Allie Vance stepped behind the bar at Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux shortly after turning 21 with no experience making drinks.
Nearly a year later, she moves with ease, grabbing pint glasses and shaking cocktails without a second thought. She manages the controlled chaos of a Friday-night rush like a seasoned professional.
“After working at the bar, I’ve definitely got my footing and (am used to) standing up (for myself) because you would get up here and people would talk to you crazy,” Vance said. “That doesn’t happen as often anymore, now that I’m kind of known back here.”
When she started the job, the pace of the restaurant and even the potential for confrontation terrified Vance. Now she feels like she could “stand up to Goliath.”
“Now that I’ve been here a little bit, behind the bar, (the customers) kind of know me,” she said. “We have a mutual respect for each other. They’re not going to talk to me crazy, and I’m not going to talk to them crazy.”
That mutual respect has made navigating the chaos easier, Vance said.
“Once you kind of get that footing with your customers, it’s a lot easier to maneuver through that chaos,” she said. “It’s going to be chaotic. It’s going to be fun though. Until you get your 17th lemon drop. It’s not that good.”
When she isn’t fielding a rush of orders or whipping up a custom variation of an espresso martini for a regular customer, one of Vance’s go-to drinks is Walk-On’s Eye of the Hurricane.
“It’s sweet, but you can still taste the alcohol,” she said. “It’s not going to punch you in the chest.”
Eye of the Hurricane
1 oz. Crown Royal Regal Apple
1 oz. Bacardi Superior Rum
.75 oz. orange juice
.5 oz. lime juice
1 oz. passion fruit puree
Splash of soda water
Splash of grenadine
Step 1: Combine Crown Royal, Bacardi, orange juice, lime juice and passion fruit puree in a shaker and shake with ice.
Step 2: Strain into a pint glass filled with ice.
Step 3: Top off with soda water and add a splash of grenadine.
Step 4: Garnish with a dried blood orange slice and a cherry.
STORY BY EMMA MCRAE
PHOTO B Y DEANNA ROBINSON