For Kristen Kreft and MayaLou Banatwala, every event begins with a conversation and ends with a little bit of magic.
There is a sparkle to a Rocktails Brands Bars on Wheels event. The drinks are colorful and artfully garnished, the bar becomes part of the décor and the professional bartenders know how to focus the spotlight on the celebration. Beneath the presentation is something more intentional: two longtime friends who have built a business around creativity, hospitality and the belief that no event should feel ordinary.
“We are all about swagger-style presentation and respect for the honoree of each event,” Kristen explains.
Kristen and MayaLou first became friends while working at Japp’s downtown, where they spent years behind the bar together.
“We just worked side-by-side so well together,” says Kristen.
“We both have been bartending since we could walk,” MayaLou adds.
In 2017, that rhythm grew into Rocktails, a cocktail concept inspired by their shared love of music and storytelling. The two creatives wrote and released two music-history cocktail books.
“The books grew out of a pop-up program where we would take over a bar and curate it based on the musicians that we booked for the night,” shares MayaLou.
Those experiences led to consulting work for Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. In 2023, they purchased the Bars on Wheels business and began bringing their creative sensibility to mobile beverage catering.
Today, Bars on Wheels provides full-service mobile bar and beverage catering for weddings, corporate gatherings, private parties and other celebrations. The team handles details from bars, glassware and ice to mixers, garnishes and professional bartending, allowing hosts to enjoy their guests instead of managing the bar.
“We like to get to know you,” says Kristen.
They get to know clients’ stories and add details that can transform the event. A couple who met at the beach might inspire a signature blue cocktail. A 50th anniversary celebration calls for a surprise bourbon and scotch bar.
Bars on Wheels’ approach is decidedly culinary. They create drinkable art.
Kristen and MayaLou craft cocktails and mocktails from fresh ingredients, house-made syrups and dehydrated fruit and herbs they grow themselves. They believe nonalcoholic drinks deserve the same creativity and care as cocktails, creating versatile options so everyone can raise a glass.
“Everybody deserves to have a celebratory drink in their hand,” says Kristen.
That attention to detail extends to their philosophy of service.
“We're a green light company. The answer is yes, and then we'll figure it out,” says Kristen.
Their goal is not to execute a rote package but to listen, adapt and find the unexpected detail that makes a celebration feel uniquely its own. Sometimes that means adding edible flowers. Sometimes it means creating a surprise drink that was never on the original plan. “Special surprises” even appears as a line item on their event quotes.
“Surprises are so much fun for us,” says MayaLou.
Joy is the secret ingredient behind the Bars On Wheels wow factor. When two people who love music, cocktails, performance and each other’s company bring that enthusiasm to an event, guests can feel it. The result is rockstar culinary artistry, a little bit of theater and a whole lot of celebration, delivered with personal attention that makes people feel seen.
Bars On Wheels is about more than what goes into the glass; it is about the stories, surprises and shared moments that happen around it.
Kristen and MayaLou’s music-history cocktail books and cocktail kits are available for purchase online. To start a conversation about bringing Bars On Wheels to your event, call or text 513.825.7555 or go to RocktailsBrands.com.