Tête-à-tête – with Joar Wahlgren 

Tell us about yourself and your background.
I’m from the countryside, out in the sticks in Västergötland, and grew up on a farm with sheep, rabbits, and all sorts of animals. After high school in Trollhättan, I moved to Sydney to study economics.

Alongside my studies, I started working as a bartender at parties, weddings, and bar mitzvahs. I realized pretty quickly that I enjoyed making drinks much more than studying economics, so I dropped out and moved back home to pursue a career as a bartender.

I trained as a sommelier in Grythyttan and then ended up in Stockholm, where I spent a few months going to bars, talking to bartenders, and getting to know the industry. That led to jobs at Hillenberg and later at Cadierbaren. Then the pandemic hit, and I spent a few years working various jobs, including at Pharmarium and Portal.

During this time, I was in touch with Johan Evers and became a regular at A Bar Called Gemma. Eventually, I started working there and stayed on for several years. When Othilia came along, I was asked if I wanted to take charge of the bar—and of course I did. The opportunity to work at a Michelin-starred restaurant in these fantastic surroundings was hard to turn down.

What made you fall in love with this profession?
I’m an extrovert and I really enjoy being around people. Talking to them, seeing them smile, and feeling like I can help make their day a little better. It gives me an instant dopamine rush that warms my heart.

There’s also something really great about being a bartender. If a guest is satisfied, I’m the one who shook the drink and gets that immediate feedback. For me, the service aspect is the most important thing, but I also love the nerdiness and craftsmanship behind it.

What’s the best thing about working at Othilia?
The incredible privilege of getting to work so closely with Operakällaren. We have a fantastic wine list, incredibly skilled sommeliers, and a kitchen of the highest caliber. During the summer, I’ve also had the chance to work in the dining room, which has been a lot of fun.

And then there’s the setting—it’s impossible to ignore. Both “ Operakällaren ” and “Othilia” are incredibly beautiful rooms. Many of our guests have actively chosen to come to Operakällaren , and for some, booking a dinner here is quite a big step. I find it truly wonderful to be able to take care of them once they arrive.

What do you hope guests feel when they leave the bar?
That they’ve felt seen and had as wonderful a time as possible. That they’ve sat in a beautiful setting, enjoyed delicious drinks, and felt that someone has truly taken care of them. It’s a simple answer, but that’s how it is.

Is there a cocktail you think everyone should give another chance?
Hanky Panky. It’s somewhere between a Martini and a Negroni and was created around 1913 by Ada Coleman at the Savoy Hotel in London. Gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet-Branca. Strong, bitter, simple, and incredible.

What’s your favorite ingredient to use?
Fresh citrus and good ice. Otherwise, I get tired of ingredients pretty quickly and want to move on to something new. But I often come back to the things I grew up with on the farm: raspberries, herbs, chamomile, and similar flavors.

What inspires you when you’re creating something new?
It often involves going out to eat, drinking, traveling, and trying new things. I might taste something and start wondering: How can I make this into a liquid?

Once I had a stew with pineapple and bell peppers and loved the combination. It ended up becoming a cocktail at Gemma based on those very flavors. Maybe I’m not that creative on my own, haha. I’d rather take something that already exists and develop or enhance it.

What sets a good bartender apart from an exceptional one?
Seeing the guest. Anyone can learn to make good drinks. You can learn to stir, shake, and set up your station. But understanding the guest is something else entirely.

Do they want to talk a lot or a little? What are they looking for? Is it a first date or something else? An exceptional bartender can read the situation and adapt accordingly.

What’s the best classic cocktail?
Hanky Panky is, of course, very high on the list. But so is the Old Fashioned. In many ways, it’s the archetype of a cocktail and hard to beat.

What’s the biggest myth in the cocktail world?
That the bartender always knows best. There’s an attitude in the industry that guests should drink a certain way or like certain things, and I don’t like that.

All our guests are here to enjoy a nice evening. If someone wants a Roma and Coke, they should of course have it. Our job is to understand what our guests like, not to judge it.

How do you develop a cocktail?
It’s very much about details and layers. A drink mustn’t be one-dimensional. Some of our cocktails can have as many as 35 ingredients. It might be just a few drops of something or a single white peppercorn, but together, all those little details create depth. In fact, I don’t think we have any drink with fewer than 15 ingredients.

Then we test it an enormous number of times. We keep going until we're 100 percent satisfied—nothing less will do. I think we tested one drink 88 times.

Describe the perfect evening at Othilia.
It’s packed both here and in the dining room. It’s bustling and almost too hectic, but we have an incredible team and people are laughing loudly. The music is a little too loud; someone asks me to turn it down, and I say no…

There's a big group of people hanging out somewhere, a first date happening somewhere else, and everyone is drinking cocktails and having a great time. A Friday like that is the absolute best.

Is there a particular moment during a service that you especially enjoy?
The moment when the station is ready, we’ve chosen the music, and everything is set up. Then the door opens, the first guest walks in, and the evening gets underway.

How do you read a guest when they walk in?
It’s almost impossible to put into words—so much of it comes down to experience. I’ve been working as a bartender for twelve years at many different kinds of establishments. You pick up on things in their body language and, of course, engage in conversation with the guest.

A Norwegian bartender once taught me that you don't refill someone's water glass just to refill it, but to get a feel for the table. It's the information around me that guides me in how to act.

Is there a particular type of guest you find especially fun to take care of?
I enjoy groups where we really connect and I’m not just the waiter or bartender. When a good conversation develops, I can understand what they like and how I can help them have a truly wonderful evening.

What do you do when you're not behind the bar?
I watch a lot of movies. I especially like niche art films that barely even make it to theaters. Russian black-and-white films are very close to my heart.

What do you always have in your fridge at home?
Bärs.

What was your last really great dining experience?
Bar Agrikultur. I love their style of cooking—it reminds me a lot of home. I also like how, unlike in Sweden, the tables are set quite close together. Incredible wine and a really wonderful team.

A book, movie, or song you’d like to recommend?
The movie *An Elephant Sitting Still*. A Chinese film that’s almost four hours long. “Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits. And *The Tempest* by Shakespeare.

What are you curious about right now?
Always trying new things and more. The world is big, and there are always ingredients you haven’t tried, foods you haven’t eaten, and places you haven’t experienced. I want to keep eating, drinking, traveling, and experiencing other cultures.

Is there a cocktail on the menu that really captures the bar’s philosophy?
All or Nothing. It was inspired by Daniel and Emanuel’s signature Coconut & Caviar, so to me, it really embodies Othilia. It complements the dining room perfectly, and it’s also our best-selling drink.

How would you describe Othilia to someone who's never been here?
It's not as fancy as you might think.

Everyone has some idea of what this place is like. Do I have to wear a tie? How should I behave? But Othilia is a beautiful and peaceful setting with plenty of space for you, as a guest, to truly relax.

That's also what sets us apart from many other really great bars. It's quiet here. You can stay, chat, and really relax right up until 1:00 a.m.

What’s your favorite spot at Othilia?
Table 105. The sofa a little to the side of the bar, with your back to the Palace. There, you can choose whether you want to be part of the atmosphere and what’s happening in the room, or step back a bit and have some time to yourself.

If Othilia were a person, how would you describe her?
I picture a woman. Elegant, sexy, and graceful. Wearing heels and holding a champagne glass that’s spilling a little.

What are you most looking forward to this fall?
This is our last fall here, and I’m especially looking forward to wrapping up such a wonderful chapter together with friends and colleagues. To keep working and go all the way.

We won’t just close our doors. Right up until the very last day, we’ll continue to uphold the standards we believe in, and we’ll do so together with our team, the dining room, and our guests. We’ll stay focused every step of the way and then bring this incredibly interesting and beautiful chapter to a close together.

An early aperitif or the last drink of the evening?
An early aperitif.

Champagne or Dry Martini?
Champagne.

Sit at the bar or at a table?
The bar.

Pool or ocean?
Ocean.

Paris, Tokyo, or New York?
Paris.

Dinner at home or at a restaurant?
Restaurant.

Morning person or night owl?
Night owl.