Fundraising Auction Procurement Trend - A Cocktail Instruction Party
Cocktails are hot! As I travel to different cities
, I invariably read an article on the train or plane about some local cocktail bar, a local bartender who has created a fabulous new cocktail, or even the types of music to play at a cocktail party.
Why not ride this benefit auction trend and work to incorporate a cocktail element into your own auction?
Is there a up-and-coming bartender in your city? Or maybe you know of a popular place that the after-five o'clock crowd likes to frequent?
At one benefit auction earlier this year, I sold a unique cocktail package. It consisted of a two-hour cocktail instruction for six guests and was hosted by a popular mixologist known for his unique spin on traditional drinks.
The item sold for $900 - almost twice its value - and drew lots of interest from the crowd. We sold the same item a few months later at a different event for $1500. Not a bad price!
This particular bartender had won the regional semi-finals for the Domaine de Canton Bartender of the Year competition in December 2008, beating out nine top New York bartenders. No doubt about it, he had a strong resume.
But even if you select someone with less credentials, it's a good package. Most of us aren't making unique cocktails on a regular basis, so any personable bartender (and really, what bartender isn't?) will be able to teach your guests something of value.
Your bartender could start the session by teaching bar basics, such as why bottles are arranged in a specific order along the back bar. Or tricks for remembering that the grapefruit juice is an ingredient in Sea Breeze, while pineapple juice goes into a Bay Breeze. Or why any drink with the word "wall" in its title means Galliano is one of the drink's ingredients. Perhaps your mixologist could teach three different cocktails in the class, including his (or the restaurant's) signature drink.
The other advantage of asking for this donation is that there is a good chance that if a trendy restaurant won't donate you a dinner, the management might be open to donating a cocktail-only instruction. This type of donation is less expensive than a full-blown dinner, so some restaurants might favor it.
Go ahead - impress your local establishments with your creativity and give it an ask.
And friends, lest you forget ... it's always polite to invite your auctioneer to the fun. I'll be keeping an eye on my email for your invite.
Copyright (c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC
by: Sherry Truhlar
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