Ever Been Asked to Play Bartender at a Party?
by Ryan Vlastelica
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At parties, we often find ourselves asked to do mini interviews of the attendees and then compile them into little, fun-filled features in The L Magazine. Sometimes people at parties will even ask us to do some light editing in the corner. We really don’t mind. We like our job.
SHAUNA
Where she presides: The Blarney Stone, Financial District
Favorite drink: Coors Light
Never. Not ever. I don’t want to be asked, either. I work six days a week here. That’s the last thing I want to do on my day off.
NINA
Where she presides: McCann’s Pub, Astoria
Favorite drink: Jameson and ginger ale
Yeah, I get asked. I think it’s fine. It gives me a chance to show off my skills, like making Long Island Ice Teas… fancy stuff. I don’t get asked very much, though.
MIRIAM
Where she presides: Tequilaville, Midtown
Favorite drink: Malibu
I got asked one time. It was at a Halloween party. I would rather have spent time with my friends, but I didn’t mind. I love my job.
CHRISTA
Where she presides: Brooklyn Ale House, Williamsburg
Favorite drink: Belvedere dirty martini
Oh, hell no! Actually, I think, strangely enough, people who aren’t bartenders always want to play bartender at parties like that. They’re like, ‘I’m gonna make sangria!’ or whatever it is. It’s their chance. It’s almost like men around a grill. And there’s always such massive amounts of booze at those parties, it’s usually just a free-for-all.
ANGELINA
Where she presides: t.b.d., Greenpoint
Favorite drink: Watermelon martini
I took classes for bartending, so my friends would always try to test me. They’d always ask, how do you make this, how do you make that, how do you make a blah blah blah. We were at a diner one night that had the recipes for all these drinks on the placemats, and they were quizzing me about those — all these drinks that no one has ever heard of.
DIANE
Where she presides: Mark Bar, Greenpoint
Favorite drink: Doesn’t drink
This is always a funny experience. I don’t drink. When I go home for family stuff, though, I bartend for my family as a joke. For Christmas I made margaritas and mojitos — which they liked. [But if you don’t drink, how do you know the drinks are good?] I watch the people’s reactions to their drinks. I figure it out.
SHAUNA
Where she presides: The Blarney Stone, Financial District
Favorite drink: Coors Light
Never. Not ever. I don’t want to be asked, either. I work six days a week here. That’s the last thing I want to do on my day off.
NINA
Where she presides: McCann’s Pub, Astoria
Favorite drink: Jameson and ginger ale
Yeah, I get asked. I think it’s fine. It gives me a chance to show off my skills, like making Long Island Ice Teas… fancy stuff. I don’t get asked very much, though.
MIRIAM
Where she presides: Tequilaville, Midtown
Favorite drink: Malibu
I got asked one time. It was at a Halloween party. I would rather have spent time with my friends, but I didn’t mind. I love my job.
CHRISTA
Where she presides: Brooklyn Ale House, Williamsburg
Favorite drink: Belvedere dirty martini
Oh, hell no! Actually, I think, strangely enough, people who aren’t bartenders always want to play bartender at parties like that. They’re like, ‘I’m gonna make sangria!’ or whatever it is. It’s their chance. It’s almost like men around a grill. And there’s always such massive amounts of booze at those parties, it’s usually just a free-for-all.
ANGELINA
Where she presides: t.b.d., Greenpoint
Favorite drink: Watermelon martini
I took classes for bartending, so my friends would always try to test me. They’d always ask, how do you make this, how do you make that, how do you make a blah blah blah. We were at a diner one night that had the recipes for all these drinks on the placemats, and they were quizzing me about those — all these drinks that no one has ever heard of.
DIANE
Where she presides: Mark Bar, Greenpoint
Favorite drink: Doesn’t drink
This is always a funny experience. I don’t drink. When I go home for family stuff, though, I bartend for my family as a joke. For Christmas I made margaritas and mojitos — which they liked. [But if you don’t drink, how do you know the drinks are good?] I watch the people’s reactions to their drinks. I figure it out.
