Japp’s owner and mixologist Molly Wellmann began her video series 5 O’Clock Tales near the beginning of the coronavirus shutdown to continue to engage with the customers from her bar, entertain them with interesting stories and offer guidance on making stellar cocktails at home — just a few of her favorite things. It was also a way to raise some funds for her workers, business and self during the difficult time. After successfully reopening Japp’s to the public, with a socially distant layout and platform, she restarted her online cocktail class series. But this time, folks were able to stop in and pick up a cocktail ingredient kit so they could make the drink at home, right alongside Wellmann. jappsotr.com.

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Over-the-Rhine’s Wodka Bar was the only one of the two dozenish bars across the country praised by Esquire in their most recent “Best Bars in America” list to be located in Cincinnati. Food & Drinks editor Jeff Gordinier wrote of the cocktail lounge, “The very existence of a bar devoted to vodka feels like a rebuke to all the bartenders who’ve scoffed at the spirit. But this spot takes the defiance a step further, offering shots of vodka infused with (among other things) mangoes and peanut brittle.” And, of course, plenty of pierogi and other Eastern European eats. wodkabarotr.com.

This winter, Longfellow crafted and bottled their own amaro, a popular herbal digestif, for purchase and in special themed snack packs. They also began making their own line of cocktail bitters, infused with chamomile and coriander, which fans can get to-go. longfellowbar.com.

1. Village Tavern

2. The Monkey Bar & Grille

3. March First Brewing

1. Northside Yacht Club

2. Tillie’s Lounge

3. The Comet

1. Below Zero Lounge

2. Arnold’s Bar and Grill

3. 16-Bit Bar+Arcade

1. Streetside Brewery

2. Latitude’s Bar & Bistro

3. Mount Lookout Tavern

1. Crazy Fox Saloon

2. Southgate House Revival

3. Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar

1. Knotty Pine Rock Club & Tiki Bar

2. The Crow’s Nest

3. Blue Note Harrison

1. MOTR Pub

2. Arnold’s Bar and Grill

3. Southgate House Revival

1. Bogart’s

2. Southgate House Revival

3. Madison Theater

1. Below Zero Lounge

2. Northside Yacht Club

3. Longfellow

1. Molly Wellmann (Japp’s)

2. Valerie Diehl (Northside Yacht Club; Lost & Found)

3. Ceris Christopher (The Belle & The Bear)

1. Patrick Carnes (Tillie’s Lounge)

2. Alex Meece (Mellow Mushroom)

3. Zeque Walker (Northside Yacht Club)

Braxton Brewing Co. took the PSL trend a step further this fall by introducing VIVE Pumpkin Spice Hard Seltzer. The bubbly beverage contains only 100 calories and 2 grams of carbs, but packs plenty of cinnamon and spice into its slim-can design. viveseltzer.com.

This summer, Weathered Souls Brewing Co., a Black-owned brewery based out of San Antonio, Texas, invited brewers nationwide to participate in its Black is Beautiful campaign to foster inclusion and raise awareness of social and racial injustice. They shared their base imperial stout recipe with craft brewers across the country and encouraged them to give it their own unique spin. (They also provided free Black is Beautiful label artwork.) Weathered Souls got a response from more than 900 breweries across the country, including Rhinegeist Brewery, Listermann Brewing Company, Samuel Adams Cincinnati, Northern Row Brewery & Distillery and Streetside Brewery. But the campaign was more than just a way to sell beer. Weathered Souls asked participating breweries to donate 100% of the beer’s proceeds to local foundations that support police reform and legal defense for victims of police brutality or organizations that support equality and inclusion. blackisbeautiful.beer.

Cincinnati’s beloved Turkish coffee pop-up Rüya teamed up with Over-the-Rhine brewery Rhinegeist on a limited-edition brew, just in time for Halloween. Ghost Dreams, a stout made with Rüya coffee and cardamom, brought together the two cultures — “geist” means “ghost” in German and “ruya” means “dreams” in Turkish. Described as “Dark as Hell, Strong as Death, Sweet as Love,” the beer was available on tap. rhinegeist.com; ruyacoffee.com.

1. The Comet

2. Higher Gravity

3. 16-Bit Bar+Arcade

1. rhinehaus

2. Yard House

3. Hoppin’ Vines