"People still like to drink at weddings," observed Arvis Zēmanis, who not only works in the hospitality industry already has been leading weddings for more than 15 years, but also knows the bar culture in Latvia and other parts of the world. Most recently he became the winner of the World Class 2018 Latvian and all-Baltic stage of the bartending competition, so that in October, Latvia would be represented in the global competition, and he is also one of the authors of the idea and the manager of one from Riga for the most stylish new places - bar and cafe Herbārijs , which with its taste, hospitality and atmospheric photosynthesis will amaze everyone.

The quality of alcohol will affect the quality of the next day

Arvis Zēmanis, speaking about bars at weddings, recommends several important things:

1. First of all, when choosing alcoholic beverages for a wedding, you must include both strong alcohol and sparkling drinks and wine.

   

2. Similarly, when creating a cocktail menu, it should include refreshing cocktails suitable for summer, for example Aperol Spritz, Hugo, Mojito etc., and for core values. "I would recommend making no more than five at a wedding cocktail menu. When creating bars at a wedding, I usually go for a cocktail Cosmopolitan or type, which, in my opinion, is still the TOP drink in Latvia, then I will definitely include a refreshing cocktail, which includes, for example, rose lemonade, which fits perfectly into the wedding concept and don't forget about tested values, such as the Old Fashioned cocktail, has whiskey as the base recipe, but that's fine it also tastes good with rum and gin and has gained rapid popularity again in recent years," says Arvis.
   

When choosing alcoholic beverages, you must take into account their quality, because, as Arvis points out, alcohol the quality at the wedding will affect the quality of the whole day ahead.

To understand the nature of the guests and alcohol consumption habits

Arvis recommends entrusting the provision of alcohol and the organization of bars at weddings to professionals. Not only because they will be able to calculate the required amount of alcohol best, but with your presence you can also control alcohol consumption and quantity, for example in cocktails.

"When planning a wedding bar, I charge an average of 300-400 milliliters of wine per guest, although I must say that recently observations show that the consumption of wine is becoming less and less, as well as the same amount of hard alcohol.

Of course, it should be taken into account that every wedding is different, so when creating a bar, one of the most important things is cooperation with the new couple - they will know the best about their wedding guests and their alcohol consumption habits.

Understanding the nature of the guests is a vital prerequisite," admits Arvis, noting that without knowing the guests' habits, alcohol can be both missing and left over. Young couples often decide to bring alcoholic beverages themselves and afterwards at a wedding, find yourself in a situation where a large amount of alcohol is left over. To avoid such cases, better cooperate with professionals who offer a service to return alcohol, thus not creating excess losses.

World bar trends also become popular at weddings

Both wedding experts in the world and Arvis indicate that the time of excessively personalized cocktail names has passed. “I I recommend avoiding cocktail names such as Kiss of the Newlyweds, Midsummer Night's Dream or The Swan's Cry , because otherwise a bartender hired to make cocktails will spend a lot of time explaining their composition to the guests. There is a chance that the bartender will get tired of this duty and start making his own cocktails to make their work easier," says Arvis.

If personalized cocktail names have lost their popularity, then, as in all bar culture, they appear at weddings new trends such as sustainability, which means that large cocktail decorations, plastic are no longer in fashion use of straws, excessive use of napkins. Instead, increasingly, cocktails are made with straws drinking does not require or uses metal or bamboo straws.

On the other hand, cocktail decorations are currently dominated by minimalism and they have become a dot on the "i" for everyone for a cocktail - dried and dried fruits and vegetables are used, as well as all kinds of greens available in nature and even a drop of oil.

"A bar gives any event a special atmosphere, so you need to think so that not only its content, but also its form, in number, glasses, bottles and other things would be tasteful.

On the other hand, a bartender is the person who can set the tone for any event and its guests and raise the emotional the mood," assured Arvis.

PHOTO: LINDA LAUVA , EDGARS PHOTO