Flamingo Bowl Bartender Katie Gwaltney Mixes...A Spiced Chocolate Martini!

By Alissa Nelson Tue., Sep. 14 2010 at 12:45 PM

Categories: Drink Drank Drunk, Girl Walks into a Bar

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This is part one of Alissa Nelson's two-part profile of Flamingo Bowl bartender Katie Gwaltney. Part two, a Q&A with Gwaltney, will be posted tomorrow.

Alissa Nelson

You wouldn't think it, but Katie Gwaltney spent four years working in a call center. "I hated that job. It was the worst," she says. But if nothing else, the experience was good for developing the thick skin, patience and sympathetic ear required of a bartender.

These days Gwaltney can be found most nights at Washington Avenue's Flamingo Bowl, slinging the sleek establishment's signature martinis with a genuine smile, happy to be a part of the jovial, goofy atmosphere that defines the lofty space.

{If you know of a bartender who's deserving of a profile, e-mail tips@riverfronttimes.com}

Click through to watch a video of Gwaltney mixing a Spiced Chocolate Martini...