Lisa Wallace said she never would’ve registered herself for tbt*’s Ultimate Bartender contest, but when a regular customer tried to talk her into it, she conceded.
“If you want to sign me up, go ahead. I’m not gonna sign myself up,” she told him nonchalantly.
He did, and he spread the word. Eventually, 24-year-old Wallace got into it and began passing out cards that directed patrons to tampabay.com, where they could vote for her. Last Sunday, the customer who’d nominated Wallace sent her a text message with the good news: Looks like you won. Congratulations.
Wallace, who’s been tending bar at St. Pete’s Green Iguana Bar and Grill for about 21/2 years, was surprised that she’d beaten out contestants from bigger, more prominent pubs. Along with the title of Tampa Bay’s ultimate bartender, she gets a trophy and $1,000, which Green Iguana offered as an incentive for its employees to do well in the contest.
When she’s not serving drinks or posing for tbt* photo shoots, the Seminole resident is working on a marketing degree at St. Petersburg College.
Earlier this week, we caught up with Wallace.
What it takes to be Tampa Bay’s ultimate bartender: “I have a lot of regular customers that come in. I think I’m a very social person. I remember people. I remember what they talk about, what their stories are. I work days and nights, and in the daytime I always have a pretty decent lunch crowd come in. And nighttime, it’s a lot busier, but I still have the people come in because they don’t have to wait for a drink. They’re like, 'She knows what I drink, so as soon as she sees me, she has it ready.’
Signature drink: The Army Man — Stoli peach, Sprite and pineapple juice. Wallace came up with the concoction for a friend in the Armed Forces who wanted something “kinda fruity, but not girlie-foofooey.”
What she drinks when she gets home: Shiraz, Riesling or the Army Man. “I’m not really a beer drinker.”
Best tip: “As far as what their bill was, I had two gentlemen come in one day, and I was working in the tiki bar. And they were actually both driving — one had a Ferrari, and one had a Lamborghini or something. Two really nice cars. They each had one drink, and the drinks are two for one, so their bill was $4. The guy gave me a $100 bill and said, 'Keep the change.’ I’m like, 'Okay!’”
Saddest sob story from a customer: A man came in after his father died at the VA hospital that’s just up the road from Green Iguana. Wallace bought him a round of drinks.
What she’ll do with the prize money: “I have no idea. Actually, I just bought a condo about a month ago, so I’ve got a lot of stuff I could be doing with that.” She’ll display the trophy behind the bar.
