Ask a Bartender MOLLY WELLMANN ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN TOO EMBARRASSED TO ASK OUR BARTENDERS
By Corinne Minard Molly Wellmann knows a thing or two about making cocktails. Wellmann, the owner of Japp’s Since 1879 in Over-the Rhine, was recently named the country’s Best Bartender-Owner of the Year by Nightclub & Bar Media Group and has been serving drinks in Cincinnati since 2008. And there is nothing Wellmann loves more than sharing that knowledge with others. So we at Cincy Magazine came up with a list of cocktail questions we’ve always found too shameful to ask and challenged Wellmann to answer them. What we learned? Don’t ever be afraid to ask, especially when you’re asking someone as knowledgeable as Wellmann.
Q
: If someone doesn’t know what to order, what about their personal tastes should they tell the bartender to help them pick a drink?
A
Molly Wellman showed us the best way to mix our cocktails at Japp’s Since 1879.
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: It is helpful to know if you have tastes like not too sweet, we get that all the time. That is totally OK to ask and good to know. Because when you’re making a well-made crafted cocktail you have the ability to adjust sweetness. And the strength as well. “I love having a cocktail but I really don’t like tasting the liquor.” No problem, we can make that happen. Just be open with your tastes, I think that’s really important. Any good bartender will appreciate that and any good bartender … should have a whole Rolodex of different cocktails in