issue w/ org-ref setup: C-c ] works, but C-u C-C ] not

[Andreas Reuleaux <rx@a-rx.info>]

I have used org-ref in the past and I liked it,
now I am trying to get it working again.
In a way this has become easier:

* I can install org-ref from Melpa now, instead of
  tangling from the org-ref.org file in the past

* with a fairly simple setup (omitting the details for now,
  but can give them of course), and the default

    (setq org-ref-completion-library 'org-ref-helm-bibtex)
  
  I get to chose my papers/books to cite in a quite comfortable way
  when I press C-c ]

But what does not currently work for me (and what used to work):
getting a choice of citation: cite/citep/citeauthor/nocite/whatever.

Basically I want 

* a list to choose from in the first place

* preferrably have my own list of choices, allowing me to focus on the
  ones that I really do use (not get distracted by other more exotic
  ones), and that what I can also switch on a per document basis
  between bitex/natbib/biblatex and the available options there

I know that org-ref is relying on reftex in this regard,
and when I just use plain reftex, or even (require 'org-ref-reftex),
I get to chose cite/citep/citeauthor etc., but I loose the comfort
of the org-ref-helm-bibtex input method.

Ideally - I guess I am dreaming - I would want to rely
on ivy (or helm) for narrowing down my choice of cite/citep/citeauthor
etc - rather than type some retex keystroke.

I got some help from this list in past, how to configure my reftex
list of choices, to use biblatex entries: parencite etc. - thanks again,
and can go through these old emails of mine of course, but I am not
sure in how far these things still apply, given that org-ref has
changed quite a lot in between. Also at the time, I was at least
presented some menu when I typed C-u C-c ] - so it was just a matter
of modifying that menu, now I only get to see "pattern:" in the minibuffer.

Thanks,
  Andreas