Craft cocktails are hitting the road in Austin, with the owners of a chic local watering hole aiming to raise the bar by providing unique and memorable experiences for area events.
Introducing RoadHaus Mobile Cocktails, the newest project from Justin Lavenue and Dennis Gobis, the co-owners and operators of cheers-worthy Austin craft cocktail bar The Roosevelt Room.
A concept six years in the making, the much buzzed-about cocktail truck is hardly a traveling margarita bar cart. Indeed, it was meticulously customized to function as a “classically modern” cocktail bar on wheels, complete with everything needed to create only the most bespoke craft cocktails for events of any size.
“Our goal in creating RoadHaus was to deliver the same level of guest experience we’re known for at The Roosevelt Room directly to our patrons’ doorstep,” says Gobis, who personally dedicated tons of time and hands-on work to bring the impressive truck to life. “As the vehicle is one-third of the size of The Roosevelt Room’s main bar, we needed to plan every square inch of the truck’s buildout, starting with its frame and slowly working our way through each detail. In doing so, countless features of the truck had to be custom built.”
RoadHaus Mobile Cocktails, which is now officially accepting booking inquiries for 2022 through its website, was inspired by the concept of the traditional roadhouse tavern or bar — but has the added benefit of being on wheels, ready to quench a thirst for adventure.
The roving bar is housed in a beautifully refurbished French-made 1967 Citroën HY Van that was originally sourced from Southern France in 2015. In its previous life, the truck spent decades in a broken-down state inside a broken-down French barn before it was lovingly restored in the U.K. It then made its way overseas to Austin. But that was far from the end of its journey.
Once in Austin, The Roosevelt Room team worked closely on the buildout with Casey Simmons of ATX Food Truck Builder and branding with Nicholas Miller Art Direction & Design to transform the Citroën into the sleek and monumental traveling craft beverage apothecary that is RoadHaus Mobile Cocktails.
But let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of this cruising booze juggernaut: the menu, which was developed by The Roosevelt Room’s brilliantly talented staff. With RoadHaus Mobile Cocktails featuring what Lavenue and Gobis are noting is the most expansive mobile cocktail program in the country, the truck’s menu was informed by The Roosevelt Room’s own sought-after and superbly extensive menu of classic and innovative signature cocktails.
The RoadHaus staff will work personally with event hosts to tailor a menu that best suits preferences, and hosts can choose from a wide variety of cocktail options featuring their favorite base spirits. The menu includes an extensive selection of classic cocktails (Sazerac, Old Fashioned, mai tai), as well as lesser known but equally inviting vintage libations (Tipperary, French 75), and more modern favorites, including the Pete’s Word, Naked & Famous, and the Polish Maid, a riff on the Old Maid with vodka instead of gin.
RoadHaus hosts can also opt for completely custom cocktail creations for their events.
And yes, RoadHaus customers can also expect adored favorites from The Roosevelt Room, like the smoky mezcal-forward Cigar Box cocktail, which tempts the eyes and the nose before ever touching the tongue, with its lavender bitters and torched cinnamon stick, as well as all-new cocktail creations, like the Matcha Business (Citadelle Dry Gin, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, mint, matcha powder, absinthe, wildflower honey syrup, lime) and the Daiquiri de Mani, a spin on the classic that’s subtly transformed with the addition of roasted peanut oil.
“We’ve taken the same approach with the menu at RoadHaus [as at The Roosevelt Room], offering around 75 cocktails that hosts can choose from when booking their event,” Lavenue says. “There’s simply no other mobile bar or bar catering service in the country able to offer the same number and quality of cocktails.”
RoadHaus cocktails are available on draft or made to order by the truck’s expert mixologists, who can even craft non-alcoholic specialties and fresh-made sodas from the truck’s soda fountain. And draft beer, craft brews, micro-brews, macro-brews, and ciders area also available in cans and bottles, alongside an elegant yet approachable wine menu.
Succinctly said, this craft cocktail truck offers just about any type of boozy refreshment you could think of.
And as if that weren’t enough to tickle your fancies, RoadHaus aims to be a one-stop shop for all event needs, whether it’s a full event staff, event planning and consulting, audio/visual and lighting needs, photography, or furniture rentals.
And, oh yeah, moving forward, RoadHaus will offer full food catering menu. And the team plans to hit the road for pop-up events and cross-country trips to festivals and public events.
Follow along with the journey on Instagram.
Is there anything better than a craft cocktail that comes to you?
Dinner will include this simple but savory broccoli dish, along with several other courses. Photo courtesy of Ramen Hood
The Nido Lounge at the Loren Hotel Austin. Photo from thelorenhotels.com