Have a Caipirinha and talk about Russia at Cafe Old Vienna with Marina
Bartender
▪ Marina Golovchanskaya
Bar
▪ Cafe Old Vienna
Q) Where are you from?
A) I'm from Russia. I came here three years ago.
Q) What is Russia like?
A) It's big. Big and cold, like you guys like to say, we get all four seasons, it's comfy, cozy. Movies lie mostly because they present Russia as like mafia, mafia country but that's not true! I love it.
Q) How long have you been a bartender?
A) I started being trained as a bartender when I was 19, when I first got to the states. When I first got here, I didn't know what Bud Light is, I had no clue what kind of beers you guys have, I had no idea. I started slowly, learning the drinks, like basics, and when I started here at Cafe Old Vienna I started learning martinis and stuff, and here I am!
Q) Favorite drink to make?
A) I love making martinis, because it's easy to make them look pretty. Those layered drinks? It takes time so when it's busy, I hate doing them but, it's pretty.
Q) How did you become a bartender?
A) I can't say it was my plan, I just came here started as a waitress. My boss started bringing me to the bar, started training me, that's where i started. I like it. I like making people drunk!
Q) If you could only drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A) Alcohol drink? Jack. Daniels.
Q) Best tip you've ever gotten?
A) It was $200. We were about to close, the guy stepped in and he looked, I hate to say but he looked like weird a little bit? We were very suspicious like, what's going on, is he going to be able to cover his tab? He was nice and polite but he was weird. His tab was like $50, he paid, on the slip he leaves $200.
Q) What is your signature drink?
A) It's Caipirinha. It has a lot of lime, Cachaca Brazilian rum, and brown sugar. It's a very popular drink, and really good and refreshing.
By Derrick Bracey, For The Surge
ONLINE VIDEO
▪ Check out Marina’s video interview online at TheSurgeMB.com.
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Have a Caipirinha and talk about Russia at Cafe Old Vienna with Marina."