Best Bartender

—(Write 'Em in Folks!)

1 Heather McKearnan, Cowgirl
319 S. Guadalupe St.
505-982-2565

You know her—probably by name. She’s speedy, friendly and, all would have to agree, super hot. But this year’s best bartender is quick to deflect being singled out from her peers. “I kind of feel like I’m accepting that award for the entire Cowgirl bar staff, because I could never do what I do without them and without the customers and without the Cowgirl giving us the freedom to do what we do,” McKearnan says before adding: “But it’s a huge honor and I’m totally overwhelmed.”

A Brooklyn native, McKearnan has lived in Santa Fe since 1993 and has worked at the Cowgirl, on and off, since 1995. In addition to bartending at the Girl, McKearnan also books the popular music there—a big job, she admits. It’s hard to overwhelm McKearnan who keeps pace with the Cowgirl’s three-deep nights so well she makes it look easy. “You just keep hitting the refresh button on yourself,” she says. “You just have to deal with the moment; there’s so much interaction and psychic exchange between people and what people’s needs are. But I would say, we just try to make sure everyone is having a great time and gets served as quickly as possible.” Cheers to that.

2 Chris Quintana, The Underground, 200 W. San Francisco St., 505-577-5893

3 Cesar Fort, The Matador, 116 W. San Francisco St., St. 113

 

Letters to the Editor

Mail letters to PO Box 4910 Santa Fe, NM 87502 or email them to editor[at]sfreporter.com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.

We also welcome you to follow SFR on social media (on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and comment there. You can also email specific staff members from our contact page.