A moment with ‘The Bartenders’

ABIA meets Grant Hawthorne, director of this popular mobile bar and wedding cocktail catering service based in Noosa Heads

All images Jac Lee Weddings

Grant Hawthorne believes that wedding guests have better things to do than spend their time queueing at the bar for drinks, so he and the rest of The Bartenders aim to eliminate the wait as part of their commitment to high-quality service.

“Our team is the heart and soul of our service,” Grant explains. “We have meticulously recruited individuals who not only possess exceptional skills but also share a genuine passion for hospitality and weddings. Their friendly attitude and unwavering attention to detail ensure that every guest feels valued and special.”

Over a quick chat with Grant it soon becomes clear that carefully-crafted cocktails, flexible BYO packages and cocktail towers are also behind the popularity of this Noosa-based mobile wedding bar and cocktail catering service.

Tell us about your business and wedding services

The Bartenders are a team of expert beverage professionals, based on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. We offer bespoke bartending services that make wedding days unique and unforgettable, and for nine years we’ve been catering to weddings across South-East Queensland.

We don’t just serve drinks, we craft experiences and aim to create ambiance and atmosphere with our personalised touches, whether that’s designing signature cocktails to match a wedding theme or delivering impeccable service with a smile.

As a BYO service, we also allow couples the flexibility to supply their own alcohol, while we take care of the cocktail essentials, tailoring the experience to taste and budget.

How did you get started in the wedding industry?

I developed a passion for the bar industry straight out of school and spent a few years working at well-known bars and hotels around Noosa, before I decided to use my skillset to offer a unique experience for wedding couples and established The Bartenders in 2016.

Where are you based and what locations do you service?

Based in Noosa, we focus our services within Noosa, the Sunshine Coast and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, but we are also often spotted ‘shaking up a storm’ as far away as Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Hervey Bay.

What types of beverage catering do you offer?

We are best known for our quality cocktails and mocktails, which are consistently delicious and aesthetically presented, and we were leaders in the latest beverage trend as one of the first to introduce the cocktail tower at wedding receptions. We offer a range of beverage catering packages though, and all of them include beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages as standard.

Do you offer wedding food catering too?

Whilst our focus is on beverage service, we do also have a food catering arm, and work closely with some of the Sunshine Coast's best food caterers to offer a shared feast service and menu.

How can couples add their own flair? Can they come up with their own drinks’ menus and incorporate their own ideas?

While we do have a shortlist of proven favourites, we also offer couples the chance to create their own cocktails, and our experienced team of bartenders and mixologists are happy to discuss ideas for delicious signature cocktails to suit each couple and wedding.
Our BYO beverage service also allows couples the flexibility to choose what they'd like us to serve, and we have a team sommelier — with access to a handful of wholesale suppliers — who can assist with sourcing unique wines they might not otherwise have access to.

What drinks are trending at weddings at the moment?

Cocktails and champagne are always popular, but the biggest wedding drink trend of the moment is, without doubt, the cocktail tower. Like a champagne tower, only better, it gives couples the opportunity to serve any cocktail they like. We’ve done espresso martini towers, margarita towers and Clover Club towers, but the options are endless.

What do you supply? Are there any extra costs, associated with your service, that couples should be aware of?

Other than alcohol, we supply everything. So, cocktail provisions, equipment, glassware and excellent service are all included in our packages.

How many guests can you cater to, and how many staff are provided on the wedding day?

We have never had an event too large. Our current record is 360 seated guests, and even with this many we were still able to consistently offer our high-quality cocktails, attentive table service and no lines at the bar.
Most weddings are between 80 and 120 guests though, and we usually cater these with a team of four — venue, beverage choices and other logistics can alter this slightly though. We can also service intimate elopements and micro weddings with just one or two bartenders.

Tell us about your team’s approach to guest satisfaction

Our team is the heart and soul of our service and we have meticulously recruited individuals who not only possess exceptional skills but also share a genuine passion for hospitality and weddings. Their friendly attitude and unwavering attention to detail ensure that every guest feels valued and special. Our highest priority is guest satisfaction, and our team goes above and beyond to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Whether it's a large wedding or an intimate elopement, we strive to make every moment memorable with our dedicated service and impeccable cocktails.

What makes your mobile bar and cocktail catering service unique?

What makes us really stand out is that we have perfected the basics. We are all about consistently-delicious cocktails, an attentive and friendly team offering roaming and table service, with no lines at the bar.

We eliminate bar queues by prepping our cocktails in a commercial kitchen, using quality fresh ingredients and balancing out the flavours, so that we can make cocktails at each wedding quickly and with no sacrifice to quality. We also supply the best Hoshizaki ice as standard — keeping drinks cooler and eliminating excessive dilution — and serve our drinks in the highest-quality glassware. We even offer a range of glassware options to choose from. 

Read The Bartenders' ABIA Wedding Reviews

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