Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: Zandrea Hart of the Red Shoe Bar By Paddy McDrinksey Normally, I’d consider sitting at the Red Shoe Bar as imbibing under my station. But last month, I’d gotten tired of sipping safely within my station or, more often, guzzling below it. With the light fading earlier than usual, and in the spirit of the season, auld Paddy thought he’d throw decorum to the wind to enjoy a bit of the good life and strode through the door. I won’t lie to you. I did feel... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: Danna Simmons of Norman’s Raw Bar & Grill By Paddy McDrinksey & Photos by Misti Blu Day There’s an old Killkilly saying that goes, “When the sheep’s sheared, the salmon grow wool.” I’ve never understood that one, to be honest. And I’ve never fully understood a great many other phrases that spring from my unpicturesque hometown. One thing I have no problem understanding is the popularity of Norman’s Raw Bar & Grill... [Read more...]
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: Richard States of Florida Keys Piano Bar & Cocktail Lounge I’ve stumbled around the block a few times, I can tell you, but no one in recent memory pours ‘em better than Richard States, barkeep at downtown Melbourne’s upscale Florida Keys Piano Bar & Cocktail Lounge. Working to the tinkling of popular house pianist John Ryan, Richard keeps customers happy with his smooth demeanor and profound understanding of mixology at one of the newest and best... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
Bartender of the Month: Tom Callahan of the North End • Paddy McDrinksey • Any man who counts George Carlin as one of his idols is immediately okay in my book, but long before I knew that Tom Callahan was one of them, he won me over with his genuine decency and gift for the gab. Tom holds court in one of our newest favorite hideaways, the suitably dark and cozy North End in Cocoa Beach. If I had the money, I’d put a bar very like the North End in my sprawling compound, and I’d put... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
Haley Ryan of Main Street Pub By Paddy McDrinksey Welcome to one of my favorite haunts, the cozy Main Street Pub in historic downtown Melbourne. Where else can you find three distinct full-liquor bars under one roof? Well, two places come to mind, actually… And then there’s that other one I forgot about back home in Killkilly… Okay, so there are several places out there that have three bars under one roof, but none have laid them out as attractively as Main Street Pub. Downstairs... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinskey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: AMANTHA MURPHY of TIME OUT SPORTS BAR • By Paddy McDrinskey • As I write this, the soccer world is in upheaval. America is out, England got trounced by Germany 4-1, New Zealand is still in the running, and the French (surprise) went on strike, and barely made an impression before being knocked out by Mexico, of all teams. It’s good to know that with everything going haywire I can still rely on Amantha Murphy. Our favorite bartender at Time Out Sports Bar in Cocoa... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: TRACY SMITH of the Cocoa Beach VFW, Gunnery Sgt. Elia P. Fontecchio Memorial Post 10148 • Paddy McDrinksey • If I had my druthers, I’d make Tracy Smith “Bartender of the Year.” As it is, I’ve misplaced my druthers, and the good Lord knows where they are now. So she’ll have to settle for “Bartender of the Month,” then. But what better month to honor her? On Saturday, June 5, the Cocoa Beach VFW where she works will be celebrating... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: JEFF JONES • Paddy McDrinskey • My old hometown of Killkilly (population 52) was all afire after the O’Malley’s Odeon screening of “Cocktail” in 1988. I mean literally afire. As in “engulfed in hellish flame.” Inspired by the film, one of the town’s 30 publicans, Padraig O’Gormless, owner of “The Hag’s Catarrh,” had the great idea of decking himself out like Tom Cruise (with whom Pat shared a passing resemblance,... [Read more...]
Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: Molly MacGuinness of the Dog ‘n’ Bone By Paddy McDrinksey They don’t make bartenders like the formidably-named Molly MacGuinness any more. In fact, I don’t even think they make women like her any more. If they do, I’d like very much, please, to take a tour of their factory. I’ll wear the silly visitor’s badge proudly (and the even sillier neon blue hard hat sheepishly), but I really wanna see how they do it. I mean, what are the ingredients... [Read more...]
By: Paddy McDrinksey
Article Category: Bartender of the Month
BARTENDER OF THE MONTH: Ray Clancy of Paddy Cassidy’s Irish Pub By Paddy McDrinksey They say everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but no one will ever be as Irish as me auld mucker Ray Clancy. At least I think he’s Irish. To be honest, I can’t understand a word he says half the time. And he looks a bit Serbian in soft lighting. But after pressing him daily for months to produce his birth certificate, I can at last attest that Ray is indeed Irish — as Irish as... [Read more...]
