MICRO-BATCH GIN HANDCRAFTED IN THE SURREY HILLS

This is our fourth summer of events and we’re always learning and looking to make improvements. After many years of using our lovely branded gazebo, we felt it was time to invest in something that would reduce the time and effort in setting up and taking down at events and also allow us to attend more than one event on the same day. So... last year I came across an old, rather down-at-heel horsebox (don't let the photos below fool you!) and decided to take on the project to convert into our mobile gin bar!

We started the conversion project in September 2021 and decided from the outset that we’d do everything to as high a standard as possible. That meant completely gutting the trailer, stripping back to bare metal and rebuilding to our exact specification. Like most things we do, we were keen to do it ourselves wherever possible. So after watching every Youtube video on horse trailer conversion we made a start.

Because of its size we had to keep it outdoors so the work had to fit around the weather and of course our day jobs! It was a great excuse to buy some new power tools and learn new techniques (thanks again Youtube!). 

The first 2 months or so were stripping back to bare metal and prepping the chassis which was actually in reasonable condition given that it had been sitting in a field for the last 20 years. Then we started constructing the internal framing and panelling. We wanted to make the finished trailer as flexible as possible for different types of so we designed the power system be able to run off a generator, electric hook-up or internal battery power. There were a couple of parts of the project where it just didn’t make sense to do ourselves to we used a specialist fabricator for the hatch for example. 

It was now spring and the better weather allowed us to work on the trailer more often and so progress really sped up. We called on a couple of very clever friends to help out with some of the more skilled joinery and the internal structure of cupboards, shelves, bar top and work surfaces came together quickly. The outside was primed and sprayed and new prop stands, mudguards and lights were installed. Finally the branding was applied and we were done!

As you’d expect we learned quite a bit on its first couple of outings (like how much internal movement there is when it’s being towed – ratchet straps are your friend!), and we made adjustments accordingly. It’ll make our lives much easier at events and we think it looks fantastic. If you're interested in hiring us and our mobile bar email us.

You can watch the full project in our video below... or on our YouTube channel