Has Bartending Upped Your Booze Tolerance?
by Ryan Vlastelica
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So, here’s a counterintuitive bit of info for all you drink-counting frat champs: It turns out that alcoholics get drunk much faster than regular drinkers. The trick is that the brain becomes so accustomed to the pleasure of alcohol that the first two drinks trigger the kind of pleasant euphoria that normal people feel around drinks three through six. And then the alkies just keep drinking, chasing that good feeling through drinks three to twenty. Nurse!
MARISOL
Where she presides: 68 Jay, Dumbo
Favorite drink: Stoli Orange & Grapefruit Juice
Yes, it has. [Care to elaborate?] I can drink more now... I used to be able to drink two glasses of wine; now I can drink four glasses of wine... a whole bottle. [The other bartender on duty chimes in: And we don’t feel ashamed because all y’all are drinking.]
ANDRES
Where she presides: Jacques, SoHo
Favorite drink: Cranberry martini
Yes, definitely. It used to be three to four drinks would get me drunk. Now it’s like twice that, and it’s mostly because we drink a lot here. We work long hours and sometimes we drink. Plus, you know, we do a lot of wine here, and sometimes we’re asked to taste the wine.
NADINE
Where she presides: VYNL, Chelsea
Favorite drink: Safire and tonic
I would say it hasn’t, because I take a lot of breaks from drinking. Liver breaks, for a couple of weeks at a time. It’s good for my body to do that, it makes the workouts better. And I don’t drink on the job. It’s prohibited.
MELISSA
Where she presides: Superfine, Dumbo
Favorite drink: “Anything but gin.”
Decidedly yes. I don’t think you want to go shot-for-shot with a bartender, especially at their own bar. There’s an adrenaline rush. It’s like playing pool with a bartender — you’re gonna lose. That said... [places a two shot glasses on the bar between herself and your humble correspondent; gestures towards shelf] Anything but gin.
CHARLES
Where he presides: Art Bar, West Village
Favorite drink: Patron on the rocks
Yes, it has. What kind of number are you looking for? [How many drinks does it take to get you drunk?] Close to double-digits, I’d say, nine to ten, something like that. Used to be five or six. [Because you work here?] Oh yeah. I’m drinking much more frequently now, and mostly at work. They don’t mind if you drink on the job here.
MARISOL
Where she presides: 68 Jay, Dumbo
Favorite drink: Stoli Orange & Grapefruit Juice
Yes, it has. [Care to elaborate?] I can drink more now... I used to be able to drink two glasses of wine; now I can drink four glasses of wine... a whole bottle. [The other bartender on duty chimes in: And we don’t feel ashamed because all y’all are drinking.]
ANDRES
Where she presides: Jacques, SoHo
Favorite drink: Cranberry martini
Yes, definitely. It used to be three to four drinks would get me drunk. Now it’s like twice that, and it’s mostly because we drink a lot here. We work long hours and sometimes we drink. Plus, you know, we do a lot of wine here, and sometimes we’re asked to taste the wine.
NADINE
Where she presides: VYNL, Chelsea
Favorite drink: Safire and tonic
I would say it hasn’t, because I take a lot of breaks from drinking. Liver breaks, for a couple of weeks at a time. It’s good for my body to do that, it makes the workouts better. And I don’t drink on the job. It’s prohibited.
MELISSA
Where she presides: Superfine, Dumbo
Favorite drink: “Anything but gin.”
Decidedly yes. I don’t think you want to go shot-for-shot with a bartender, especially at their own bar. There’s an adrenaline rush. It’s like playing pool with a bartender — you’re gonna lose. That said... [places a two shot glasses on the bar between herself and your humble correspondent; gestures towards shelf] Anything but gin.
CHARLES
Where he presides: Art Bar, West Village
Favorite drink: Patron on the rocks
Yes, it has. What kind of number are you looking for? [How many drinks does it take to get you drunk?] Close to double-digits, I’d say, nine to ten, something like that. Used to be five or six. [Because you work here?] Oh yeah. I’m drinking much more frequently now, and mostly at work. They don’t mind if you drink on the job here.
