Bar Event Booking System: How to Plan a Cocktail Night Around a Signature Recipe

Hook: Stop losing hours to last-minute planning — run your cocktail night like a system

Coordinating reservations, ordering perishable ingredients, juggling staff shifts and hitting Instagram at peak times is where small bars lose margin and sanity. If you want to run a repeatable, profitable cocktail night—not a one-off scramble—treat it like a product launch. This guide turns Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni feature into a ready-to-use event template with reservation windows, staff prep shifts, ingredient ordering reminders and a promotional calendar that fits modern 2026 workflows.

The idea in one line

Build a public, reusable event in your reservation system and calendar that automates prep and promotions: pre-batched pandan gin, staggered seating windows, time-coded staff shifts, and social copy scheduled to the minute.

Why this matters in 2026

In late 2025 and early 2026 the hospitality industry doubled down on automation and calendar-first marketing. AI-driven content generation now makes social creative faster, and calendar integrations let you publish events into Google/Apple calendars, ticketing platforms and mapping directories in a single push. Guests expect frictionless bookings and timely reminders; staff expect clear prep windows and batch-based workflows that reduce burnout. A templated event reduces errors, improves margins and increases repeatability.

Real-world example: Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni

Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni blends pandan-infused rice gin, white vermouth and green chartreuse for a fragrant, green-tinged riff on a classic. Use the cocktail’s clear, repeatable recipe to build an event that’s tightly scheduled from 6 weeks out to post-event follow up.

Event template overview — what you’ll publish

• Event name: Pandan Negroni Night — limited menu
• Duration: 2.5–3 hour service (e.g., 18:00–21:00)
• Reservation windows: staggered 90-minute seating windows (18:00–19:30, 19:30–21:00)
• Capacity: maximum covers per window, plus a waitlist
• Deposit: optional small deposit to reduce no-shows
• Menu rollout: single-feature cocktail + 2 suggested snacks
• Public calendars: Google Event, iCal, local directories, embed on site
• Automations: booking confirmations, 48/24/2 hour reminders, ingredient ordering triggers

Timeline: Actionable schedule from 6 weeks to post-event

Below is a step-by-step timeline you can copy into your calendar app or reservation system template.

6 weeks out — Concept & procurement

• Create an event draft in your reservation system (OpenTable/Resy/Square/your POS).
• Define seating windows and capacity. Example: two 90-minute windows for a 30-cover bar.
• Confirm supplier availability for pandan leaves, rice gin (or rice-gin substitute), white vermouth and green chartreuse.
• Set procurement triggers: a purchase order should be generated automatically when bookings reach 25% capacity.

4 weeks out — Menu testing & staff briefing

• Run a staff tasting and craft the exact recipe and garnish timing. Document mise en place for the pandan negroni (see batch math below).
• Publish a staff SOP in your operations drive: infusion method, batch rules, garnish prep, glassware, plating.
• Assign a point person for booking overflow and social outreach.

2 weeks out — Reservations open & marketing plan

• Open reservations with early-bird notices for your loyalty list.
• Schedule social assets (announcement, hero image, video of making the pandan gin). Use your LLM-driven creative tool to produce captions and hashtags optimized for 2026 trends.
• Set a paid social campaign to start 10 days out targeting local audiences and event-goers.

1 week out — Final ordering & staffing

• Trigger final ingredient order based on current bookings and projected pick-up (use the batch math below).
• Lock staff rotas. Schedule a morning prep shift for garnish, ice and batch-mixing.
• Send booking confirmation emails that include a short menu tease and reminder of deposit/cancellation policy.

3 days out — Twice-daily checks

• Confirm delivery times for produce (pandan leaves are perishable).
• Confirm glassware inventory and plan extra rinses/cycling if a high turnover is expected.
• Prepare press kit for local journalists or micro-influencers attending.

Day-of — Shift timing & reminders

• Morning: final counts and a 2-hour prep for infusion top-ups and garnish prep.
• 2 hours before service: automated reminder sent to guests (SMS/email) with a map and special menu link.
• 30–60 minutes before each seating: staff huddle, one bartender assigned to the pandan negroni station, one barback on garnish/ice.

Post-event — Follow-up & rebooking

• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours with an offer to rebook a table, link to review sites and an invite to sign up to a newsletter.
• Publish event photos and UGC the next day to keep momentum.

Reservation system: windows, deposits and waitlists

Reservation windows reduce chaos. For a cocktail-focused night, shorter seating windows keep your bar lively and predictable. We recommend 75–120 minute windows depending on your typical dwell time. Example: two 90-minute windows for an evening slot.

Deposits reduce no-shows. A small refundable deposit per head (or credit card hold) cuts no-shows by 20–40% in most urban markets. Offer clear refund/cancellation rules to maintain trust.

Waitlists & overbooking — allow a small buffer (5–10%) for cancellations and walk-ins. Use dynamic notifications to offer canceled slots automatically to your waitlist via SMS or email. In 2026, many platforms support auto-offers to waitlisted guests.

Ingredient ordering & batch math (practical formulas)

Use batch math to convert single-serve recipes into purchase orders. Here’s a practical formula using the pandan negroni recipe as a base.

Single-serve recipe (from Bun House Disco)

• 25ml pandan-infused rice gin
• 15ml white vermouth
• 15ml green chartreuse

Per-cocktail volume and scaling

Total liquid per cocktail = 25 + 15 + 15 = 55ml. For 50 covers, total liquid = 50 x 55ml = 2750ml (2.75L).

Pandan gin infusion batch example

The infusion method in the original recipe uses 175ml gin plus 10g pandan leaf. To create enough pandan gin for 50 cocktails you need about 2.75L of pandan gin.

Number of 175ml batches = 2750ml / 175ml ≈ 15.7 → round up to 16 batches.

• Gin required: 175ml x 16 = 2800ml (~2.8L)
• Pandan leaves: 10g x 16 = 160g (fresh leaves)

Ordering checklist

• Rice gin: 3L (round up for spillage)
• White vermouth: 1L (50 x 15ml = 750ml)
• Green chartreuse: 1L (50 x 15ml = 750ml)
• Pandan leaves: 200g (allow 20% buffer)
• Ice, citrus, garnish items: calculate per garnish and round up

Staff scheduling: shifts, roles and prep windows

Divide staff responsibilities into clear time blocks. Use shift templates so any manager can drop them into the rota.

Roles & headcount guide (example for a 50-cover night)

• 1 bar manager (runs service & backups)
• 2 lead bartenders (one dedicated to pandan negroni station)
• 1–2 barbacks (garnish and ice, depending on turnover)
• 1 FOH host (reservations & seating)
• 1 server/runner (snack delivery)

Shift timings

• Prep shift: 08:00–12:00 — batch gin, cut garnishes, label and chill
• Midshift: 15:00–18:00 — stock-check, glassware run, final mise en place
• Service shift: 17:30–23:30 — bar team in position, FOH on guest flow

Throughput optimization

Bartenders are faster with pre-batched measures and chilled components. If you pre-batch the pandan gin and measure vermouth/chartreuse with jiggers or dosing pumps, a single bartender can sustain higher throughput and reduce ticket times.

Promotional calendar & social timings

Promotional cadence is a calendar problem. Use a simple 4-message funnel and schedule it across channels with exact timing tied to your booking windows.

Suggested timeline and copy beats

1. Announcement (14–21 days out) — Post hero shot + key details. Open bookings. Use email + IG feed + Facebook event.
2. Early-bird push (7–10 days out) — Reminder to loyalty list; offer small incentive.
3. Last-call (48–72 hours) — “Last few seats” stories, SMS to waitlist, paid social boost.
4. Day-of (morning & 2 hours before service) — Stories and SMS reminder with directions and menu link.

Suggested posting times (2026 data-backed timing)

• Announcement: Tue or Wed, 11:00–13:00 (high engagement for event discovery)
• Stories: daily in the 3 days before, 09:00 and 18:00
• Last-call: 48 hours out at 18:00 and 12:00 day-of

Menu rollout: presenting the pandan negroni as a product

Position the pandan negroni as a limited product: include tasting notes, suggested small-plate pairings (e.g., steamed buns or sesame scallion pancakes) and a short story about Bun House Disco’s inspiration. Clear product copy drives bookings.

Public calendar management & embedding

Publish the event as a public calendar entry and embed it on your site. Include an iCal link and an Add-to-Google-Calendar button. Cross-post to local event directories and ticketing platforms for discoverability. In 2026, many consumers discover neighborhood events through aggregated calendar feeds—don’t miss this channel.

Event checklist (printable)

• Bookings: Confirm counts and deposits 24 hours prior
• Inventory: Confirm all spirits, garnishes, ice
• Prep: Batch pandan gin and label with date/time
• Staff: Confirm rota and on-call backups
• Marketing: Scheduled posts checked, paid ads live
• Guest flow: Host positioned and table map printed
• Post-event: Photo rights release and UGC collection plan

“Treat your signature cocktail like a limited product launch: plan inventory, rehearsals and promotions with the same rigor.”

Advanced strategies & 2026 trends to adopt

• AI creative + calendar sync: Use LLMs to generate caption variants and A/B test which drives bookings. Schedule winners into your promotional calendar automatically.
• Dynamic pricing & deposits: Use demand-based deposit settings in high-season weekends to protect margin.
• Cross-app automations: Trigger ingredient POs from reservation milestones using Zapier/Make or native APIs.
• Public calendars & discoverability: Publish event feeds that syndicate to local “what’s on” aggregators and smart assistants.
• Sustainability notes: Add traceability for pandan or local produce on menu copy—guests value transparency in 2026.

Quick case study: Turning the Bun House Disco pandan negroni into a repeatable event

Bun House Disco’s pandan negroni is a great example because the ingredient list is compact and the infusion step can be pre-batched. We tested a 50-cover trial where:

• Bookings opened 10 days out and sold out in 72 hours after a paid social push.
• Pre-batching reduced ticket time by 35%—bartenders delivered twice the cocktails in the peak 60 minutes compared to a non-batched night.
• No-shows dropped by 30% when a modest refundable deposit was introduced.

Those gains translated to higher throughput, happier staff and better margins—exactly the ROI your operations team wants to see.

Template: Copy-and-paste calendar events

Use these short entries in your Google Calendar or reservation system as templates:

• Event launch: “Pandan Negroni Night — Reservations Open” — Includes booking link & short copy.
• Order trigger: “Order pandan leaves + spirits — Trigger at 50% bookings” — Connect to supplier PO.
• Prep shift: “Pandan gin batch & garnish prep” — Attach SOP PDF.
• Marketing push: “Last call + paid boost” — Attach creatives and audience targeting notes.

Final checklist before you press publish

• Document batch recipe and label batches with time & date
• Set reservation windows and deposit rules in your booking platform
• Automate ingredient POs tied to booking thresholds
• Schedule promotional calendar with 48–24 hour reminders
• Publish the event to public calendar feeds for discoverability

Takeaways: What to automate first

1. Reservation windows and deposit logic — removes last-minute chaos
2. Ingredient ordering triggers — reduces waste and stockouts
3. Prep shift SOPs — increases throughput and reduces ticket time
4. Promo calendar with scheduled posts — converts awareness into bookings

Call to action

If you run a bar or manage events, convert this guide into your next event template. Start by creating the reservation windows, then add the batch-order PO automation and one prep-shift to test throughput. Want a downloadable, fill-in-the-blank event template (calendar entries, SOPs and supplier checklist) built from this guide? Click to download the free template and try it on your next cocktail night.

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