New Orleans is a city that loves to drink. Our bars, especially in the LGBT+ community, are considered places not only for entertainment; but community and safe spaces. The people who work in this industry normally always become active in the community and in my opinion are some of the best people in the world. That can definitely be said about my bartender of the month for … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: November 2021
Profiles & Spotlights
Bartender Spotlight: October 2021
Football season is here, and there is nothing I like more than going to see a game at one of the many LGBT bars in the French Quarter. And one of my favorite bars to watch the Saints play is Crossing NOLA. It also happens to be where my Bartender of the Month for October works. Nick Schlumbrecht enhances my Saints viewing experience whether they win or … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: October 2021
Bartender Spotlight: September 2021
My choice for this month has been a long time coming. I had originally scheduled him for April 2020 and we all know what happened then. The world, Ambush Magazine and the industry got put on an unscheduled hiatus. Now as we slowly come back, I am happy to name Grant Dane Kay as September Bartender of the Month. I was on a recent adventure in … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: September 2021
Bartender Spotlight: August 2021
Can you believe we are already in August? It’s crazy! Southern Decadence is next month and then we roll right into the holidays. Time flies when you take a year off for a global pandemic. As we start to make our way back out, if the unvaccinated don’t shut us down, to enjoy cocktails again, my bartender for the month of August is the fabulous Lawrence Edward at Betty’s Bar … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: August 2021
Bartender Spotlight: July 2021
It is wonderful to see life returning to the LGBTQ+ community as well as our bar scene. It is equally exciting when a new gay-owned-and-operated business is established. The American Townhouse opened at the end of June and is a welcome addition to our community. The well-appointed space boasts a sleek bar with an impressive array of wine and spirits. … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: July 2021
Bartender Spotlight: June 2021
June is Pride month and no other city’s gay scene is bouncing back quicker than New Orleans’. The bars are open for business 24/7, music is playing, and people are hugging once again. As life gets back to a semblance of normalcy (whatever that is these days), the LGBT+ scene is jumping into the deep end of the pool. Our favorite bartenders are back doing what they … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: June 2021
Bartender Spotlight: May 2021
The television show Cheers was a tremendous success for many reasons; but one of the biggest ones is we all want to go to that one place “where everyone knows your name and they’re always glad you came.” In many cases for New Orleanians, that is your neighborhood (or favorite) bar. This is a safe refuge where you can be with friends, enjoy cocktails, and … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: May 2021
Bartender Spotlight: April 2021
There are lots of people that you instantly like from the moment you meet them. For me, it’s often that they’re in the bartending profession...and it’s not because they give me a cocktail (although that’s a good enough reason to like someone). But I find most bartenders just happen to be interesting, engaging and brimming with personality. That’s certainly … [Read more...] about Bartender Spotlight: April 2021
Bartender of the Month: March 2021
I cannot express the happiness in my soul to be able to start writing this column again. It has been a year since I was able to sing the praises of some of the hardest working people in the hospitality industry. Whether you call them bartenders, mixologists, bar chefs, or servers of happiness, these people spend their time creating an atmosphere of festivity, … [Read more...] about Bartender of the Month: March 2021
OUT! with Michael-Chase
Picture it: Greensburg, Louisiana, 1995. A young gay boy tunes into an FM station, and hears a man with a golden voice broadcasting his own radio show about modern gay life in New Orleans. Within two years, the gay boy would find his way across Lake Pontchartrain to that land of milk and honey. That gay boy was me, and that man with the golden voice was Michael-Chase … [Read more...] about OUT! with Michael-Chase
