Michele Bell
found at: The Gatekeeper (Middletown)

What was the hardest thing to learn about bartending?
Customers' names. I learn their drinks immediately but I haven't a clue as to what their names are.

What subject do you find most un-bar-friendly?
Politics and religion can start arguments. Customers are easily offended and when that happens I don't want to deal with the fights.

What's the best drunk confession you've ever heard?
The best drunk confession I ever heard was from a man and a woman who came in and told me they had met up here [and] hooked up. The next morning the man went outside to have a cigarette and when he came back in the woman had noticed that he had her underwear on.

What's the most absurd fake-I.D. attempt you've seen?
Wednesday nights are extremely popular among Wesleyan students. A while back someone gave me their I.D., which was legit, then discreetly passed it to the person behind them. People think I look at the date and not the picture and they think they can get away with it.

If you never had to make another drink again, which one would it be?
The only drink I don't like making is a drink I've never heard of and the customer has no idea what's in it.

Why did you become a bartender?
I like people, I like conversation. I have selective hearing, good quality for a bartender. I like that my friends can come visit me.