You may have noticed, but Milwaukee has more than a few places to grab a beer or cocktail.
If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, we’re here to help. The Journal Sentinel asked bartenders at a few of the city’s oldest bars what they serve most to their customers – and then asked what they drink themselves.
Here’s what they told us.
Wolski’s
Wolski’s bartender Rani Watson said her drink of choice is a hard seltzer. But for customers, she said, it’s a different story: “Everybody loves their Schlitz.”
Schlitz beer production has come to an end, though. Busch Light is still available, as always, but Watson had a different recommendation for those feeling a little more adventurous: a Stoli Orange shot, a type of flavored vodka.
“I’d describe it as gasoline with a tint of orange,” she said.
Holler House
Schlitz is a popular choice at Holler House too, though owner Cathy Haefke said people also flock to other well-known Wisconsin drinks, including old fashioneds and other popular beers like Spotted Cow, Blatz or Pabst.
But Haefke recommends Zywiec, a Polish beer that customers can’t get enough of, she said.
Haefke’s family has owned the bar for 118 years. Many customers enjoy the older feel of the bar and order their drinks accordingly.
“You can have all your fancy-dancy beers anywhere,” she said.
The Pressroom MKE
The paloma – a mix of tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda – is among the most popular drinks at The Pressroom MKE.
But Robert Holmes, one of the bar’s owners, has never had one. He’s more of a beer person, he said, and recommends Yuengling, a Pennsylvania-brewed beer that expanded to Wisconsin earlier this year.
However, the bar also sells plenty of Mexican candy shots, a vodka shot that tastes like watermelon with tajin on the rim, Holmes said.
O’Lydia’s Bar and Grill
O’Lydia’s general manager Rick Sackett described the bar as a “shot-and-a-beer kind of place,” where espresso martinis are popular, and don’t forget Guinness either.
Unlike some of Milwaukee’s other older bars, O’Lydia’s has food on its menu, including chicken wings with more than a few sauce options. O’Lydia’s didn’t set out to be a wing place, but “they’re so good that it happened naturally,” Sackett said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What Milwaukee bartenders serve most – and what they actually drink
Reporting by Blaise Mesa, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
