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.

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.

You’re welcome to book a mixologist or bartender for a 2-hour service; however, our minimum charge is based on a 3-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. At The Cocktail Queen, we set our minimum at 3 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.

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 ready for use.

- Cut and prepare garnishes for use to make the cocktails.

- Arrange standard bar equipment and liquor for ease of flow on top bar.

- Batch cocktails or ingredients as needed (if required but not preferred)

- Set up the blender station (if required)

- Prepare drinks or cocktails on trays, ready for service upon guest arrival.

What's not included in Prep Time.

All of the following are your responsibility on the day unless you have ordered a Full Bar Setup Service at an additional cost.

- 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.

• Bar Construction or physical setup

• Unpacking all stock you have purchased (liquor and mixes) and placing into tubs. All stock needs to be at the bar area on the day and unpacked and chilled ready for staff.

• Laying out bar for ease of flow including rubbish sector, and back of house area.

• Movement of glassware (that has been pre-delivered) or bars or stock to the bar location.

• Icing all stock you have purchased - To ensure optimal serving temperature, wines, beer and sparkling require at least 2.5-3 hours on ice prior to service. This also applies to large-scale alcohol load-ins, which can be time-consuming.

If you require a Full Bar Setup Service on the day or day prior - please contact us for a quote.

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.

We offer discount rates on staff when you book a BYO Cocktail Party or BYO Beverage Party Package with us. These packages contain everything you need to host a great event.