Bartender

Christopher "Guido" Whitesel, a bartender who worked at esatablishments in Annapolis and Baltimore, died March 27 of cancer at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. He was 55. Mr. Whitesel was born in Washington and raised in Silver Spring, where he graduated in 1973 from John F. Kennedy High School. He attended Montgomery Community College before becoming a bartender in the 1970s. Mr. Whitesel was working at a gangster-themed bar in Rockville when a customer christened him with a nickname that stuck for the rest of his life.

I'm a big-tent person, you know. Live and let live, I always say. Milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein. No accounting for tastes, so let people enjoy their innocent pleasures. Life's too short, &c., &c.  But my patience is sorely tried by an article at Westword in which one Jenn Wohletz, whom I take, from her vulgar but uninventive prose and untutored taste in drink, to be a young person, disparages the old-fashioned and the martini.  The old-fashioned is a drink for Old People, she says, and it's a pain for the bartender to make, and "when anyone under the age of 65 orders one, they're only doing it to look cool and impress people.

CURRENT volunteers' news and needs:The United Cerebral Palsy Bartenders' Contest will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Bay Cafe in Canton. Raffle tickets will be sold and each ticket is worth 10 votes for a favorite bartender. For details of the 1992 Baltimore Bartenders' Charity Ball call Ann Cartenuto, (410) 484-4540.Baltimore Office of Promotion wants volunteers who will help with upcoming events such as the Preakness Parade, Mayor's Easter Egg Hunt and Columbus Parade. Volunteers will work in a variety of functions, including parade marshals, helping with decorations and costumed characters.

The mood Tuesday inside Pickles Pub, across from Camden Yards, matched the gray rainy weather. As noontime regulars ate their lunch and quietly caressed glasses of beer amid the low-key chatter and music playing in the background, something clearly was wrong. Mick Kipp, their favorite bartender, co-worker, cook, spice maker, friend and genuine all-around character, was missing. Michael D. "Mick" Kipp, the stuntman-turned-bartender known for his zest for life and his colorful chili-pepper-decorated kilts, bandannas and earring, died Sunday from cardiac arrest at his Annapolis home.

B altimore is about to have a situation on its hands. Not just any situation. The Situation. The Situation is the nickname for one of the stars of MTV's infamous new reality TV show, "Jersey Shore." The 27-year-old from Staten Island has a real name - Mike Sorrentino - but that's inconsequential. What matters is, The Situation has six-pack abs so well-defined that he calls them "the situation" (hence, the nickname). Every opportunity he gets - at work, on magazine covers, on the dance floor - he lifts his shirt to show them off. Like the other guys on "Jersey Shore," The Situation is a self-declared guido's guido - with carefully gelled hair, perma-tanned skin and alpha-male attitude.

A dancer and a bartender from The Block lost their bid to collect damages when a Baltimore Circuit Court jury ruled yesterday that state police did not violate their rights during a notorious raid of the red-light district two years ago.The jury deliberated about 90 minutes before ruling against the dancer, Laura Beth Wolff, and the bartender, Joanne Dunay, both of whom had claimed that police were abusive and handcuffed them without probable cause during...

Joyce A. Giustina, a retired licensed practical nurse and former bartender, died of undetermined causes Saturday at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She was 69 and lived in Severna Park. Born and raised Joyce A. Monninger in Baltimore, she was a graduate of city public schools. Mrs. Giustina graduated in 1951 from Baltimore City Hospital's nursing course. After raising her family, Mrs. Giustina worked as a bartender at the Sunset Lounge in Glen Burnie, where she was in charge of the restaurant's back bar for nearly 20 years.

William J. "Lefty" Baumiller, an affable bartender who had a 50-year career at area restaurants and clubs, died of heart failure Sunday at the Perry Point Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Timonium resident was 77. Mr. Baumiller was born and raised in Upper Darby, Pa., and moved to Baltimore in 1940. He got the nickname "Lefty" while pitching during the 1940s for a farm team of the old Philadelphia Athletics. He played baseball in Japan while serving with the Army's special services from 1945 to 1949.

Bambi Lynn "Bam-Bam" McCauley, a longtime bartender, died of breast cancer March 20 at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. She was 47. Ms. McCauley was born in Peoria, Ill., the daughter of a Navy test pilot. She spent her early years on several military bases before moving to Columbia with her family. She was a 1977 graduate of Wilde Lake High School and earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1982. Ms. McCauley worked in computer sales before becoming a bartender.

"You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home.""It's not the same."-- "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Ernest HemingwayJim Lerro was new in Annapolis and looking for a home away from home, something with a comfortable stool, a full glass of beer and a lively line of banter.He found it at the southwest end of the bar at McGarvey's Saloon, bartender Larry Armstrong presiding."This is his corner of the bar. They call it the 'Caustic Corner,' " Lerro said yesterday, seated before a noon glass of Budweiser, recalling that first look at the Armstrong congregation two years ago. "People were crowded all around here.

Pickles Pub, located across the street from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, has long been synonymous with opening day. Thousands of orange-drenched fans make it their first stop (usually of many) on one of Baltimore's most lively days. But at 10 a.m. on April 5, hours before the Orioles host the Minnesota Twins for the first home series of the season, the Deck at Camden Yards - a new, outdoor beer garden at the Hampton Inn -  will open next to Pickles. Deck partner Fritz Brogan says the latest addition to Washington Boulevard will open for Orioles home games, Ravens home games and special events such as the Grand Prix.

Stephen R. Krause, a software designer and inventor, died Friday at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital from respiratory failure on his 76th birthday. Mr. Krause was born in Baltimore and raised in Forest Park. He was a 1955 graduate of Park School and attended the University of Maryland, College Park. Since he was a child, Mr. Krause demonstrated a profound interest in electricity and electric devices. He designed an automatic inventory control system that he called Epic for his father's uniform business.

In its aim and ambition, Moonshine Tavern is nothing like the Gin Mill, the cozy Canton bar and restaurant it replaced after nearly 16 years of service. Like many of the nearby bars on Boston Street, the Gin Mill was more of a casual place for dinner and drinks than a hot spot. I talked to Moonshine Tavern co-owner Shanna Cooper in January, and it was clear that she and partner Jacob Millisock hoped to make Gin Mill a distant memory. "We're not looking to be a hole-in-the-wall bar," Cooper said.

When Stacey Barich turned the modest dining room of her Parkville home into a tiki bar inspired by the 1930s, it became a project of passion for the 40-year-old photographer. Pairing her love of vintage culture with a growing obsession with authenticity, Barich quickly found herself on eBay, searching and bidding for additions to the new favorite room in her house. The research and collecting quickly led Barich to the world of handcrafted cocktails. "Once that happens, you're picking up old vintage books on how to make things," Barich said.

In 2011, during the early hours of Halloween morning, a two-alarm fire began at Mt. Washington Tavern. It required more than 60 firefighters to extinguish and all but ruined the building. Passionate fans of the bar, which opened in 1979, paid their respects to the neighborhood staple throughout the week. Judging from the tears and reminiscing, the loss of the tavern - even temporarily - weighed on the entire community. "We'll be back," co-owner Rob Frisch reassured visitors. Frisch kept his word, and on Nov. 6, a little more than a year after the fire, the Mt. Washington Tavern reopened to a line outside its door.

On Tuesday, servers and bartenders at multiple locations of the Greene Turtle throughout Maryland, Delaware and Virginia will pool their tips to purchase toys for local Toys for Tots drives. "Tips for Tots," as the annual event is known, began in 2006 at the Greene Turtle in Salisbury, when bartender Corlie Brice came up with the idea after arriving for her shift and noticing that a neighboring business had been designated as a Toys for Tots drop-off site. She and another bartender ended up collecting $700 for toy purchases that night.

Kelly St. John Morgan, an Annapolis bartender with a big personality and a love of storytelling, died Feb. 5 at his father's home of complications from kidney disease. He was 46. Mr. Morgan, a lifelong Annapolis resident, graduated in 1977 from Wroxeter-on-Severn School, a now-defunct private school where he had played lacrosse. His passion for the sport never waned - four of his nieces and nephews were serious lacrosse players and he was a regular at their high school games. Mr. Morgan worked at a number of local bars and restaurants, most recently at the Eastport Clipper.

On a recent Saturday night at Banditos, the taco and tequila bar located in the heart of Federal Hill's party scene, inconsistent service overshadowed the Tex-Mex spot's laid-back vibe. While some details were easy to enjoy (portions of the decor, music selection and, most importantly, the drinks), the overall experience was not. The central problem seemed to be the underprepared (or undermanned) bar staff, which grew noticeably frustrated by the steady - but not overwhelming - weekend rush.