Daily Wildcat: What’s your favorite drink to make?
Alvaro DeAsis: Dirty martini straight up with blue cheese olives.
Weirdest, strangest thing you’ve seen go down at the bar?
I’ve worked here for 13 years, so I’ve seen my fair share of incidents. … I would say you’ll always find something weird and kooky over at the bar. It’s a place for everybody.
Most memorable customer, for better or worse?
My personal, most memorable customer was a guy named Gary Clark, and he passed away a couple of years ago. He was one of the founders of The Observer, which is a weekly LGBT publication. He would always sit at the corner and give me grief and tell me jokes, and he would always be drawing Marilyn Monroe or some other famous, old-school celebrity. He was a very artistic guy.
What is something a customer does that pisses you off as a bartender?
When they’re fishing. They hold their dollar bill and wave it at you like they’re fishing for a bartender. The other thing I hate is when somebody will stand up on the chair and will try to lean up on the bar to try to get your attention. And, in general, yelling. ‘Hey,’ is not going to get you anywhere quicker than somebody who is waiting there patiently.
Last weekend, with the recent overturn on [Arizona’s] gay marriage ban, was this place like a party or any busier than usual?
Well, last Saturday, on Oct. 18, was Tucson Pride, which is a huge day for the community in general. The legalization of same-sax marriage in Arizona, I think, only intensified the positive vibes that were going on during that entire weekend, and not to mention that … one night in particular is our busiest night out of the entire year. We were pretty packed.
What’s something you’ve learned about life from bartending for 13 years?
One thing I’ve learned about life from bartending for 13 years is that I definitely have a huge appreciation for the service industry. As someone who pays their bills based on the generosity of others tipping me, I try to pay it forward, and any time I have a fellow bartender — or someone in a restaurant or a valet or anybody that I know — makes their income off of tips of the generosity of others is someone that I hold to high esteem, and I try to pay it back to them.
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