Book the date before the calendar closes.
December runs on a first-come calendar in New York City. Popular Thursdays and Fridays go three to six weeks before they are held; the last two weeks of December sell out earliest. Send the inquiry the day the date is signed off internally. An inquiry does not hold the date or take payment — we reply with availability and the next step.
If you can, send two candidate dates in the inquiry. That doubles the chance of landing the venue window and the bar team you want.
December compresses into a three-week window between the first Monday of December and the last Friday before offices close. That window has to absorb every corporate holiday event in the city; venues, caterers, bar teams and event staff are all quoting against the same handful of Thursdays and Fridays. The week after Thanksgiving is the latest reasonable moment to send the inquiry; the week of is possible but leaves less room to negotiate the mixlist or the venue window.
Do the guest-count math first.
The standard packages assume a two-hour service window with a 20-guest minimum. For guest counts above 120, we add a second Barsys 360 machine so the queue at the bar never sits longer than a couple of drinks. Above 200, plan for two machines plus a Shaker Pro station and two bartenders, or a three-hour service window with the extra hour billed at $500.
Pick the package the party actually wants.
Three tiers, priced per guest. Two-hour baseline included; extra hours are $500 each.
- Classic — $55 per guest. One curated mixlist, one Barsys 360, one bartender, glassware and garnish. The right choice for a team-only holiday drinks night up to about 60 people, or a low-key client thank-you.
- Signature — $85 per guest. Two or three mixlists, premium mixers, dry garnishes, a second bartender for larger rooms. This is where most office holiday parties land: enough menu variety for a mixed room, still one flat per-guest number.
- Reserve — $225 per guest. Up to five curated mixlists, a dedicated event lead, glass-forward garnishes. The choice for client-facing evenings, executive dinners and milestone celebrations.
See the tier comparison on the packages page. Two-hour baseline. Tax and extras are confirmed in the proposal.
Do not skip the zero-proof list.
Three of the 27 mixlists are zero-proof. They pour on the same Barsys 360 machines, garnished by the same bartenders, priced the same. For a December party this matters: there are always people driving, on medication, pregnant, or simply not drinking that night, and a zero-proof list on the tablet means every guest gets a made drink.
More on the machines and menus at zero-proof events.
Prep the venue.
The Barsys 360 needs one outlet and no plumbing. It weighs 10 lbs and sits on a 44 x 20 x 43 cm footprint — a two-foot stretch of any bar or credenza. The insulated canisters hold cold for six hours without refrigeration, so a boardroom or a rooftop works equally well. Confirm with building management: after-hours access, a passenger elevator for the equipment, and a cleared bar surface.
A timeline that actually works.
- Six weeks out. Send the inquiry with date, guest count and venue. We reply with availability and a proposal.
- Four weeks out. Confirm the package tier and pick the mixlists from the library of 27. Signature and Reserve include tastings on request.
- Two weeks out. Lock the guest count and finalize the menu. This is when the bartender scheduling and ingredient orders go in.
- Week of. Share the venue access details, service start time and any custom garnish or brand asks.
- Day of. The Barsys team arrives one hour before service. Setup, service, cleanup are handled.
Menu decisions for a December room.
A December bar reads differently than an April one. The mixlist library has 27 collections; a handful land better at a holiday party than the rest. Warm-toned spirits — bourbon, rye, mezcal — pull ahead of gin and vodka. Cranberry, pomegranate and citrus zest garnishes photograph better against a room in evening lighting. And the zero-proof list matters more in December than any other month: office holiday parties are the events people bring family to, drive to, or attend at the end of a long week when they do not want to overdo it.
On Signature ($85 per guest), the two- or three-mixlist format usually reads: one cocktail-forward menu with a signature bourbon or rye drink, one lighter menu with a gin or vodka drink for the room, and a zero-proof menu on the same 360. On Reserve ($225 per guest), five mixlists gives room for a champagne cocktail, a bespoke drink named for the company, and a full non-alcoholic tier. See holiday parties for the full format.
What actually happens on the night.
The Barsys team arrives an hour before service. Two people carry in a 360 and a Shaker Pro station — the 360 is 10 lbs and the whole footprint is 44 x 20 x 43 cm, so this is a two-person job, not a truck job. Canisters get loaded with the mixlist ingredients. The tablet gets paired over Bluetooth 5.0. The garnish tray gets set. Ten minutes before service, the room is a working bar.
Guests walk up, look at the tablet, tap the drink they want, and watch the machine pour. The bartender shakes, strains and garnishes. Peak throughput on one 360 sits at about 30 drinks an hour with a bartender, comfortable for a 60-guest room over two hours. Above that count, we add a second machine or extend the service window with the $500-per-hour add.
What is not in the per-guest number.
The per-guest rate covers the bar service, the machines, the ingredients on the chosen mixlists, the bartenders, setup and cleanup. Tax lands on the invoice. Additional service hours are $500 each. A custom-branded garnish program (company logo on ice, printed cocktail napkins, a bespoke recipe named for the occasion) is an itemized line. Venue-imposed charges — freight elevator fees, corkage on outside beer and wine, security minimums for after-hours access — sit with the venue and appear on the proposal for transparency.
There are no online bookings and no online payments. The proposal goes out by email; it is signed off, deposit and terms agreed, before the date is held.
Common questions before the inquiry.
- Can we run the bar alongside a catered dinner? Yes. The 360 sits on a two-foot stretch of counter and does not need plumbing, so it works as a stationed bar in a room that is also plated.
- Do you handle beer and wine too? The bar service is cocktail-forward, but we can staff the beer and wine service alongside the 360 on Signature and Reserve if the venue allows outside beverage. If the venue has an in-house beverage program, we integrate with theirs.
- What if guest count changes? The proposal is signed against an estimated count; a final count is locked two weeks before the date. Small deltas (under 10 percent) do not change the tier.
- Is a deposit required? Yes. Deposit, cancellation and rescheduling terms are on the proposal. An inquiry does not take payment; the proposal does.
Talk to the team.
Email contact@barsys.com or call +1 315-304-3820. Barsys, Inc., 44 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018.
Send two dates.
December calendars are tight. Include a first-choice and a fallback date in the inquiry; the team will come back with availability against both and a proposal for the tier and mixlists that fit the guest count.