Know A BARTENDER TO

BROOKE RODWANCY’S GRISTMILL BAR SERVES UP COCKTAILS USING FRESH INGREDIENTS AND HOUSE-INFUSED SPIRITS.

BY JASON BRILL

Brooke Rodwancy got a taste for doing her own thing while working as a bartender at a local yacht club in Port Clinton, where she took a neglected poolside bar on the property and turned it into a spot where she experimented with mixology using fresh ingredients to make cocktails.

“It was a place where people wanted to be and come and have my cocktails and experience what I had going on out

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there,” says Rodwancy, who now owns the Gristmill in Port Clinton.

The poolside bar is also what inspired her to strike out on her own and open the Gristmill in what was an abandoned gas station.

“I’ve always wanted to own my own business,” Rodwancy says. “But I never thought it was going to be a bar!”

It’s proved to be a potent concoction. Since opening in August 2020,

Rodwancy’s bar has developed a devoted following eager for cocktails such as margaritas made with fruitinfused tequila, a lemonade made with raspberry-infused vodka and more. Rodwancy was also named a finalist for bartender of the year at Bar & Restaurant’s Industry Excellence Awards 2022. We caught up with Rodwancy to talk cocktails, how she picks base spirits and more.

Brooke Rodwancy’s Faves

When she’s not behind the bar at her spot, the Gristmill, owner Brooke Rodwancy likes to keep it local when she goes out. She’s a big fan of the Orchard on Catawba Island. “They also take a fresh and innovative approach to cocktails and food pairings,” she says. “They source a lot of their juices from like local farms. I know I can get a great cocktail there. I love margaritas — that is definitely my go to when I’m out and about — but I also enjoy a good old fashioned or cosmopolitan.” do when community the perfect fresh herbs. right away. people really been color-changing fresh, those? trends coming it. industry quite really just encouraged keep working hard and doing what I’m doing — but find better ways to do it every day. It was cool to put myself, my bar and my community on the map.

Colorful cocktails make great photo ops.

Sample the ready-to-drink Heart of Glass Vodka Lemonade from Toledo Spirits, made from Ohio-grown strawberries. Master the art of cocktail making through a class at Toledo Spirits’ craft cocktail bar, Bellwether.

Enjoy a bourbon flight and gastropub fare at Everwild Spirits

The “Befores & Afters” menu will have the perfect pairing.

Six-Fifths Distilling is best known for their absinthe experience, which includes a traditional glass fountain, spoon and sugar cubes.

Visit Iron Vault Distillery and try their Old School Moonshine or gin with a local twist with Ohio-grown blueberries. Master your spiritmaking skills in a two-week bourbon making class.