“I only drink Champagne on two occasions, when I am in love, and when I am not” - Coco Chanel
Let us introduce Love Made Me Weddings’ third ‘meet the suppliers’ blog star, who will be more than ready and willing to hand you that glass of champagne: The Drunken Jockeys.
“Born out of the belief that a bar should be much more than simply a place to get drinks, it should be an experience”, we love the way this trio think!
The Drunken Jockeys offer 5 beautiful mobile bars to bring the joy to weddings & events. Based in Surrey the 3 founding gents and their fantastic team of staff will offer you a creative and personal bar for your London (or further afield) wedding day, ready to cater to any tastes & style.
Let’s hear what they have to say! Over to Zack, Will & Will (don’t be fooled by their middle-class names & schoolboy smiles - these men know how to work hard!!) …
LMMW: What can The Drunken Jockeys do best at a wedding?
DJ: Our founding ethos is that a bar should be much more than just a place to get a drink, it should be an experience. Our bars give us the opportunity to be creative, immersive and most importantly fun! We never treat two weddings the same and continually adapt to the theme, atmosphere or message of the day.
LMMW: Who ARE the Drunken Jockeys core team? Can you match each personality to a drink?
DJ: The Drunken Jockeys was founded by three of us, all best mates from school. I think we all have very distinct personalities which work together really well.
Will (Isaacs) is a real people person and a great manager on the night. If I had to choose a drink for him it would be mischievous, loud, definitely strong, but also a tad cheesy… The classic Pina Colada with a cheeky extra shot for good measure.
Will (Burchill) is our master mixer, spreadsheet extraordinaire and resident photographer. Complex and detailed, but always a lot of fun he would have to be a Caipirinha. You really can’t do much better and he makes a mean one!
Zack is the visionary and creative genius of the team. Always inventing new and exciting ideas to bring out the personalities of our clients through set design to make each and every event unique. Zack’s cocktail pairing would be a Drunken Dark & Stormy. This is made up of a double measure of Rumbilion rum, lime wedges, lashings of fiery ginger beer and topped off with a float of dark rum. Strong, fiery, refreshing and never leaves you disappointed…
LMMW: One classic drink every wedding should have & one that we won't have thought of before (perhaps for when things get funky
DJ: This has to be a gin based, probably a G&T. It’s a real people pleaser and so easy to tweak with the incredible range of local gins on the market to ensure there’s something for everyone. Supporting small & local is a cause dear to our hearts, shout-out to Distillers of Surrey and The Gin Kitchen, two fabulous Surrey distilleries!
One drink seldom seen is a winter warmer which works great for Autumnal and Winter weddings. We called it ‘Mulled Fireside’. We use a great little gin from a Tyneside distiller called Poetic Licence. Cloudy apple juice, ginger beer and cinnamon topped with a double shot is great for a late-night tipple to keep your guests warm and toasty.
LMMW: There has been a strong increase in numbers of guests who choose not to drink. What non-alcoholic alternatives would you suggest the wedding bar can offer?
DJ: Non-alcoholic drinks are on the rise, make no mistake about it. It goes without saying all guests should catered for and we don’t just mean a water jug on a trestle table.
Mocktails are an area we are starting put a lot of time, making use of seasonal fruits and home made puree’s but our favourite is our Traditional English homemade lemonade. A closely guarded recipe passed down from the house of Burchill!
LMMW: Do you have a particular moment from a past wedding that you've worked out that has stayed with you? e.g. An exquisite first dance, the wedding cake of your dreams, a cheeky best man or any strange bar requests?
DJ: A standout moment was definitely when at a book themed wedding, where Terry Pratchet was prominent, one of the guests 3D printed the 3 tiered diskworld model to make custom table place names. Something so small, but it’s the little things that really show personality and it’s always stuck with me.
LMMW: It's the last song of the night, you're leaving on a high, what do you ask the DJ to play?
DJ: It’s a no brainer, “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver. It has it all.
LMMW: What's your favourite area/bar/restaurant/thing to do in London? Give us your London sweet spot…
DJ: You’re really digging for our secrets! One of the best nights out we have had in the last 6 months has to be The Groucho Club in Soho. A friend took us along and we danced our socks off until we were turfed out at closing time. Great night!
Other than that Four Quarters in Peckham is a naughty little bar full of old games consoles is a great place to start!
LMMW: Company aims for 2021 & any predictions for the new trends in the events industry?
DJ: We are so young in comparison to some other brands. Our main aim is to cement ourselves in the industry. We love what we do, it really is our passion so to keep doing what we are doing, I can’t wait to see what new bars we can create.
A lean to even more immersive wedding sets, if that’s what we want to call them, is something we can see happening. More vintage props, carnival lights & foliage that create a really unique atmosphere and setting is ramping up (something we love).
In terms of bars and drinks, we as suppliers are taking a more ‘hands on’ approach to helping our couples. Finding more opportunities to personalise aspects of the day from unique drinks to custom menus, furniture & more elaborate bar sets. Horseboxes have probably reached their peak with clients looking for something different.
—
Thanks so much to Zack, Will & Will for taking the time to chat with us. We will forever be fan-girling over your bars and style & love the openness and truth to all that you are saying.
If you would like The Drunken Jockeys manning one of their ingenious mobile bars at your wedding please don’t hesitate to get in touch . Cheers & love to all! x