written by: Andrea Peterson photos by: JadieJo Photography
Objective: Make Yummy Drinks. Destination: Where the Party at.
You won’t find sleeping bags inside this camper. Your hiking boots and fishing tackle are going to have to stay outside. There’s only room in this metal bungalow for martini glasses, tasty bitters and a large assortment of spirits. Rebuilt from its bare bones up, this 1960s Shasta trailer has been fully restored and turned into a complete functioning mobile bar. This bar is on the go and headed to a party near you.
Throwing a party? Getting hitched? Need to win over the executives? Or just wanting to gather family for a fun time? The Jack Rose Caravan is one of Utah’s only mobile bars for hire. Unlike other bartending services, the trailer is fully equipped with running water and ready to roll out or, shall we say, roll into the good times.
According to owner Burt Hoagland, “the mobile bar scene is huge in Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe right now, but it hasn’t really caught on in the States.” He wants to change that.
Hoagland is no bar-hopping college kid. He’s got deep roots in the industry. His grandfather owned a bar for 25 years and his uncle owned several watering holes in and around Salt Lake and Park City, “I’ve been in the industry for a lot of my life and I have a passion for making events memorable,” he says.
The bar’s staff is trained in traditional bartending and can create whatever type of bar best fits your event. They’ve thawed cold ski bunnies with steaming hot-cocoa bars in the winter and encouraged executives to loosen their ties with refreshing alcoholic lemonade drinks infused with essential oils. And don’t worry—they can also shake up a classic martini.
The entire Jack Rose team has many years of bartending and service experience. “The recipes are mainly traditional craft cocktails. But we always get together and put our own spin on things and come up with our own recipes as a group. We spend a lot of time online, researching new trends and making sure we offer the best quality out there.”
Right now Hoagland’s favorite cocktail is a Strawberry-Raspberry Mojito. But catch him after last call and he’ll admit he’s traditionally been more partial to the whiskey drinks.
“Jack Rose is definitely a craft cocktail bar, but we also do much more,” says Hoagland. If your stomach starts growling, Jack Rose offers food options. They recently partnered with Caputo’s to offer meat and cheese boards during cocktail hour.
This saloon on wheels may shortly turn into a thirst-quenching fleet to allow for more events throughout the year. Hoagland says they will “travel anywhere in Utah and the surrounding states if our clients are willing to pay for travel and a few other expenses.” But for now—with just the one trailer—the calendar is filling up fast. For booking you can go to jackrosecaravan.com/contact or call 801-671-5155.
