Phil Hammonds, The Auld Dubliner

Do you have a favorite drink to make?

I was trained in cocktailing. If I’m not incredibly busy, I love making turn-of-the-century sort of stuff. I have no problem doing original martinis or Sazerac. But failing that, I’m just as comfortable making a cranberry vodka. Whatever anybody wants, that’s what I’m going to get them.

How about a least favorite drink?

Bloody Mary. One of my first bartending gigs was working a Bloody Mary bar at Hotel Congress and, yeah, after that … there’s only so many you can make at 1:30 in the morning when it’s packed. We run out of tomato juice a lot.

Who was your most memorable customer?

That can go any way you want it to. I’ve had some that were absolutely insane, some that were incredibly fun. I’m a people person; you have to be a people person in order to bartend. I just like people that are pleasant and that are nice.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever seen happen in a bar?

I think I’ve pretty much seen it all, honestly, at this point. There’s no one thing that stands out that is shocking to me anymore. Like, if someone burst into flames in front of the bar, I’d just be like, “I’ll get back to you. Let me know what you want, I’m going to help these people over here.”

As a customer, what can I do to make you happy as a bartender?

Just tip and be polite, other than that, whatever you want, I got you. You’re here to have fun; I’m here to make it fun.

On the flip side, what can I do to annoy you?

Order a Bloody Mary at 1:30 in the morning.

If you had to get rid of one drinking trend, what would it be?

Drinking too much and driving. You don’t want to mess around with the cops in Tucson. There are a bunch of undergrads from out of state that need to be very careful. They need to take SafeRide, take a cab, whatever you got to do, but don’t drink and drive. That would be my advice.