Allow me to introduce the MacDaddy of all Pegu Blog Certified Bartenders™, Tony. To be more specific, he is Big Tony. You need to be specific, since all the bartenders in the main lounge of our country club, The Worthington Hills, are named Tony.
Anyway, Tony has been serving us for about five or six years now, and I shudder to think how many Pegus he’s pushed across the bar to me. He knows most members, both by name and by tipple of choice. If you like a common drink mixed an uncommon way, he somehow manages to remember this forever. We’re not a huge club, but it is still pretty amazing.
I just read a post at The Art of Drink, while thinking about this post, about Bartenders vs. Mixologists. In the context of that discussion, I’d consider Tony a consummately professional Bartender. There are no complaints about Tony. He moves briskly when its crowded and conversationally when it is slow. The place is spotless, but looks well lived-in. He’s fun to talk to, but knows how to keep his mouth shut about what you say. I don’t think of him as a mixologist, since he’s not constantly going Mad Scientist with new concoctions. He just makes your drink exactly the way you want it, and consistently so.
If you are a member, find me in the bar and I’ll buy you a Pegu. If I’m not there, Tony can make you one anyway.