Ollie's Sake Bar: Where Good Times and Silly Aesthetics Collide

Once you step into Ollie's Sake Bar, you can tell that you're going to have a good night. The eclectic and unique style, clearly thought out, means that each item was perfectly chosen for this downright silly aesthetic.

BY TESSA WISER

Skyler and Taylor Roland share their love over two things: their dog Ollie and Sake. The inspiration for their bar’s name comes from their loveable eleven-year-old pug/Boston terrier mix. Ollie has become an even more significant part of their lives since creating their brand

From the vases in the windows to the art hung on the gallery wall, each piece was picked out with love. Ollie's brings a bright and pop-y feel to 11th Street.

"I want to eventually have a bunch of neon signs," Skyler said. "I have so many I want for this place."

A neon sign of a frog wearing a cowboy hat and a royal portrait of a dog sets the tone for what's in store. After all, this bar was named after a very special boy.

Taylor also does art on the side; there's no way they couldn't hang a couple of Roland originals. The plan is to become another First Friday stop on the art walk. 

The Rolands wanted to fill a Downtown Lincoln niche: sake.

Sake is Japanese rice wine. It is crisp like vodka but without the burn afterward. It is a refreshing drink that comes in many different flavors.

“It’s got a little bit more bitterness to [sake] than a lot of wine does,” Taylor said. “It’s also lighter, a lot more floral, and easy on the palette.”

“It’s quite a bit lighter,” Skyler said. “It goes down easy, but it comes in just about every amount of sweetness you can think of.”

Ollie’s Sake Bar sells over a dozen types of sake, ranging from sweet to dry. G Joy is the Rolands' favorite.

“One that I’m pretty excited for people to try, the Maneki Wanko Lucky Dog,” Skyler said. “It's sake that comes in a juice box.”

Stay tuned for more items in the future. The Rolands plan on adding sake bombs to the menu at some point. 

A sake bomb is an ordinary sake cocktail made by dropping a shot glass full of sake in a pint of beer. Often, the sake shot is balanced on top of the beer with chopsticks. Next, you should slam the table with your fists, causing the shot to fall into the beer and create a sake bomb. 

Stop into Ollie’s for a refreshing drink and a look at the art on the walls. Ollie’s is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

Keep up to date with Ollie’s Sake Bar via Instagram. 

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