First there were food trucks; now there is KraftBar
PHOTOGRAPHY BY REBECCA ADAM
The Monterey Bay area now has its first bar on wheels, and it has arrived in the form of a beautifully refurbished 1965 Airstream trailer. Decorated with whiskey-toned wood and metal and vintage-style Edison lighting, KraftBar seats intimate groups of guests inside with an upholstered nook and bar, and serves dozens more outside.
“When the sun starts to set, everyone starts asking if they can come inside. It’s really cozy and warm,” says KraftBar owner Breana White. “By the end of the night, no one wants to leave.”
Breana, a former caterer, who with husband Toby, bought the 28-foot Airstream intending to make it into a gourmet food truck, decided to shift her focus when she realized she was actually a little burned out on catering. It was the right move to make. The Aptos couple has been comfortably busy since launching the business earlier this year, and expects to ramp up in 2017.
With that in mind, the Whites have added equipment that allows them to serve mixed drinks on tap—a huge time saver at crowded events, such as June’s Meander benefit for the Coastal Watershed Council in Santa Cruz. For that fundraiser, the Whites served a gin, grapefruit and basil cocktail as well as Mexican mules and whiskey sours.
Breana acknowledges that mobile bars are the trendy thing right now—they can be found in many big cities—but there are some good reasons to have one at an event or wedding. “They are popping up everywhere. It is more interesting and memorable” than a conventional bar, she says.
KraftBar sets its service apart by its strong commitment to local libations, tapping beers from Santa Cruz Ale Works and Corralitos Brewing Co. and wines by Hunter Hill, Equinox, and Alfaro, among others.
For cocktails, KraftBar uses the gins and whiskeys of Santa Cruz-based distiller Venus Spirits and the handcrafted syrups and mixers of Katie Blandin Shea’s Carmel Valley-based Bar Cart Cocktail Co.
“I’m adding her products as much as possible,” says Breana, who uses a Bar Cart potion to provide an herbal punch for Kraft- Bar’s signature drink, a rosemary whiskey sour. (See recipe accompanying this article.) Seasonal drinks are also a specialty. An example is the Fever Tree Gin & Tonic, which uses Venus Spirits’ small-batch gin, Bar Cart’s Big Sur Bitters, imported Fever-Tree tonic water, sea salt and fresh lemon.
Basic service includes beer and wine, with cocktail service as an add-on. Because each event is so different, Breana gives each client a custom quote.
In addition to the Airstream, the Whites can also provide satellite bars and scale up as needed to serve the size of the party, be it a birthday, wedding or corporate event.
The bar has its own sound system and Toby, who works in music festival management, can put together custom playlists.
In the future, the Whites plan to offer furniture for rent so lounge areas can be created adjacent to the Airstream. Breana points out that most furniture rented for events isn’t that unique; she’d like to offer something in the modern-rustic vein of San Francisco’s Shelter Co.
Breana says she’s happy with the way the business is progressing, and that she and her husband are continually learning. Next up: making connections with more wineries and breweries in Monterey County.
She also has no regrets about abandoning her original plan to operate a food truck. “I love it so much more than catering,” Breana says. “It’s so much more fun.”
Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in north Monterey County, writes about sustainable living, home design and horticulture for numerous publications and websites.
KraftBar
www.kraftbarlounge.com
831.239.8182
RECIPE
About the author
Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in north Monterey County, writes about the environment, sustainable living and health for numerous publications and websites. She is the co-author of “Humbled: How California’s Monterey Bay Escaped Industrial Ruin.”
