My pick for bartender of the month for November is not only a great friend of mine, but a shining star in our LGBT community, an accomplished performer, and glorified local skank. I am talking about none other that Princess Stephaney. Princess has worked at Mags 940 for a little over six years. Coming from Memphis many years ago, she arrived in NOLA and took the city by storm doing shows like Rusty Laroux’s New Zoo revue, which is where I first met her.
She started supplementing her income as an entertainer by working as a bartender and found herself a great career. In my opinion she is one of the best mixologists in the city and definitely in the LGBT community. She has honed her skills so well, she even makes her own mixes and garnishes from scratch. One of the cocktails she is known for is her Bloody Marys. Mags 940 boasts over 20 flavors of the libation all created by Princess such as Pizza and Barbecue. My favorite one is Southwest which has hints of jalapeño and cilantro.
One of her other favorites is the Lavender Lemonade for which she makes all her own ingredients. She recently went through five gallons of the mixture in less than two days. But she is more than just a bartender, she is a beacon of our community. She started the Local Skanks, a fabulous group of people who wear bright pink t-shirts with the moniker emblazoned on it and can be seen strutting their stuff every year in the Pride and Decadence parades.
Speaking of those two holidays, she was named Princess of New Orleans Pride in perpetuity as well as being the Pride Grand Marshal in 2007. She was also Southern Decadence Grand Marshal in 2017. Her other noteworthy titles include Lords of Leather Lord Consort 2007, Krewe of Queenateenas King Cake Queen, Princess of the Krewe of Petronius for life, The Camel Toe Steppers Queen of Denial, the Friday Night Before Mardi Gras’ Queen of Uranus and Easter Grand Marshal 5. She was also Miss Louisiana Leatherette and eight time winner of Bitch of the Year in the Gay Appreciation Awards,
In addition to making her own ingredients, Princesse experiments with different flavors of cocktails creating delicious libations such as the Blood Orange Cosmopolitan which is her favorite cocktail to make and drink. The Sunday I stopped in to see her she had created a delectable cocktail called Mango Nectar which of course had fresh mango juice, amaretto, club soda and jalapeño infused vodka. It was amazing! I asked her what she loves about working at Mags 940–it’s close to her home and it’s a neighborhood bar with a historic past. It used to be the former Charlene’s, a very famous lesbian bar. She jokes the place is haunted by the ghost of a past bartender.
Princess is one of the very few bartenders in the United States (I believe less than a dozen) who tend bar in full drag. But her name title Princess suits her perfectly, because once you meet her you become one of her loyal subjects. All kidding aside, she is professional, witty, warm and makes a stellar cocktail!
So take a trip to Mags 940 and try one of Princess Stephaney’s royal libations, you will love it, I promise. Mags 940 is located at 940 Elysian Fields Avenue.
