Festival cocktails.Made for live service.

At Made in America, I worked as Tim McTee’s assistant on the beverage side. The case study examines the team’s documented cocktail batching and hospitality-area support within the wider festival production.

Read the Made in America festival cocktail-production case study →

A public-facing bar, a sponsor activation, and an artist hospitality area need different menus, staffing, and supply plans. Decide which areas belong in the beverage scope before comparing proposals. Include any exclusivity agreements and the existing concession or catering arrangements.

I develop cocktail menus, signature serves, and zero-proof options around the guest experience. Then we work through batching, what needs finishing at the bar, and how the team will explain the menu. A memorable drink still needs a practical place to be made.

The cocktail menu starts with the audience, sponsor brief, and service conditions. A public festival bar, a hosted brand experience, and an artist lounge do not need the same drinks or the same presentation.

• Public bars. Develop a focused menu, test each build, and agree the prep and finishing steps before briefing the crew.
• Sponsor activations. Create a signature cocktail around the product and campaign, with an approved recipe, presentation, and guest-facing explanation.
• VIP and artist hospitality. Match the selection and service style to the room, including zero-proof choices and ingredient information.

For batched cocktails, we agree quantities, preparation space, storage, dilution, labeling, and replenishment with the venue and production team. The event batching guide helps organize that discussion; the final plan depends on the recipe and site.

• Service peaks. Share the performance schedule, arrival pattern, and service windows. Plan staffing and preparation around when guests actually reach each bar.
• Replenishment. Identify cold storage, ice access, preparation space, and delivery routes. Assign responsibility for moving stock without blocking guests or other crews.
• Site conditions. Confirm power, water, waste handling, shelter, and the venue's weather procedures. Those constraints belong in the menu and equipment decisions.
• Service rules. Agree alcohol-service responsibility, age-verification procedures, sponsor restrictions, and escalation contacts with the authorized local parties.

The delivery model combines a core team, curated guest-facing talent, and local partners. I direct creative development and oversight; my onsite assignment is agreed in the scope. We identify the onsite beverage lead and the festival contact who can approve changes.

Staff briefing connects drink preparation with hospitality: what is being served, how to describe it, where supplies live, and who handles an issue. We own the agreed beverage production, not festival programming, security, or the whole event.

I am NYC-based and available for international commissions, subject to suitable local partners and venue and legal requirements. Destination sourcing and lawful service arrangements need confirmation before the production plan is final.

Send what you have: destination, dates, a site map, service areas, the audience estimate, sponsor commitments, and current vendors. Mark what is confirmed and what is still open. That gives us a useful starting point without pretending every variable is settled.

The bar staffing guide and run-of-show guide help organize those questions. Use the Cocktail BEO Builder to bring the beverage details together.