SFist: SFist Interviews: Cocktail Artist Alberta Straub

luce

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:17:02 -0800

Went there once recently. Some guy with a thick beard and hat was bartending. He played his music way too loud and when inquiring about a menu and specialty drinks he pointed to his 3 specials scribbled on a board. We chose one. He corrected our pronunciation of the special we chose and then took 15 minutes to serve us bitter tasteless mush in a glass.

cikky

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:14:11 -0800

Alberta was awful and ruined the Orbit Room. She consistently yelled at people and took forever to make drinks that were often to sweet and not worth the price. She yelled at me once because after she asked me how the drink was, I said "Its a little sweet for my taste" so she whisked it from my hand, drank it down herself, told me it was a very good drink, and then threw money from her tip bucket at me. And, your surprised no one will hire her?

Alberta Straub

Tue, 29 May 2007 23:11:15 -0800

Hi everybody..!!! Thanks so much for the support..much appreciated!! I just want everyone to know I love love love Paul and Ronn who mix it up at the Orbit Room very well without me. They are both great bartenders, and yes, Paul is very very cute, and I encourage everybody to visit them for yummy beverages!!!

Hiya

Sun, 27 May 2007 15:39:16 -0800

What a great interview! One of the things I love about "Miss Flighty," here, is that she's so articulate about what she does and why she does it. This is also a reason her Cocktails on the Fly shows are so fun to watch: she's well-read, well-spoken, and knows her history. Plus her customer service is of the highest order, in my eyes. Maybe some people are a little bit in a rut and just want their drink real fast, but many of us were (and would love to be again) so happy to relax and chat, watching Alberta answer her calling. The air of conviviality surrounding Alberta is second to nowhere else in the city.

NeverAgain

Sat, 26 May 2007 10:03:42 -0800

I'm thrilled for Alberta that she's finding a better path without the Orbit Room. I've gone back only a few times since she left and had the unfortunate experience of dealing with Ronn, the bartender that seems to take the whole orbit theme to mean that the world revolves around him and his 'craft'. It sounds like the other guy might be better, but I'm steering clear from now on. Like Alberta said, the concept has caught on... so we can find tasty cocktails without having to straddle conical tables or stroke egos.

Fell Out of Orbit

Fri, 25 May 2007 19:57:11 -0800

Do you Orbiteers know where Bartender Phil (inventor of the F-Line cocktail is now?

Ciaran

Fri, 25 May 2007 18:28:10 -0800

Alberta was fired?!? I did not know that. Any bar that hired her would have me dropping a bunch of money on a regular basis to be sure.

Scorched

Fri, 25 May 2007 17:01:39 -0800

Alberta makes interesting drinks, but her notions of customer service leave much to be desired. I'm not terribly surprised to hear she was let go.

bk

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:53:48 -0800

Alberta is a local genius.

Ian

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:35:04 -0800

It's unbelievable that nobody will hire her. She's definitely my favorite bartender, and I'm sorry to hear that she didn't leave the OR on her own volition. Here's hoping she gets snapped up right quick (and let us know if that happens). The new guy (Paul according to the post above) is pretty good, and they are definitely keeping the tradition alive of really good seasonal ingredients and interesting drinks at the Orbit Room. But Alberta is a genius, truly.

Leanne

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:20:15 -0800

Oops, I mean Alberta. Duh, I'm an idiot.

Leanne

Fri, 25 May 2007 15:18:00 -0800

I've only been to the Orbit Room a couple of times, but I remember Roberta! Her drinks are incredible.

Andrew

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:55:58 -0800

Props to Alberta for training the new bartender at Orbit Room, Paul. He makes some of the oldies and a bunch of new signature cocktails with much of the same flair as Miss Flighty. I reccomend you give the Orbit another try... Paul's not to bad lookin either...