Jeffrey Moll Jr. is a Master Mixologist

For more than a decade we’ve put the spotlight on folks who can transport customers with their cocktail creations. Inevitably, we talk about their deep knowledge base picked up from working at one great bar after another. And then there is Jeffrey Moll Jr., a guy with a fine arts background in need of a creative outlet.

His fortunes put him in touch with James Beard-nominated chef Mike Randolph, who has several beloved restaurants in St. Louis. With Randolph, Moll found a home and a career as a bartender, the creative outlet he was looking for. Moll shadowed an acclaimed mixologist at one of Randolph’s restaurants, but ultimately assumed the role of head bartender at Randolph’s Little Country Gentleman.

Moll is no ordinary guy. The self-described curmudgeon is smart and nerdy in the best possible way. Every drink he’s ever made is detailed precisely in a Moleskine notebook. Actually, it’s now four notebooks. He’s an amaro fanatic and the Italian herbal liqueur finds its way into many of his cocktails, which is perfect since he now mans the bar at Randolph’s newest Italianate restaurant, Randolfi’s.

Moll also collects antique glassware, which he uses at the restaurant, and his latest fascination is the intersection of fine coffees with cocktails. It’s no surprise that he makes his own syrups and bitters, but we’re drawn to the names he gives his cocktails, including The Deceit of Capt. Shaddock; The Deeper the Water, the Uglier the Fish and It’s a Lovely Day with You, Bert. (We told you he was a nerd.)

Sauce magazine named Moll “One to Watch.” That, in our opinion, may be the understatement of the year. Alas, St. Louis Magazine named him the city’s Top 2015 Mixologist. That’s more like it.