Apothecary and Mercantile opens Bistro and old-fashioned ice cream shop

Located about 10 miles Southwest of Sauk City, Wisconsin, the Village of Mazomanie has a new eatery downtown, located in the Apothecary and Mercantile.

Last August, Driftless Now published a story about the Iron Amethyst Inn and 2ONE Speakeasy, also in Mazomanie, owned by Justin and Jennifer Martinez who also own the Apothecary and Mercantile. The Martinezes shared they would be expanding the latter to include serving food and ice cream.  

According to its website in part, The Apothecary & Mercantile represents a community of Artisans and provides a retail brick and mortar experience supported by online marketing and eCommerce for Wisconsin and the Driftless area. It also states, the apothecary is a modern take on early apothecaries, providing natural herbal products, mocktails, and cocktails.

Having established a commercial kitchen, Justin, who has a passion for cooking gourmet foods, the Apothecary & Mercantile serves bar-b-que and flatbread sandwiches along with other foods.  Sweetening things up, are the addition of a soda fountain and old-fashioned ice cream shop.

This past Saturday, Justin and Jennifer, along with their daughter Anastacia and her boyfriend Demetrius, officially opened their Bistro and old-fashioned soda fountain. “It's been a work in progress because we couldn't get supplies and we couldn't get contractors,” said Jennifer. “So, probably about a good year I've tried to get contractors out here and get equipment and supplies. Otherwise, we had aimed to have things up and running last summer.” The Martinezes were fortunate enough to have a couple of local electricians and plumbers take time out of their busy schedule to squeeze them in to get the job done.  

An important consideration Justin and Jennifer had to ponder was the rising cost of supplies, equipment, and food. Admittedly, they needed to adapt. “We had to change plans as we kept going on. Originally, we were going to have a full kitchen in here, a commercial kitchen with a griddle and a grill fire suppression system. The cost was just so great to have the bonnet put on that we opted to do outdoor grilling and smoking for the proteins (meats), and then bringing them in and prepping them for the flatbreads. So, we will do the flatbreads inside here, and the preparation of sandwiches,” said Justin.

They agreed that having the grilling aspect to their menu, as opposed to just a flat grill, gives them an advantage. Having the grilling outside in the back that boasts a patio, cooking area, and a grassy area with a few large-scale games like Chess, Jenga, and Connects, offers a family-oriented experience.

Now to the good stuff: the Bistro’s menu. Listed as “Starters”, you can have fries (including sweet potato), and wings seasoned multiple ways, accompanied with a variety of dips. Their “Mains” menu carries a wide selection of toasted sandwiches served on flat breads or a hoagie bun, with a gluten free option available. Jennifer noted that eventually they will also serve Aussie and Kiwi pies of different flavors. The pies would be alike to pot pies, but with a down under twist.

For those with a sweet tooth, they have root beer floats, phosphate drinks, sundaes, boozy sundaes (with a shot of liquor), malts, shakes, sorbet, and the traditional ice cream cone. Apothecary drinks include elixirs, teas (hot or cold), mocktails and cocktails, craft beer, wine, and seltzer/cider drinks. A full menu and the history of the soda fountain in general can be found in the photo gallery below.

Justin said they are limited to space as far as what they can carry for ice cream. “Our footprint is so small in here. So, we just have to do more of like the old-fashioned ice cream shops.” Jenifer added, “We serve vanilla, chocolate, and sometimes one or two other flavors. Back then, there wasn't a lot of flavors. They would make a lot of sundaes and malts and shakes, so that's what we're doing, and with all the syrups, you can make your own flavor soda, phosphate sodas, and Italian sodas. We also have two sorbets, a lemon and raspberry. We have a liquor license here too. So, we have boozy sundaes and boozy malts and shakes, fun stuff like that.”

The mercantile side of the business sources products from local artisans; photographers, jewelers, and health product makers. “We carry an eco-friendly cleaner line, a refillable system, you buy the first bottle and then you can come back and refill for cheaper. We also carry some apothecary lines, the all-natural products like teas, salves, and tinctures, stuff like that,” Jennifer said.

Three generations of one family came out to experience the Bistro’s cuisine and browse the Apothecary and Mercantile: Connie Koller, her daughter Kim, and her granddaughter Abby. “I had been following them on Facebook,” said Kim. “Last year, we were here and they mentioned that they were going to be opening up an ice cream shop, and I noticed on their Facebook page they were now serving food, so we decided to meet here.” Connie added, “It's very good. I enjoy traveling here, and the food was delicious.” Abby said “I really liked reading the history of the Apothecary in the menu like the history. I learned a lot of history in the menu. I also like the Italian sodas.” All three like that the products they carry are sourced locally and that the Martinezes are strong supporters of other small businesses.

Beth Gold and her children Arianna and Eli also learned about the old-fashioned ice cream shop & Bistro opening through social media as well. “Arianna said she was interested in checking it out,” Beth said. Arianna said, “It’s really cool here, and I like all the local people’s stuff,“ while her bother Eli motioned two thumbs up. Beth had a flat bread sandwich that she said was great. She shared it appealed to her that there were so many handcrafted items in the Mercantile from local areas.

The Martinezes have invested in Mazomanie and with good cause. “That's our plan here with us revitalizing the downtown, to draw people to this area. Because, I mean, you can only have so many Mazomanie people support you right? But you need to bring in people, and we're in a good area for tourism, because we're really between a lot of great spots,” Jennifer said with a smile.

Visit Apothecary & Mercantile at: apothecary-mercantile.com and on Facebook.

Apothecary & Mercantile current hours:

Wednesday:

11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Thursday:

11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Friday:

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Saturday:

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Closed Sunday-Tuesday

The Apothecary & Mercantile- Mazomanie, Wisconsin

Justin and Jennifer in front of the Iron Amethyst-Mazomanie, Wisconsin

L to R: Anastacia and Jennifer

L to R: Demetrius and Justin cook to order gourmet delights.

L to R: Connie, Abby and Kim

L to R: Beth, Eli, and Arianna

Patio and grilling area complete with giant chess and Connect Four games.