Making moves: Hollow Spirits to expand into former Bosque Brewing Co. location

Initially, expansion wasn’t on the agenda for Hollow Spirits owner-founder Frank Holloway.

That is, until his mom — who is also his business partner — made him aware that the building on Eubank Boulevard and Spain Road NE previously occupied by Bosque Brewing Co. was available for lease. The original Hollow Spirits on First Street began as a distillery and restaurant in 2018 before closing its pour room and transitioning to a space used exclusively for special events and private parties.

“To tell you the truth, we weren’t really looking to expand. We wanted to do events and a couple different things, but not really a full-blown restaurant anymore,” Holloway said. “(My mom) saw the building for lease, and she just sent the email. And then the email led to a tour, which I said, ‘I really, really, really don’t want to do this. We’re not going to do this.’

“Then I went on the tour, and pretty much the place is a turnkey restaurant — a beautiful, beautiful spot. All the equipment, everything’s there. The location and everything are kind of too perfect. I don’t know if we would have made this move anywhere but this exact situation.”

The goal is to open the new Hollow Spirits location sometime this summer. The official date hinges on receiving a liquor license, a process Holloway hopes can be completed in approximately 90 days, though it could be longer.

“The spot’s ready, like we could open tomorrow if we really wanted to,” Holloway said. “Now we’re just kind of waiting on licensing. And there’s a lot of stuff for us to put in place.”

In the interim, the plan is to apply for a few celebration licenses to allow Hollow Spirits to hold public events at the space. These will introduce offerings like the food menu or cocktail options, depending on the evening.

Aside from the obvious shift from a brewery to a distillery, Holloway plans to put a “Hollow Spirits twist” on the location. The establishment’s line of spirits, which includes agave, whiskey, vodka, gin and rum, will be available — as will a variety of cocktails. According to Holloway, the agave spirits and vodka (especially the Lavender Vodka) have been among the top sellers when it comes to bottles. For cocktails, pour room favorites like the Lavender Moon and the Old Fashioned will return, but Holloway also promises that “we have to get a little bit creative.” There will also be some local beers and wine available, including a few Bosque staples.

The food menu will return with simple-yet-popular options like burgers and tacos. Former Hollow Spirits chef Tristin Rogers is on board in an advisory capacity to help with the menu and kitchen.

“He’s not working there full time, but we’re bringing all his magic back to us,” Holloway said.

While Hollow Spirits built a following in its downtown location prior to closing its pour room, Holloway says business slowed in later years. The new location is an ideal opportunity to expose the brand to a new audience in a space that already drew a crowd.

“That’s actually one huge reason to do this, to have people enjoy our spirits on a day-to-day (basis),” Holloway said.

“It’s going into a whole new clientele of people who don’t know who we are. We’ve been around for seven years. So there’s a decent amount of people who know us, but when it really comes down to it, we’re still a small fish. So we want to expose people to what we do.”