WASHOUGAL — A few years ago, Baiylie Bancroft had a revelation while making drinks for a get-together at her Washougal home.
“I was like, ‘Why does a cocktail or mocktail have to be so boring? Let’s add stuff into it,’” she said.
She began experimenting by putting various ingredients into drinks — to the delight of her family and friends.
Flash forward a few years, and Bancroft has turned her experiments into a business. Garden to Glass, a dry-hire mobile bar, launched Sept. 21 and offers locally sourced herbal cocktails and mocktails for parties and other events.
A dry-hire mobile bar brings a physical bar, bartenders, mixers and garnishes — but not booze — to parties and other events for a fee.
“The host has to buy the alcohol. We provide everything else,” Bancroft said.
“I was tired of garnishes and mixers being filled with sugar and junk,” said Bancroft, who also works for Ripple Wellness in Washougal and as a self-employed health coach. “You can go to a place that has high-end cocktails, but you’re going to be paying a significant amount for it, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. And why are we using all these mixers with red dye No. 40 and all these sugars and random stuff? ”
Bancroft, who didn’t have bartending experience, has learned on the job, assisted by mother-in-law Peggy Foxworthy.
“This has been two years in the works, to be totally honest,” she said.
Bancroft likes to purchase all of the ingredients she uses for mixers and garnishes from local farms and vendors. She’s talked to the owners of Camas’ Shady Grove Farm about produce, and Avery Colby, a doctor at Camas naturopathic wellness center and apothecary Petal and Thorn, about producing an adaptogen tincture for her drinks.
“I want to support local businesses and the farmers that we have here,” she said. “I’m all about community-based stuff. I’ve lived in Washougal literally my entire life, and I think we need to be more community.”
Bancroft doesn’t have a set menu. She works with the hosts to create original drinks tailored to the “vibe” of the event.
“That’s why I feel like our (business) is different, because we collaborate with the host. It’s a creative flow back-and-forth,” she said. “I feel like it’s important to cater to the host and not just have a certain menu.”
Bancroft made a creamy pumpkin spice martini, an apple cider margarita and an adaptogen-infused mocktail for her Sept. 21 launch party.
“We already booked a wedding and signed up for a bridal expo in 2025, so I feel like things are off to a good start,” Bancroft said. “I know the winter season seems to be slower, but we just launched a mini package, which is birthday parties, bachelorette parties, girls’ night out, friends-giving, things like that.”
To book an event or find more information about Garden to Glass, email gardentoglassbar@gmail.com.
