The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club

What The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club does

The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is a privately held craft cocktail bar and hospitality brand founded in September 2013 by Andrew and Briana Volk at 75 Market Street in Portland, Maine's Old Port neighborhood — the city's first dedicated craft cocktail bar at launch. Its core offering is a curated cocktail program (an 84-drink Cocktail Club menu across four mood categories), Scandinavian-inspired food, and a drinks-and-snacks service operating Tuesday through Sunday with a Thursday/Friday happy hour and limited reservations held aside for walk-ins.

The business operates as a destination cocktail bar at the flagship, with a recurring Cocktail Club loyalty program (challenge coin, completion plaque, retail discount, barrel access) that converts visits into a tracked relationship, and adds mobile event catering via a fully equipped Airstream called the 'Barnacle' for off-site weddings, receptions, and corporate events. Brand extensions include the 2018 'Northern Hospitality' cookbook (an IACP and Tales of the Cocktail finalist) and a paid Substack newsletter. The operating group also runs Little Giant, a sibling restaurant and market in Portland's West End, and has announced Verna's All Day, a planned second-concept restaurant at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.

The revenue model is primarily unit-priced on-site food and beverage sales, supplemented by event/catering bookings (the Barnacle and on-site private events) and one-time retail (cookbook, merchandise, exclusive bottle sales for Cocktail Club members). The bar reportedly raised all staff to a $15/hour minimum during COVID and added health insurance, MasterClass subscriptions, and weekly team engagements. There is no disclosed external funding; the business is owner-bootstrapped, with all capital raised organically since 2013.

Name

The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club

Legal name

Portland Hunt & Alpine Club

Website

https://huntandalpineclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is a privately held, nationally recognized craft cocktail bar and Scandinavian-inspired dining destination founded in 2013 in Portland, Maine's Old Port by Andrew and Briana Volk, serving cocktail enthusiasts, tourists, and locals across an 84-drink menu and Cocktail Club loyalty program, with sibling concept Little Giant, mobile Airstream catering, and a planned second restaurant, Verna's All Day.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Cocktail Bar

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRANACAD

Cocktail Bars & Lounges

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/On-Premise Alcohol Retail (Bars, Pubs & Taprooms)

SECONDARYCRANACAE

Wine Bars

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/On-Premise Alcohol Retail (Bars, Pubs & Taprooms)

Keywords

• Craft cocktail bar
• Scandinavian-inspired dining
• Cocktail program
• Bar and restaurant
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. On-site food and beverage sales: Primary revenue from cocktails, spirits, and food served at the bar's 75 Market Street location in Portland, Maine. Regular menu served Tuesday through Sunday, with cocktails and snacks available 6 days a week. Takes limited reservations while accommodating walk-ins.
2. Events and catering services: Mobile event catering via a fully-equipped Airstream named 'Barnacle' for off-site events. Also hosts weddings, receptions, and company gatherings at the Old Port location. Bookings via [email protected].
3. Book and merchandise retail: Sale of the Northern Hospitality cookbook (available from the store and major retailers). Private barrel bottle purchases for Cocktail Club members who complete the 84-drink challenge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is a craft cocktail bar and restaurant at 75 Market Street in Portland, Maine, serving quality cocktails, spirits, and Scandinavian-inspired food Tuesday through Sunday. Founded in 2013 as Maine's first craft cocktail bar, the business also operates a Cocktail Club membership program with 84 curated cocktails, mobile event catering via the 'Barnacle' Airstream, and a published cookbook (Northern Hospitality) under its sister brand.

Product overview

The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is a hospitality business offering a unified portfolio centered on craft cocktails and Scandinavian-inspired dining. The core product is the Hunt & Alpine cocktail bar (opened 2013), complemented by the Cocktail Club membership program for enthusiasts, Events & Catering services featuring a mobile Airstream ('Barnacle') for off-site celebrations, and Northern Hospitality, a published cookbook. The bar serves a regular food menu Tuesday through Sunday and offers Happy Hour promotions Thursday through Friday. The company is co-owned by Andrew and Briana Volk, who also operate sister restaurant Little Giant.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Northern Hospitality: A cookbook authored by Briana and Andrew Volk featuring recipes for modern classic cocktails, Scandinavian-inspired cooking, and entertaining guides. Also a paid Substack newsletter subscription for recipes.
• Cocktail Club
• Barnacle

Products and services

• Hunt & Alpine Bar Portland's first craft cocktail bar opened in 2013, offering quality cocktails, spirits, and Scandinavian-inspired food with friendly service and a knowledgeable staff. Recognized nationally with James Beard nominations and various industry accolades.
• Cocktail Club Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Two James Beard semi-finalist nominations for 'Outstanding Bar Program' (2015, 2017)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MasterClassminorOthersThe Volks provided their team of 12 with MasterClass subscriptions for educational development and enrichment.
• Native MaineminorOthersWeekly grocery orders sourced from Native Maine, one of the bar's local food purveyors.
• Stonecipher FarmminorOthersWeekly grocery orders sourced from Stonecipher Farm, one of the bar's local food purveyors.
• Tandem Coffee RoastersminorOthersLocal Portland, Maine coffee roaster featured in drinks such as the espresso martini. Also sold at sister location Little Giant.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Death & Co: Multi-unit craft cocktail bar group with locations in NYC, LA, and Denver and a James Beard–recognized cocktail program. Closest direct analogue to Hunt & Alpine: nationally awarded bar program, authored cocktail books, and a multi-location expansion strategy built on a single brand standard.
• The Dead Rabbit: NYC Financial District cocktail bar with multiple Tales of the Cocktail and World's Best Bar awards, known for an Irish-inspired but globally-influenced cocktail program and authored cocktail book. Comparable to Hunt & Alpine on national cocktail-bar recognition and content-led brand extension.

Peers

• Employees Only:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HuntAndAlpineClub
• Instagraminstagram.com/huntandalpine
• Xx.com/HuntAndAlpine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Portland Hunt & Alpine Club