Responsible Service & Alcohol Policy

1. Purpose

Ice & Instinct provides private bartending and mixology service in the New York metropolitan area. The enjoyment of cocktails depends on serving them responsibly. This policy explains how we serve, the legal framework we serve within, and the responsibilities shared between us and the host. It works alongside our Terms of Service.

2. Legal drinking age (21+)

We serve alcohol only to guests who are 21 years of age or older, the legal drinking age in the United States. Our bartenders may ask any guest for valid government-issued photo identification and will decline service to anyone who cannot establish that they are 21 or older. We never knowingly serve a minor.

3. We serve; we do not sell alcohol

We provide bartending labor and craft, not the retail sale of alcohol. The alcohol served at your event is supplied by you as the host, or sourced on your behalf at supplier cost with no markup on the alcohol. Because we do not sell alcohol, we operate as a service provider rather than a licensed retailer; where a venue or event requires a permit to serve alcohol, securing it is the host's or venue's responsibility.

4. How we serve responsibly

• We pace service and pour to standard measures rather than over-pour.
• We make water available and encourage guests to drink it alongside cocktails.
• We watch for signs of intoxication and adjust or stop service accordingly.
• We offer and prepare quality non-alcoholic options on request.
• Our service follows responsible-beverage-service practices.

5. Refusing and stopping service

We reserve the absolute right, without liability and without refund, to refuse or stop serving any guest who is, or appears to be, under 21, unable to show valid identification, or intoxicated. We may also end an engagement where guest conduct or circumstances make safe, lawful service impossible. Please support our bartenders when they make these calls; they make them to keep your guests safe.

6. New York dram shop and social host law

New York law, including the Dram Shop Act and the social host provisions of the General Obligations Law (sections 11-100 and 11-101), can impose liability on a person who unlawfully provides alcohol to a minor or to a visibly intoxicated person who then causes injury. As the host who supplies the alcohol and invites the guests, you retain the responsibilities the law places on a host. Our responsible-service practices reduce risk but do not transfer or remove a host's legal responsibilities.

7. Host responsibilities

• Confirm that every guest to be served is 21 or older.
• Supply alcohol lawfully and secure any permit the venue or event requires.
• Arrange safe transportation for any guest who should not drive, and never pressure anyone to drink.
• Support our bartenders when they pace, refuse, or stop service.

8. Safe transportation

We encourage every host to plan ahead for rides home: rideshare, designated drivers, or car service. No guest should drive after drinking.

9. Liability and indemnification

Our responsibilities and the limits of our liability, along with the host's indemnification obligations, are set out in our Terms of Service. Nothing in this policy waives any duty that the law does not permit to be waived.

10. Contact

Questions about how we serve? Reach us via the contact page.