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
Profiles & Spotlights
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
Introducing Geo: An Interview
Ambush’s newest writer is George Melichar, an internationally recognized athlete and USA Track & Field (USATF) Masters National Champion. Geo uses they/them/she/her pronouns. They are known as George Melichar by the international athletic community, but their chosen name is Geo and their nickname is GiGi. JM: Welcome to Ambush, Geo! You've been writing about your sports … [Read more...] about Introducing Geo: An Interview
Bartender of the Month: Grant Dane Kay at the Crossing NOLA
Now that the city has moved into Phase 2 with many bars having reopened, I am very excited to resume my column celebrating some of the hardest working people in the hospitality industry -- bartenders. My bartender for the month of June was delayed slightly (I actually had him slated for March), but it seems fitting that he is the first one back after our hiatus in … [Read more...] about Bartender of the Month: Grant Dane Kay at the Crossing NOLA
Kicking ASS with Tez Anderson: An Interview
Tez Anderson has been an advocate for gay rights and HIV survivors since the 1980s, and he went public about his HIV status decades before it became routine to do so. He has written for Time, co-written a screenplay with Armistead Maupin, and was a creative consultant for the original Tales of the City television mini-series. Sir Ian McKellen has personally credited Tez with … [Read more...] about Kicking ASS with Tez Anderson: An Interview
