Hire a professional bartender or mixologist in London from £200 per four-hour event. Every member of our team holds a personal alcohol licence under the Licensing Act 2003, carries at least two years' professional cocktail bar experience, and is insured to £5 million. Available for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and product launches across all London boroughs and the Home Counties.
What's included
Professional bartender hire from The Sesh Bars covers licensed mixologists, all bar equipment, quality glassware, ice, full setup and breakdown, and public liability insurance. Bartenders arrive 90 minutes before service starts to build the bar, check stock, and prepare garnishes. They manage the bar entirely — no venue liaison required from you.
For full mobile bar hire packages, the hire includes a portable bar unit, draught equipment if required, branded or plain menu cards, and all consumables. For bartender-only bookings — where you supply the venue bar or equipment — we provide the staff, tools, and expertise without the physical bar structure.
Every booking is backed by £5 million public liability insurance. Our bartenders carry their personal licence documentation with them to every event and are trained in Challenge 25, responsible service of alcohol, and allergen awareness. They are comfortable with high-volume service — up to 400 covers per shift — and with detailed, slow-service cocktail menus.
Strike is included in all bookings. Bartenders clean down and remove all equipment at the end of the event, leaving the venue ready for the client's own breakdown team or venue staff. Overtime beyond the agreed service window is charged at £35 per bartender per hour, agreed in advance.
Credentials
Every bartender on our roster holds a personal alcohol licence issued under the Licensing Act 2003. This is a statutory licence granted by a local authority — not an internal company accreditation. It qualifies the holder to authorise the sale of alcohol and to supervise licensed premises. We do not supply unlicensed staff for any event.
Minimum experience on our roster is two years of paid, professional bar work. Most of our team carry five or more years across venues including Michelin-starred restaurants, five-star hotels, private members' clubs, and large-scale outdoor festivals. New bartenders join through a structured induction and are assessed on cocktail knowledge, service speed, and guest interaction before their first booking.
All bartenders are trained in Challenge 25 — the industry standard for age verification — and in responsible service protocols. They know when and how to refuse service and manage the situation without causing a scene. All team members are also trained in allergen awareness in line with the Natasha's Law requirements introduced in October 2021.
Public liability insurance covers all bartenders to £5 million per event. For high-value or complex events, additional cover can be arranged. Our team are fully referenced and background-checked before joining the roster. For large events requiring bar staff for hire in London, we can supply a full crew from a single point of contact.
Licence
Personal alcohol licence (Licensing Act 2003)
Experience
2+ years professional bar work, minimum
Insurance
£5m public liability per event
Pricing
Bartender-only hire — where you supply or already have a venue bar — starts from £200 per bartender for a four-hour event, including travel within the M25. A minimum of two bartenders applies for events over 100 guests. This rate covers the full shift including setup, service, and strike.
Full mobile bar packages with bartenders, portable bar unit, glassware, ice, and all consumables start from £1,800 for private events and £2,200 for corporate events. All-inclusive pricing runs from £6.50 to £7.50 per person per hour and covers every drink on the menu. There are no corkage fees, hidden surcharges, or last-minute additions.
Rates for specialist services — flair bartending, champagne sabrage, cocktail masterclasses, and theatrical service — are quoted separately. These are popular additions for product launches, awards nights, and luxury weddings where the bar is part of the entertainment.
Overtime is £35 per bartender per hour, agreed in writing before the event. Travel outside the M25 carries a supplement calculated per booking. For wedding-specific pricing and what that includes, visit our wedding bar hire London page. All quotes are provided free within 24 hours.
Bartender Only
From £200
Per bartender / 4 hrs
Full Bar Package
From £1,800
Private events
All-Inclusive
£6.50–£7.50/pp/hr
Everything included
Event types
Our bartenders work across every event type in London: weddings and wedding receptions from 30 to 300 guests, corporate events including Christmas parties, product launches, client entertainment, and awards ceremonies, and private parties covering birthdays, anniversaries, engagement parties, and hen dos.
For weddings, we assign a lead bartender who liaises with the venue coordinator and wedding planner from the week before the event. They confirm timings, access, glassware quantities, and any last-minute additions. On the day, the crew operates as part of the event team — not as an external contractor working in isolation.
Corporate clients often require high-volume service for 200 to 500 guests with a short service window. Our corporate crews are built for throughput: fast serves, efficient batching of cocktails, and full mise en place before doors open. We work to account invoice billing for recurring corporate clients.
Festival and outdoor events require different logistics — weatherproof setups, multiple bar points, cashless payment integration, and stock management across long service windows. Our festival crews are experienced across UK outdoor events at all scales. For the full picture on what our bar staff can do, see the cocktail menu for events page which outlines service styles and menu options by event type.
Choosing the right hire
Bartender hire and bar staff hire solve different problems. Professional bartender hire gives you one or two skilled mixologists who run the bar independently — ideal for intimate events under 75 guests, cocktail masterclasses, or when you want a specialist who can build bespoke menus. Bar staff hire gives you a coordinated team — head bartender, cocktail bartenders, and bar backs — for larger events where throughput and bar management matter.
If you're hiring for a garden party with 40–60 guests and a Pimm's-and-spritz menu, one bartender is enough. For a milestone birthday with 120 guests and a full cocktail list, you need a bar staff team. Not sure which? Tell us your guest count and we'll recommend the right setup.
Coverage
Our bartenders serve events across every London borough and within the M25. Central London venues — Mayfair, Marylebone, Soho, Covent Garden, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, and the City — are our highest-volume areas. We also regularly serve in Shoreditch, Hackney, Dalston, Islington, Camden, Hampstead, Fulham, Battersea, Clapham, Brixton, Peckham, Greenwich, and Canary Wharf.
Outer London and Home Counties — Richmond, Kingston, Wimbledon, Bromley, Enfield, Barnet, Ealing, and into Surrey, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, and Berkshire — are covered with travel included up to the M25. Beyond the M25, a mileage supplement applies. We've served at country houses in the Cotswolds, estates in Buckinghamshire, and vineyard weddings in Sussex — just ask.
Share your event details and receive a mobile bar hire quote within 24 hours. No obligation.