Rolling in the spirits, Social Sips brings the party anywhere

Rich Palzewic

Staff

June 8, 2026

NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN – What started as a way to bring people together over handcrafted cocktails, Samantha Schneider said, has turned into a traveling centerpiece for celebrations across northern Wisconsin.

Schneider, owner of Social Sips, said her dry-hire mobile bar service brings a Northwoods touch to weddings, parties and private events. 

“Social Sips offers the rental of the physical bar setup and professional bartenders, as well as mixers and garnishes, without the inclusion of alcohol,” she said.

Describing Social Sips, Schneider said it blends small-town hospitality with a fully mobile bar experience.

“I help hosts raise a glass without guests ever having to leave the party,” she said. “I say I’ll [travel to] anywhere in Wisconsin, but I pretty much focus on the Northwoods – Saint Germain, Wausau, Rhinelander, Minocqua, Eagle River, etc. Last year, I did quite a bit of work in Manitowish Waters, Presque Isle and Boulder Junction.”

Due to Wisconsin state liquor laws, Schneider said hosts have to purchase the alcohol used for their event, which is “obviously” done ahead of time.

“I’ll make a ‘shopping list’ for them so they know what to purchase,” she said. “If they know how many people are attending and how many hours we will provide services, I can pretty much figure out how much beer, wine and other mixers they might need. Typically, because we are in Wisconsin, Old-Fashioneds are No. 1. I make a lot of homemade syrups.”

What’s offered?

Since launching Social Sips in 2023, Schneider said backyard weddings have become her main niche, though she caters for any gathering where alcohol is requested.

She said she started the business by converting a horse trailer into a mobile bar, noting it “didn’t take a whole lot of work to get ready.”

“We ended up finding a nice two-stall horse trailer in really good condition,” she said. “It has a white base with a wrap around it. Inside is a basic little bar top and a table, and then we stock it with our supplies for each event.”

With no electricity inside the converted horse trailer, Schneider said her goal is to “keep things simple.”

“At nighttime, I use solar lights,” she said. “I didn’t want to go with a whole fridge or anything like that. I have a cooler in there for certain things.”

Schneider said Social Sips offers various bar setups and bartending services.

When her horse trailer bar is already booked or unavailable, Schneider said she also offers a small portable satellite bar or a wooden pallet bar as additional setup options.

“I usually try to set everything up the day before, so that way, when we get there, all we have to do is set up the tedious stuff,” she said.

If customers don’t need a full bar setup, Schneider said Social Sips can simply show up to an event and provide professional bartending services.

In 2025, she said the dry-hire mobile bar completed 19 events, and so far this year, she’s already booked 16.

Word of mouth and collaboration, Schneider said, continue to be her best form of advertisement.

“I have collaborated with Julie Kay’s Kitchen [based in Hazelhurst],” she said. “She really puts my name out – they’re freaking awesome. They have told everyone about me, so that is a good example of collaboration and word of mouth. When Julie Kay’s caters weddings, I will attend some of those. I also advertise on Facebook.”

Another collaboration, Schneider said, is with a Minocqua-based property management company.

“They do a bunch of catering for people for whom they do their property management, so they ended up hiring me out last year,” she said. “I have a couple with them this year, too.”

Because the horse trailer “isn’t that big,” Schneider said there is flexibility in setting up in smaller spaces.

“The smaller trailer is a big draw for people,” she said. “We can fit into smaller areas more easily and accommodate situations like that. With many people wanting backyard weddings, they might not have much space for extra setups.”

As her business has grown, Schneider said Social Sips’ season typically runs from Memorial Day through “about October,” though she can operate year-round depending on the services needed and event demand.

“I’ve done Christmas parties in December,” she said. “In that example, it’s a cookie exchange party, so I travel to their house and bartend for them. I do a couple of events like that in the wintertime. I’m not necessarily booked every weekend, all weekend, though.”

A mother with a bartending background

Schneider, 31, said she has been bartending since age 18, gaining years of experience before launching Social Sips.

She said the arrival of her first daughter four years ago made traditional bartending “no longer conducive” to motherhood.

“I stopped bartending because of the late nights,” she said. “It was no longer working for my husband and me, but then I started seeing these cute little horse trailers converted into mobile bars for weddings on TikTok. That got me thinking – ‘We don’t have anything like that up here.’”

Schneider said her own wedding also helped play a role in starting Social Sips.

“We had our wedding in a community center, and I ended up hiring a bartender,” she said. “At the same time, I kept seeing these TikTok videos and told myself I wanted to do that.”

Schneider said that’s when her husband “sprang into action.”

“I told my husband about wanting to do this, and one day, he went and found me a horse trailer and brought it home,” she laughed.

Schneider said Social Sips does not currently have a website, but encouraged those looking for more information or to book an event to reach out through Facebook or by email at socialsips23@gmail.com.