Molly Wellmann answers the questions we’ve always been too embarrassed to ask our bartenders

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: 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 their head to be able to create something. That’s what a bartender does. It’s not just about, “What’ll you have?” That’s the old way of doing it. In today’s bars it should be, “Let me find out what you like because we can make it.”

Q: If someone orders a drink, like a bourbon and soda, and is offered different brands of liquor, what should they ask to help them pick?

A: What brand do you normally drink when you go to the bar? At this bar, I could tell you everything about bourbon, I drink enough of it to know every taste. I can introduce something new for you to try [based on your usual]. Any good bartender who does their research… here, that’s something that we do. I’m very particular about everybody knowing what’s on the back of the bar and how to sell it. Because at the end of the day we are all sales people, we sell liquor. We should know our product. It’s not just about putting a drink together and handing it to you. It’s about giving you choices and selling something new to you to try, to broaden your drinking horizons.

Q: What does lighting an element like orange zest add to a drink? Or is it just show?

A: Both. It’s for show where everybody is looking at us definitely at the bar. Every movement counts behind the bar because everyone is facing you. Everyone is looking at you. So be a show.

Lighting something on fire definitely gets people’s attention. Yes, it also does [add flavor]. There’s oil in citrus, the orange has the most, that will ignite on fire and kind of give it almost like a toastiness rather than just expressing the fresh orange. It’s really dependent on the drink I’m making whether I’m lighting the orange or not. Sometimes I really like the fresh and not something that’s been ignited on fire.

Q: What terms should people know when they’re ordering a drink, such as a martini?

A: Whenever anyone says, “I’d love a martini,” first question is, “Gin or vodka?” Dirty or clean? Dirty meaning there’s going to be some olive brine in it. Clean means there’s not going to be any brine in it and I’m probably going to express some lemon on top of it so it’s fresh and it’s bright.

Everybody says I want extra dry. That doesn’t matter. I’m going to put vermouth in it one way or the other because it’s not a martini unless I put vermouth in it.

It’s always stirred if it’s a martini. Now if you want something that’s shaken, you want it really cold, you want an ice rink on top of it, that’s fine but it’s no longer a martini. We can still do it. Big nerdy bartender thing—it’s called a Bradford then. Clean or dirty, some people like it extra dirty, some people like it just a tad dirty, slightly dirty, so we know how much brine to put it. And then whether you would like it up or on the rocks. Up means it’s being stirred and put into a martini glass with no ice and then on the rocks is on [ice]. I drink my martinis on the rocks, I like what the ice does.

Q: What questions have people asked you before?

A: People ask questions all the time. People ask what’s the difference between a bartender and a mixologist. The answer is I’m always a bartender. I’m always tending the bar first. That’s the most important job. [As] a mixologist you take it one step further, studying old drinks, studying spirits, studying where they come from, the history behind them, techniques, everything, from over 100 years ago. But I always say I’m a bartender and if you want just a Bud Light I really know how to serve that and I’m very happy to do so!

Footloose and Fancy Free

You don’t always have to head out to a bar to have a quality drink. You can even make them in your own home. Molly Wellmann, owner of Japp’s Since 1879 in Over-the-Rhine, shared this recipe for a classic cocktail, the Fancy Free, so you can have a good drink wherever you are.

The Fancy Free
2 ounces of bourbon
0.5 ounces maraschino liquor
2 dashes angostura bitters
2 dashes orange bitters
orange twist
Mix together in a mixing glass and pour in a glass over ice. Garnish with an orange peel.