It’s a concept which has begun rolling through not just the 209, but the state of California as a whole.

Some might say, however, that David Eclevia, owner/founder of Mobile Mixologist was ahead of the portable bar service curve. Now 13 years in the bar business, Eclevia founded Mobile Mixologist from a simple premise.

He enjoyed the party atmosphere. Not the atmosphere one might assume from the traditional bar scene, where he first got started, but the party atmosphere present at events such as weddings.

“What I really enjoyed was that everybody was celebrating at this wedding,” he said of an event he worked prior to starting the business.

That notion, coupled with the discovery of and purchase of his first mobile bar, were the seeds which started a now growing business.

“I did not have the money to start it,” Eclevia shared of first spotting the mobile bar at a trade show. “So, I had to sell a lot of things that I owned at the time. I sold my laptop computer and bought this $3,000 bar and started with that.”

The name “Mobile Mixologist” he had already begun using via an Instagram account when being hired to host private parties. The account name caught on fast. With the name already established and the business a relatively new concept in late 2013, he adopted it as the company name.

Today Mobile Mixologist has four mobile bars, a Mercedes mobile van and hosts over 100 parties a year. They employee four bartender/leadership team members, as well as call on 15 professional bartenders on a monthly basis. 

The company also teamed with the Century, which started its venue business right around the same time. Mobile Mixologist is now the exclusive bartending vendor for the event center, a partnership which keeps Eclevia and his team in steady work.

“We just so happened to collaborate,” he said of the Modesto venue, “and we got the opportunity to be their official bar vendor and we’ve been there ever since. That generates a ton of business for us.”

With an impressive bar set, cocktails which not only look wonderful but taste yummy as well and an approachable staff, the company’s core values are simple. Mobile Mixologist aims to keep it simple, make the experience magical and treat everyone well. 

“Our team sprung from co-workers who had a rapport with each other,” Eclevia shared. “I saw the growth potential in the team and built it by bringing our complementary skills together.”

One such skill which the founder prides the company on is what he calls the “Special Sauce” used in their mixed drinks. Also known as what he deems, “the world’s best citrus, carefully prepared to delight and fascinate the palate.”

“This much we can tell you,” the bartender said of their creations, “it always has only two ingredients ... fresh fruit and good sugar.”

Eclevia noted the team uses really old, really good methods that are not easy to master when crafting the cocktail mixes.

“There are no life hacks,” he said, “and we learned what we know the right way, by doing it over and over for years.” 

“We have hundreds of different ingredients that we make from scratch and they’re all quite simple and that’s what really makes us stand out,” the mobile business owner said. “It’s not really one or two drinks. It’s how we prepare them.”

Regardless of what one might think, the proof as they say is indeed in the pudding or in Eclevia’s case the success and notoriety.

The company was recently called on to work a graduation party for a reality show star of “Teen Mom, Young and Pregnant,” filmed in Vallejo. They’ve also been called on to do work in Carmel and other areas out of the 209. Work which Eclevia shared often comes through event planners with whom they have built relationships.

“We do a lot of work with event planners, who go out and seek the guest vendors,” he stated.

“I am absolutely blown away,” he confided when looking at the growth and success of the business, as it heads into its sixth year. “I love thinking back on where this all started. Every time we step foot into someone’s house or a venue, we are blown away every single new event. It’s always a new experience.”

The founder and his company, however, have a passion for more than bringing their clients good cocktails. They are dedicated to creating an experience, as well as drinks so good they stand on their own minus the spirits.

“It’s really important when we do a private party, that when someone comes up and asks what’s non-alcoholic? We love to tell them the entire menu is available to them,” he stated. “Not just the regular Coca Cola and 7-Up.”

For additional information or to contact Eclevia visit their website at www.mobilemixologist.com or call 209-345-0164.

“I never thought that I could do it,” he confessed of his first entry into the bartending world 13 years ago. “I wasn’t sure I’d be successful at it, but after giving it a shot it ended up working out really well.”