the group chat, and your guests get something they couldn't book themselves. Sashes, themed playlists and Polaroid cameras available as add-ons.
Used by clients including Vodafone, Unilever and Virgin Money for team days, client entertainment, sales kick-offs and Christmas parties. We provide signed risk assessments, alcohol-free 'mocktail' alternatives for non-drinkers, and discreet shut-off if anyone's had enough.
Common questions
Still unsure? Call us, we'll talk you through it in five minutes, no pressure.
07595 600776Classes start from £35 per person for 10–14 guests (three cocktails each, 90 minutes). Premium themed formats and bespoke menus start from £55pp. Group discounts apply above 20 guests.
Standard format is 90 minutes. Add-on options (welcome drink, fourth cocktail, molecular module) extend to 2.5 hours. We tailor pacing to the group's energy.
Absolutely. We provide full mocktail alternatives at no extra charge, same techniques, same kit, just zero-proof spirits and syrups.
Yes, Cheshire, Wirral, Chester, Preston, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Altrincham and the wider North West with no travel charge inside 40 miles. North Wales, the Lakes and Yorkshire on request.
Anywhere with a flat table, sink within 10m and a power socket. Home kitchens, garden marquees, boardrooms, hotel suites, Airbnbs and function rooms all work brilliantly.
Yes, themed menus, prosecco welcome drinks, props and personalised recipe cards are all available. Tell us the celebrant's favourite cocktail and we'll build the class around it.
Saturday hen-party slots fill 8–12 weeks ahead in summer. Corporate slots are easier, usually 4 weeks. Same-week bookings often possible on weeknights.
Minimum 8 guests for the standard rate (we'll quote smaller groups as private hire). Maximum 60 with multi-station setup.
Just the space and the guests. We bring bar, ingredients, glassware, kit, aprons and the host.
It's designed for total beginners. The host walks every step, the equipment is foolproof, and most guests are surprised at how quickly they're shaking like a pro.
The small print
These terms and conditions apply to all contracts for the provision of services to the exclusion of any other terms. Booking confirmations made verbally or in writing are subject to these terms. By purchasing a service from Hire the Barman, you, as the client, agree to these terms of sale. These terms do not replace or affect your statutory rights.
All quotations (verbal or written) are valid for seven days from the date of enquiry. Hire the Barman cannot guarantee the date will remain available after these seven days. To confirm and hold a booking, the client must provide a 50% non-refundable deposit by electronic transfer or debit/credit card. We do not accept payment by cheque. The remaining balance is due 7 days before the event. All monies are requested by electronic invoice.
In the event of a cancellation, Hire the Barman requires notice in writing 14 days before the date of the event. Failure to do so will result in full payment being charged. Booking deposits are non-transferable and non-refundable unless otherwise agreed in writing prior to booking.
Should you wish to make significant changes to your event, Hire the Barman reserves the right to amend the rates and facilities offered accordingly.
Hire the Barman does not provide a paid bar service and therefore has no involvement in any licensing matters and is not responsible for any breaches of licence.
Where parking is required by Hire the Barman, adequate arrangements must be made by the client by prior arrangement; vehicle registrations will be provided. Where Hire the Barman is providing cocktail ingredients and glassware, adequate loading facilities must be provided. Hire the Barman will not be held responsible for difficulties that result in delays to service.
Hire the Barman will not be held responsible for 'lack of flair' if the environment provided is unsuitable or the bartender is deemed too busy, in line with our recommendation of one bartender per forty guests.
Rates and invoices are subject to change, without notice, dependent on the client's requirements, additional hours and stock. Additional hours requested by the client by negotiation with the bartender at the time of the event will be charged at the full hourly rate.
Full payment of invoice is due to Hire the Barman within 30 days. Any outstanding payments after this time will be passed to a collection agency to recover on behalf of Hire the Barman. Any associated costs, including interest, legal and court fees, will be added to the outstanding balance and passed to the client for payment.
Insurance is provided via Commercial Express. Public Liability: £5,000,000. Employers Liability: £10,000,000.
The client is responsible for the behaviour and conduct of their guests. Hire the Barman will not tolerate verbally or physically abusive behaviour towards any member of staff or individual. The client is responsible for damage to, or loss of, any equipment.
Where Hire the Barman is unable to provide services as agreed due to circumstances outside its control (weather, transport problems and similar), it will not be held liable for any loss, cancellation or delay. Hire the Barman does not accept responsibility for the overall success of an event. These terms are deemed accepted by payment of invoice and are subject to change at the discretion of Hire the Barman in part or in whole.
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