Bartendress Lisa Alexander Is Always A Good Time

I don’t know about you, but when I sit down at a bar and the bartendress addresses me as “baby child,” it’s going to be a good day. That’s what Lisa Alexander does; shakes drinks and makes smiles. In a word, the bar located in the lobby of the historic Galvez Hotel & Spa, is welcoming. Guests come and go easily, carefree, a lot like the ocean breeze that sneaks through opening doors reminding all they’re on island time.

“Oh for goodness gracious if singing makes you happy, sing.” – Lisa Alexander

After serving as a nurse for 20 years in the United States Army, Alexander decided to make a career change. An army brat born in Germany she remembers, “I swear I saw the Beatles when I was little, girl. These men in white suits, all that hair going on.” Yep, sounds like them. As a nurse she worked at VA hospitals, in correctional facilities, home health, and pediatrics, heavy shifts in a heavy atmosphere. She turned to bartending because, “I like fun, adventure, meeting people, just being my normal self.” Off the clock she enjoys riding her Harley Davidson around the island hitting up all the spots, “girl, I’m everywhere.”

Since opening in 1911, the Hotel Galvez has seen a lot of characters pass through, even a few choosing to stay forever. High ceilings resting on large wooden beams and intricately tiled floors transport you back to Titanic times, pre-iceberg. One Bikini Martini later and you’re imagining bar goers dressed in old-timey clothes saying old-timey things like “my, my, Charlesfield, your top hat is especially shiny, you really must have your valet talk to mine.”

Lisa shook up the bright blue concoction and everyone watched.
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Shake it, girl. Credit: Photo by Kate McLean

“The Bikini Martini”

1 3/4 ounce Hendricks Gin
1/2 ounce Blue Curaçao
1/2 ounce Peach Schnapps
Splash of sweet and sour
Grenadine garnish
Orange peel garnish

Shake it with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with Grenadine and orange peel. Make sure your shoelaces are tied.

Shot of Advice from Lisa: “Live and let live, numero uno. Number two; to thine own self be true, but have a great sense of humor and three; oh for goodness gracious if singing makes you happy, sing.”