The Proust Questionnaire: Lukas Smith

I already had a full drink when I realized Lukas was mixing me another one. He was pouring different colored liquids into a pint glass and getting ready to stir them up. It is exciting to watch him work.

Most bartenders don’t think about flavors the way this guy does. Unfortunately, many bartenders don’t put the same amount of effort into drinks as Lukas does. He wants each cocktail to be a raging success.

“I got into this because I do what I like,” Lukas said as he picks bottles from the shelf for his next concoction. The lights of Last Exit were dim but one could see how intensely serious his eyes were when making that statement.

We'd been talking about doing this interview for more than a month. When I finally had the opportunity to sit down with Lukas, I knew it was going to be a good one.

The Proust Questionnaire: Floyd White III

Ice cubes jingled in the glasses of Oban 14 year old scotch whisky as the bartender sat them onto the table.  Floyd took an eager sip and I made some joke about whisky being an "amber restorative".  He barely let out a chortle before another server called for his managerial assistance.  Our conversation was stitched together in a series of these interruptions, but it's to be expected.  Managers in this industry seldomly (dare I say - never) enjoy a warm meal.

Floyd manages the bar in Tonic at Quigley's Pharmacy and provides the saloon's cult of personality.  Graduated from The Univeristy of Louisiana at Monroe with a degree in pre-law History, Floyd envisioned a future as a professional golfer.  This ambition seems understandable when one recognizes that his father was once drafted as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.  Chance ensured injury would keep his father's tenure brief.  But Floyd's namesake altered his profession and became a Federal Marshall.  His mother became a judge. 

Despite the legacy in law enforcement and justice Floyd found professional calling in hospitality and service.  And so, with only a few sips left in our glasses, Floyd graciously provided answers to my Proust Questionnaire. 

The Proust Questionnaire: Floyd White III

What’s your favorite virtue?
"Selflessness.  Nothing more admirable than giving - in any capacity"

What do you believe is your chief characteristic as a person?
"Adaptable personality"

What’s your main fault/shortcoming?
"Patience.  Many times I forget that the rest of the world doesn't view things the way I do"

What do you appreciate the most in your friends?
"Consistency"

What’s your favorite qualities in the same sex?
"A strong communicator, wit, dependability"

What’s your favorite qualities in the opposite sex?
"Selflessness, a nurturing attitude, humor, and rationale"

What’s a natural talent you'd like to be gifted with?
"Photographic memory"

For what fault do you have the most toleration?
"Ignorance.  If you don't know you simply don't know"

For what fault do you have the least toleration?
"Stupidity.  No excuses"

What’s your idea of happiness?
"Family and food"

What’s your idea of misery?
"Incompatibility.  You can't force it"

How would you wish to die?
"Playing golf or having 'sexy time'"

What is your football/baseball/basketball/college/hockey/soccer team?
"LSU football"

What’s your favorite occupation (besides bartending)?
Teaching golf.  Teaching women.  There's also something about being a mentor to kids.

Where would you most like to live?
DC.  Period.

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?
Samuel L Jackson.

Who’s your favorite comedian?
Dave Chappelle.

Who’s your favorite band/musician?
Sam Cooke or Maxwell.

Who’s your favorite art (painting, poem, sculpture, song)?
An unknown painting by T Mutombo.  

What’s your favorite book?
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.

Name your favorite hero/heroine in fiction?
The main character from The Invisible Man.

What was your favorite subject in high school?
P.E.

What was your least favorite subject in high school?
American History.

Name your favorite American president?
Barak Obama.

Name your favorite non-American historical figure?
Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

Name your favorite hero/heroine in real life?
Mom.

The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?
The Beatles.

Coke or Pepsi?
Pepsi.

Cats or dogs?
Dogs.

What do you believe is your greatest characteristic as a bartender?
Personality and being personable.

What is your main fault/shortcoming as a bartender?
Not being immersed in the systems and dimensions of the bar.

What is your shot of choice?
Any whiskey.

Who is your Obi Wan Kenobi (i.e. Who taught you the most as a bartender)?
A bartender named Don at a bar at Frenchman's Bend golf course in Louisiana.

At which bar did you grow the most?
Frenchman's Bend.

Who was your favorite customer?
A family who use to come into Frenchman's Bend. Sometimes they all came in together and sometimes they came in separately.  Either way, each member of the family was a complete joy to serve. 

Who was your worst customer?
Aside from the typical drunken jerks... a student at Tonic who leaves insulting tips (e.g. 11 cents).

AM or PM bar shifts?
PM

What’s your favorite beer?
Chimay Blue.

What’s your favorite wine?
Any red wine blend.

What’s your favorite spirit?
Jameson Irish Whisky.

What’s your favorite cocktail?
Long Island Ice Tea.
- 1 part vodka
- 1 part rum
- 1 part tequila
- 1 part triple sec
- sour mix
- splash of cola

What is the stupidest cocktail?
The Sour Apple Martini.
- 2 parts vodka
- 1 part sour apple liqueur
- splash of sour mix

 What is your favorite cocktail name?
Margarita.

What bar has the most unique/funny name?
The Full Circle.

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

Who’s your favorite bartender?
Bruck Gurma.  He use to work at Dream Night Club.

What’s your favorite bar/restaurant (in DC)?
Sidebar in Silver Spring, Maryland (basically in DC).

What’s your favorite bar/restaurant (outside of DC)?
Waterfront Grill.  It sits on the bayou in Monroe, Louisiana.

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

What side-work do you have the least toleration?
Cleaning.

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

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.