Visitors to Houston’s Meow Wolf interactive art experience, Radio Tave, may find themselves spending a lot of time inside Cowboix Hevven, an in-exhibition bar that expands on the art installation’s intriguing narrative. Starting next Friday, June 20, North Texans will have the chance to sip wild cocktails and snack on salty treats within Grapevine’s own Meow Wolf universe, The Real Unreal, at a new, otherworldly watering hole called Prime Materia. After all, crouching and crawling through fireplaces, sliding down chutes hidden inside clothes dryers, and poking around for secret passageways can make a person thirsty.
Ahead of next week’s debut, DiningOut Dallas got an exclusive sneak peek at the cocktails and the venue, which explodes with neon colors, tubers, circuitry, and all manner of glow-in-the-dark spectacle worthy of a Hollywood sci-fi movie. It’s mind-bendingly fun, to say the least.
Whereas a variety of aliens occupy the bar in Houston, creatures known as Gizmo_Mancers run the operations here. Gizmo_Mancers, for those unfamiliar with the species, create alcoholic concoctions from digital code, dubbing themselves alchemical technologists. Within their section of The Real Unreal, you’ll unlock more clues to the exhibition’s central storyline with Easter eggs and hidden secrets ready to discover. Informational tidbits may be found in the cocktail ingredient list, the decor, and conversations with the mixologists themselves.
“Prime Materia is powered by the Gizmo_Mancers’ developed techniques of source-hacking and transmutronics,” said Tommy Schaatz-Thompson, Director of Exhibition and Facilities at Meow Wolf Grapevine via press release. “Meow Wolf’s newest attraction is at the crossroads of alchemy and circuitry, turning rare decoded elements into delicious brews.”
Specialty drinks lean toward the sweet end of the spectrum, from the spicy mango-pineapple Overclocked Margarita to the Elderberry Gin potion. Each of the specialty cocktails within Prime Materia can be upgraded with a “CryoCore Cup” (JetChill), which creates a fog effect, cotton candy for extra wow factor, or bubble infusion as a touch of added sparkle. Classic cocktails, mixed drinks, and select beer and wine are also on offer; while snacks include Pop Pixels, which is dill and white cheddar popcorn; Kernel Panic, candied popcorn; and Pretzel Bits.
“Prime Materia is an exciting step forward for Meow Wolf Grapevine,” said Meow Wolf Grapevine’s General Manager Jamie Weaver-Garia, via press release. “Introducing our first in-exhibition bar allows us to expand how guests engage with The Real Unreal while offering something truly unique to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It deepens the experience, invites repeat visits, and shows how we continue to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling.”
Prime Materia’s cocktails are only available to those aged 21 and up, but the bar will also serve non-alcoholic drinks and zero-proof beverages, allowing guests of all ages to enter this new realm of interactive art. All visitors may access Prime Materia with their ticket purchase to The Real Unreal.
3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy., Ste. 253, Grapevine, TX, meowwolf.com/visit/grapevine.
