by Johanna Bernhard
Kevin Scott is sarcastic, witty and vivacious. The perfect combination of characteristics for a bartender at The Seafood Shanty. Currently in his fifth season on the island, Scott knows what it takes to turn a good night into a great night. Sitting across from the renovated bar, we got to chatting about the highlights and lowlights of being a bartender at the Shanty on Dock St. in Edgartown.
What’s your favorite thing about being a bartender?
The people. It’s always entertaining. You’re part of people having a good time.
What’s the worst situation you’ve been in?
I would say more or less my pet peeve would be people running their credit card over and over for one beer, like six times. They just don’t really understand the concept of starting a tab. Four or five girls will come up all at once and you know they’re all together. One will order a drink and the other four just sit there quietly. ‘What about the rest of you?’ They’re all vodka sodas, and you know it’s coming, and then you’re like, alright now we’re going to do five credit cards. It happens the entire time.
What’s the strangest drink you’ve ever made?
Water. That’s another weird thing, people come to get drunk but then they drink a glass of water with every drink so you don’t get hungover, but that’s not really our job. Drink water on your own time, you know. There’s a misconception. We’re here to get you drunk and then you want us to keep you from getting hungover as well.
What’s the best night of the week?
Thursdays. The theme parties that we do are a lot of fun. Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest but the Thursdays are the fun ones. We always do a theme and we dress up in costumes. It’s different every week.
How many drinks do you make a night?
Easily 500, maybe more like 1,000.
What’s your favorite drink to make?
The Stumbling Islander. It’s a fun drink and there’s a lot of booze in it. It’s kind of a rum punch with Captain Morgan, Malibu, OJ, pineapple and a splash of cran. It’s fun. It’s different.
