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The owners of Drink Mechanics, a Connecticut-based canned cocktail business, plan to open a full-service restaurant, bar and production facility in Hartford’s State House Square next year.
Aaron Stepka, who runs the business with partners Taylor Gillaspie and Dylan Spevacek, said State House Distilling by Drink Mechanics will open in mid-2024 in the former Morton’s The Steakhouse space at 30 State House Square. The restaurant has been closed since early 2015.
Stepka said he and his partners are hoping for a summer debut for the new venue, which he said is the third phase of the Drink Mechanics business. The canned cocktail line launched in 2020 during the pandemic, and he and Gillaspie started out delivering the product in a converted ice cream truck, taking advantage of COVID-era changes in regulations that allowed for alcohol delivery. In the company’s second phase, they began distributing the ready-to-drink cocktails to bars, restaurants and liquor stores.
Renderings of the upcoming State House Distilling by Drink Mechanics, coming to Hartford’s State House Square in 2024.
Submitted photo / Drink Mechanics“The brick-and-mortar was always the culmination of our vision,” Stepka said. He and his two partners have an estimated 40 years of hospitality experience between them, he said, and “that’s really where our strengths lie.”
“We feel like we can create a really unique and memorable guest-facing experience that can connect people even more with the brand,” he said.
Stepka called State House Distilling a “cocktail cafe” setup, similar to a brew pub, where products are manufactured on site and also served for on-premise consumption. The space, with a full bar and restaurant, will ultimately have about 180 seats with a patio, he said.
Renderings of the upcoming State House Distilling by Drink Mechanics, coming to Hartford’s State House Square in 2024.
Submitted photo / Drink MechanicsThe food menu has not been finalized, but Stepka said he and Gillaspie met while working in Southern California and they want to bring some of that West Coast influence to the culinary offerings, with Latin and Asian flavors. He envisions a combination of small share plates and larger-format, family-style entrees, he said.
Stepka, who lives in downtown Hartford, said he’s excited to be part of the recent revitalization projects in the city. He pointed to new life on Pratt Street, where independent businesses like Urban Lodge Brewing and Bloom Bake Shop have opened in the past two years, and Emrey’s Specialty Sweets and Soda Shop, which opened in early December on Trumbull Street.
Like those businesses, State House Distilling has received funding from the city’s HartLift program, which provides property owners with funds to help incentivize small businesses to lease their vacant spaces and provide an economic boost in downtown and neighborhood commercial corridors, according to the Hartford Chamber of Commerce’s website.
“It’s a pretty exciting time,” he said. “We signed a 13-year lease, because we wholeheartedly believe in the long term.”
In the meantime, the partners are working on a redesign of Drink Mechanics’ products, moving from an 8-ounce can to a 12-ounce one and reformulating some of its recipes. The line currently offers vodka, mezcal, bourbon and rum cocktails, and Stepka said they’re also working on gin and tequila versions.
The restaurant and bar space will also offer opportunities for additional research and development, he said, where they can test new recipes and introduce seasonal drinks.
“You go to a liquor store and there’s 50 different canned cocktails and seltzers in the fridge. It’s a tough space to stand out in,” he said. “And we don’t have the pockets to just pump money into billboards and advertising and brand recognition. But if we can create a unique and memorable guest experience, people are going to carry that memory with them, and next time they’re in their local shop, hopefully they’ll remember us when they see us on the shelf.”
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