For general parties with cocktail service and bartending service, we advise that you follow the guide when hiring staff: up to 40 guests - 1 x Staff Person 40-70 guests - 2-3 x Staff Persons - depending on your requirements 70-90 guests - 3 x Staff Persons 90-110 guests- 4 x Staff Persons If you're envisioning a guest arrival experience with staff greeting guests at the door, tray in hand, or hosting a wedding reception with service to seated tables, please ensure you have engaged adequate staff for this level of service. Floor service requires additional personnel and careful planning. You can explore options and customise your requirements on our Staff Hire page. If you're unsure of what you'll need, just contact us directly—we’re happy to advise. A GENTLE REMINDER: We do not accept bookings for weddings or large-scale events where only one mixologist is requested for 100+ guests. Please don't phone and say you only need one Mixologist for 100 people when we know this is not appropriate. This places undue pressure on our staff, and we are committed to maintaining a positive work environment that reflects our high service standards. For appropriate staffing ratios, please contact us for guidance and a custom quote. ​

PLANNING A LARGE SCALE EVENT: We cater to events of over 120 guests, and for these occasions, the experience becomes more specialised. Larger events are quoted individually, with staffing ratios carefully tailored to suit your specific needs, location, and service expectations. All large-format events are managed through our dedicated division, CQ Events—featuring a team of specialist event coordinators. CQ Events offers a full-service experience, including beverage and food catering, styling, creative direction, music sourcing, marquee hire, equipment hire, and more. To discuss your vision for a large event, contact Nicole directly—we’ll ensure every detail is curated to perfection.

You’re welcome to book a mixologist or bartender for a 2-hour service; however, our minimum charge is based on a 3.5-hour shift. This is because, in practice, no hospitality professional is willing to work for just 2 hours—it’s simply not a viable or fair use of their time. Legally, the minimum shift requirement is 3 hours, and we go a step further.

At The Cocktail Queen, we set our minimum at 3.5 hours because we genuinely value our staff and are committed to ensuring they receive meaningful, well-compensated shifts. This policy helps us attract and retain top-tier talent, which directly benefits the quality of service at your event.

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📅 Public Holiday Surcharge Surcharge rates apply for all Public Holidays. If you book online for a date that falls on a public holiday, please note that your invoice will be adjusted to reflect the applicable holiday rates. We charge a 20% public holiday surcharge. For details on specific public holiday surcharges, feel free to contact us directly.

Due to the high level of expertise required in our field, combined with industry wage standards, taxes, and superannuation obligations, the profit margin for staff hire is minimal—particularly when glassware is not hired through The Cocktail Queen. This is why a premium rate applies in such cases.

For those with business experience or an appreciation for the value of skilled professionals, we trust you’ll understand the rationale behind our premium pricing. You're not simply hiring someone to serve drinks at your event—you’re investing in: - Our team’s extensive experience and commitment to excellence in hospitality - Personalised support from our office and event coordination team - Access to our proprietary menus, curated shopping lists, and event planning tools - The infrastructure and overheads that ensure a seamless, high-quality service

All of this is reflected in our pricing structure, which is designed to uphold the standards our clients expect and deserve. A Premium Rate applies when hiring any staff without a glassware hire package.

Prep Time refers to the dedicated period your mixologist spends getting the bar ready prior to service. During this time, they will: - Lay out all required glassware - Cut and prepare garnishes - Arrange equipment and liquor - Configure the bar for efficient flow, including placement of eskys, tubs, and glassware crates - Batch cocktails or ingredients as needed (if required but not preferred) - Fill ice buckets to chill cocktails - Set up the blender station (if required) - Locate and set up the designated rubbish area for bottle disposal - Prepare drinks or cocktails on trays, ready for service upon guest arrival

What's not included in Prep Time: - Bar construction or physical setup: This is your responsibility and can be done using the Bar Setup Checklist provided at booking. If you've hired one of our mobile bars, it's delivered and set up by our logistics team on the delivery day. - Icing all guest drinks: Unless additional time is booked, staff will not pre-chill wine, beer, or sparkling. To ensure optimal serving temperature, these beverages require at least 3 hours on ice prior to service. This also applies to large-scale alcohol load-ins, which can be time-consuming. If you'd prefer hands-off support for this, our Full Bar Setup Service is available at an additional cost.

Already booked a BYO package? Standard Prep time is built in—you don’t need to calculate anything.

Pack Down Time is the final service window where the bar is transitioned to a self-serve format. This includes basic clean-up, returning glasses to the bar, restocking tubs, and making glassware easily accessible for guests to help themselves. Staff do not serve during this time period. They are setting the bar up for you to continue making your own beverages or packing up the area if the function has ended.

Already booked a BYO package? Standard pack down time is built in—you don’t need to calculate anything.

If you are hiring a Senior Mixologist only, you’ll have access to our set standard menus, each featuring five cocktails. These menus are highly popular, and we find that five different cocktails is the perfect balance — it keeps guests happy while minimising waste. The standard menus include all the favourites, such as Espresso Martinis, Pornstar Martinis, Old Fashioneds, Amaretto Sours, and Margaritas. You can also upgrade to a Pick & Mix menu for an additional cost, giving you the flexibility to customise your cocktail selection and for those that want to offer 6 or more cocktails to their guests.

If you are hiring a Master Mixologist, you’ll have full access to the Pick & Mix menu, with the freedom to choose as many or as few cocktails as you like. Once you’ve chosen your menu, our system instantly generates a shopping list so you know exactly what to prepare for your event.

Once you’ve chosen your cocktail menu, our system instantly generates a detailed shopping list. This includes all the alcohol, mixes, and garnishes you’ll need — right down to the coffee beans for Espresso Martinis — as well as the number of bags of ice required for your event.

Upon booking, we supply you with a full barware setup guide to make preparation simple. If your bar is outdoors, it must have suitable cover — we cannot operate in rain or harsh sunlight, and no one wants to work in the wind, rain, or searing sun. You’ll need to ensure the bar is equipped with eskys, bar top tubs, menus, and other essentials prior to service, though these items can also be hired from us if needed. You must supply adequate, close‑at‑hand hot running water facilities for washing glassware (not dishes). If you are not hiring glassware from us, make sure you have plenty available, as disposable plastic cups often run out quickly. You’ll also need to print and display the menu we send you (if hiring the BYO package, this already includes an A4 framed menu). Finally, it’s essential that you purchase all the ingredients listed on the shopping list we provide — skimping on ingredients means your mixologist cannot make cocktails correctly, and ultimately it’s your guests who miss out.

To secure mixologists or bartenders, payment in full is required at the time of booking. Our online booking system makes the process instant and seamless — you can select the amount of prep time you need, allocate your service hours, and even add pack‑down time if required, all in one simple transaction. Our online booking system makes the process instant and flexible.

We accept a $350 or a $600 deposit for larger bookings for mixologists and bartender hire only, only when the total booking exceeds $900. $600 deposits are required when the booking exceeds $2200.

Our packages are in high demand and we take bookings for all events nearly 2 years in advance. If you enquire and don't book immediately and wait until closer to the date, we can't guarantee a team will be available for your designated date.

Please note that we do not hold dates or staff without either full payment or the required deposit.