The Proust Questionnaire

As promised, I have built a series of inquiry inspired by the Proust Questionnaire.  For the inaugural interview, I have completed the examination myself.  Each succeeding interview for DLDGLG should be faithful to this format. 

The Proust Questionnaire: Anthony Rivera

What’s your favorite virtue?
Reason.

What do you believe is your chief characteristic as a person?
Honesty.

What’s your main fault/shortcoming?
Patience. I strive every day to exercise greater patience with people.

What do you appreciate the most in your friends?
Honesty and forthrightness.

What’s your favorite qualities in the same sex?
Economy of emotion.

What’s your favorite qualities in the opposite sex?
Humor.

What’s a natural talent you'd like to be gifted with?
A photographic memory.

For what fault do you have the most toleration?
Aloofness.

For what fault do you have the least toleration?
Arrogance.

What’s your idea of happiness?
An overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.

What’s your idea of misery?
ED.

How would you wish to die?
Saving the life of someone else.

What is your football/baseball/basketball/college/hockey/soccer team?
Philadelphia Eagles.

What’s your favorite occupation (besides bartending)?
Writer.

Where would you most like to live?
Somewhere on the coast of the Caribbean or Mediterranean.

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?
Al Pacino.

Who’s your favorite comedian?
Dave Chappelle.

Who’s your favorite band/musician?
Right now: Broken Bells.
Overall: The Beatles.

Who’s your favorite art (painting, poem, sculpture, song)?
A poem: “A Game at Salzburg” by Randall Jarrell.

What’s your favorite book?
Right now: god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens.
Overall: Deliverance by James Dickey.

Name your favorite hero/heroine in fiction?
Ed Gentry, Deliverance.

What was your favorite subject in high school?
Art.

What was your least favorite subject in high school?
Math.

Name your favorite American president?
Thomas Jefferson.

Name your favorite non-American historical figure?
George Orwell.

Name your favorite hero/heroine in real life?
The passengers of United Airlines Flight 93.

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
The Beatles.

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke.

Cats or dogs?
Dogs.

What do you believe is your greatest characteristic as a bartender?
Attention to detail and the quality of the product.

What is your main fault/shortcoming as a bartender?
I overstock everything.

What is your shot of choice?
Jameson.

Who is your Obi Wan Kenobi (i.e. Who taught you the most as a bartender)?
A couple of fellas named Bobby Ferguson and Matt McCue.

At which bar did you grow the most?
Grevey’s Restaurant and Sports Bar.

Who was your favorite customer?
Prashant Uppin.  Also known as "P".  Never in my career have I met someone who completely understands and appreciates what bartenders go through.  And yet, he hadn't worked a day in a restaurant/bar.

Who was your worst customer?
I once had to throw a guy out of my bar by his head.

AM or PM bar shifts?
PM.

What’s your favorite beer?
I currently fancy Allagash White.

What’s your favorite wine?
Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

What’s your favorite spirit?
Scotch – Johnny Walker Black Label.

What’s your favorite cocktail?
Sazerac
- 2 oz of Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
- 1 oz of simple syrup
- 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
- ¼ oz of absinth or pernod
- 1 lemon zest
(BTW – If your someone who dump the excess absinth in the sink, shame on you.)

What is the stupidest cocktail?
The Booty Bomb
- ½ can of Red Bull
- 1 oz of Bacardi Dark Rum
- 1 oz of Malibu Mango Rum
- splash of cran
I'm told it's like Beyonce in a glass…

What is your favorite cocktail name?
Mint Julep.

What bar has the most unique/funny name?
Busboys and Poets.

If you had to choose only one, would it be beer, wine, cocktail, or spirit?
Spirit.

Who’s your favorite bartender?
Derek Brown.  I mean... the guy made cocktails for President Obama.

What’s your favorite bar/restaurant (in DC)?
The Passenger.

What’s your favorite bar/restaurant (outside of DC)?
The Slanted Door - San Francisco, CA

What side-work do you have the most toleration?
Restocking.

What side-work do you have the least toleration?
Sweeping/mopping.

Have you ever been fired from a bar job?
Kinda.