Jim Beam is turning Melbourne’s race week into a full-scale slice of Kentucky, opening its first-ever Jim Beam Roadhouse at St Kilda’s Village Belle for the Australian Grand Prix 2026.
Kentucky (And A VIP Guest) Comes To St Kilda
From Wednesday, 4th to Sunday, 8th March, the historic Village Belle in St Kilda will be rebadged as the Jim Beam Kentucky Roadhouse, a fan-first hub sitting just minutes from the Albert Park circuit.
The activation marks the bourbon giant’s latest move as Official Spirits Partner of the Cadillac Formula 1 Team, which makes its long-awaited debut on the grid in Melbourne this season.
Jim Beam is pitching the Roadhouse as an off-track extension of the Grand Prix, designed to bring together motorsport diehards and casual spectators over bourbon, live music and big-screen race coverage.
“With the debut of the Jim Beam Roadhouse, we want to help shape how fans experience the race – connecting off the grid,” said Rashidi Hodari, managing director of James B. Beam Distilling Co., describing it as a taste of what fans can expect from the partnership across the season.
The secret VIP guest, now announced as Cadillac F1 driver Valtteri Bottas will dive in to host, mingle, and pour bourbon right at the raffle tables for the Meat & Greet on Wednesday, 4th March from 6:45pm-7:15pm. Straight from Jim Beam’s announcement, this Kentucky-Aussie twist turns St Kilda into race week’s can’t-miss mingle spot.
Inside The Roadhouse
Moreover, the team will carve the venue into distinct spaces that nod to Kentucky bar culture and Cadillac’s design language.
An Original Bourbon Bar will anchor the action, while a sleek Jim Beam Balcony, styled like a cockpit with barrel-top tables, overlooks the St Kilda streetscape and a Bourbon Bar Doulton Lounge will turn up the volume with country tunes and late-night cocktails.
Across the week, the Roadhouse will screen every session from Albert Park “live and loud”, mirroring the hotel’s existing race-day programming but with an added bourbon-soaked twist. On the entertainment front, the line-up includes The Royce Twins Band, plus DJ sets from Kelly Tee, DJ Kayla Bruno and The Cheeky, alongside line-dancing sessions that lean into the venue’s Stateside theme.
The ‘Golden Mullet’ And Kentucky Comfort Food
At the bar, the headline act is The Golden Mullet, a new fan cocktail created after Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez asked fellow racer Valtteri Bottas what he’d call a drink named in his honour—Bottas reportedly didn’t hesitate before landing on the now-infamous moniker.
The serve mixes vanilla, lemon and soda with Jim Beam Pineapple, giving Australian fans an early pour of the brand’s newest flavour ahead of its official April launch.
The food offer has been built around The Kitchen Table, the signature restaurant at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky, known for generous, share-style dishes paired with bourbon.
Additionally, Eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe said the Melbourne menu was designed to mirror the way guests are hosted in Kentucky—punchy flavours, big plates and an open invitation to pull up a seat.
The Roadhouse will push that low-and-slow philosophy through comfort food built to soak up cocktails and keep fans in their seats between sessions.
Cadillac F1 On Debut
The Roadhouse arrives as Cadillac F1 enters the World Championship as the first new team on the grid in a decade, following a multi-year global sponsorship deal that puts Jim Beam branding on the car and across the team’s fan touchpoints.
The partnership links two American heavyweights at a moment when the Australian Grand Prix is doubling as the team’s global coming-out party, with Melbourne’s city-wide festival atmosphere offering fertile ground for off-track experiences.
Finally, Jim Beam has framed the Roadhouse as part of a broader push to make Formula 1 more accessible beyond the grandstands, leaning on its long history in motorsport and live events to build spaces where fans can eat, drink and watch the action together.
Key details
- When: Wednesday 4th–Sunday, 8th March 2026, during Australian Grand Prix week.
- Where: Village Belle Hotel, 202 Barkly Street, St Kilda, around nine minutes’ drive from Albert Park.
- Offers: Live race screenings, live music and DJs, line dancing, bourbon-led cocktail list including The Golden Mullet, Kentucky-inspired share menu & a playful “meat and greet” meat raffle featuring a surprise guest.
Guests are encouraged to enjoy the Roadhouse “best enjoyed together, best enjoyed responsibly,” with further information available via Jim Beam’s website.