“Do not enjoy. Responsibly.”
That’s the tagline for Jeppson’s Malört, the Chicago spirit that’s entered the larger cultural zeitgeist this past year. And you can credit Katey Rafanello for a lot of that newfound success of an old and often unloved spirit.
Rafanello — who goes by the nickname “Bunny” (“Dad was part of the Playboy Club back in the ’70s and ’80s,” she notes. “I got taught to ski and do all the important things, like serve a drink, from the bunnies.”) — is a longtime hospitality professional and one of the faces of the wormwood-based digestif. Literally: That’s her mortified mug seen on the website, on the side of a truck and some of the ads for the Malört. “We were drinking at 10 in the morning,” she says. “That face I made was a real face for sure.”
But beyond the marketing, Rafanello is a notable and colorful icon in the spirits industry. She joined CH Distillery, the now home of Malört, at a time when the sales team was entirely male. Today, she does brand-building, sales and market strategy for Malört while remaining a strong presence in bars, restaurants and events.
Below, a few lessons learned from Rafanello, including the best way to enjoy Malört, how to make an impact in the drinks world and why an objectionably objectionable spirit is the center of her life. “Malört suits me,” she says. “It matches my personality. I’ve always been a little impish, tricking people and putting things in people’s mouths for years.”
(Oh, and if you’re reading this on Feb. 21, happy Malört Day, which I guess is a thing.)
Her First Experience With Malört Was Unsurprisingly Awful
“I knew it was somewhat of a penalty shot. I had been ‘Malört-ed’ long before CH bought Jeppson’s. I was tricked into it at a local bar here in Chicago. They said, ‘Oh, Bunny, you want a bourbon?’ I said, ‘Oh, sure.’ And they Malört-ed me. I thought I’d been poisoned.”
Promoting Malört Is Actually Fun
“When I got into the sales side of things, I was sent right away to Tales of the Cocktail by myself, which was hilarious. In the middle of the summer, I wore jeans. I don’t know why I did that. I didn’t know any better, but I was carrying a suitcase full of swag — and people will do anything for a Malört button.
We’re so grassroots. I say, don’t you want to be the cool bar? Don’t you want to get in on this? A lot of this is being out there in person and probably drinking too much with the customers.”
The Chicago Bar Community Helped Spread the Word
“People from Chicago, bartenders and mixologists, they get around, you know? So I noticed a lot of the people down in New Orleans and both of the coasts, they started here, and they bring a lot with them wherever they go. So I may have known some of them before they left, and I may have helped them sneak Malört out of the state.”
The Fans of Malört Are Fanatics
“I see a lot of people with Malört tattoos. Everybody wants to be the most Malört-y. There’s a couple, Kate and Sam, they own Pepp’s Pub, which is the most Malört-centric bar in New Orleans. That’s where we hold Malortigras each year.”
Malört Isn’t for Everyone
“I’ve seen someone take a shot of Malort and return it back up right away. But we kind of expected it, so we didn’t make her feel bad. But we do hear stories all the time that ‘Malört caused my divorce’ and stuff like that.”
Are You Ready for Malört Ice Cream?
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“We have Malört cocktail competitions all the time. I’ve tasted some pretty damn good ones — but mostly it tastes like people dumped a little Malort into a good cocktail. The best way to use it is at room temperature, down the hatch, get it over with. ‘Do not enjoy. Responsibly.’ That will never go away. It’s always going to be a pay-it-forward, social interaction tradition.”
That Said, Malört Has Its Uses
“Each year, we do the limited barrel-aged Malört. They’re Jeppson’s bourbon barrels we use. And that bourbon is really good! All these breweries want those wet barrels to age their stouts and porters in.”
How Women Like Rafanello Are Reshaping the Drinks Business
“I think it’s changed a lot for women. There are more women in leadership, more brand owners, entrepreneurs, master distillers. Different organizations help women navigate, like Women of the Vine & Spirits — they mentor, help people network and help women find their place in the landscape — which, traditionally, there have been a few barriers up.
Our team is very female-dominated. I think women are a pretty powerful consumer base, and having women in those marketing roles makes sure the campaigns resonate. Women love to help each other and mentor and bring each other up into this world. They’re willing to put a crazy lady on the side of a truck.”
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