The people have spoken. The best bartender in Bloomington is IU senior Elke Morgan, bartender extraordinaire at Kilroy's Bar and Grill.\n"She's a hard worker," fellow Kilroy's bartender and IU senior Meera Jogani said. "She keeps pushing herself to be better in everything she does."\nElke, whose hobbies include baby-sitting and scrap booking, works about 20 hours a week at Kilroy's. \nHer Tuesday shifts begin at midnight.\nTuesdays are big nights at Kilroy's. Its famous $2 Tuesdays drink specials give IU students a sound economic reason to hit the bars on an otherwise arbitrary school night. With Elke behind the bar, patrons get their drinks in no time. Juggling a dozen customers at once, Elke buzzes around like a bee, taking orders, pouring drinks, collecting tabs and tossing the occasional yellow birthday shirt into the sea of customers. \nWork is play for Elke, who is known to break into a little dance when things get too stressful. But tonight, Elke is all business, doing what she does better than anyone in Bloomington. Tomorrow, though, is Halloween, and Elke has the night off. Sitting in a booth at Kilroy's on the afternoon of Halloween, Elke plays the part of patron. Over a couple rounds of drinks, Elke reflects on bartending, lame pick-up lines and reality television.
Round 1: Flatliner\nElke drops a shot glass containing Jagermeister and Goldschlager into a glass of Red Bull and vodka.\n"1, 2 , 3, cheers."\nElke began serving at Kilroy's at the end of May and started bartending during the summer. Bartending is a "sink or swim" job, she says, in which you learn the ropes by taking orders and moving fast. She has a vast knowledge of all the drinks on the menu. Her favorite drink to make is the Crimson, which includes five shots of liquor.\n"It's pretty strong," Elke warns. "It may just be the end of your night."\nElke is certified in First Aid and CPR and occasionally comes across someone at the bar who has had too much to drink. \nShe tells a story of an intoxicated woman who threw up, then proceeded to pass out in her vomit. The woman laid there for about 15 minutes, Elke said.\n"I checked her pulse and made sure she was breathing," Elke said. "Her boyfriend finally picked her up and took her home."\nElke has also become an expert in lame pick-up line attempts, as she hears one every shift. She has never heard a good one.\n"As a bartender you laugh things off," she said. "If you take everything personally you will drive yourself crazy and quit."\nElke also describes her job as a "big psychology experiment." One time a girl came in, hysterical because her boyfriend broke up with her. Elke talked her through it, and 30 minutes later the couple was back together. Her best dating advice for guys is to ask for a girl's number when both parties are still sober. Otherwise, a guy's best efforts might not amount to much more than a one-night stand.
\nRound 2: Tequila with pineapple juice chaser\nThe conversation turns to television and sports (Elke is a huge Colts fan). As Elke begins talking about the television show "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila," a customer decked out in a full Star Trek uniform comes running over to put in his two cents about the show.\n"(Tila Tequila) is a porn star," the Trekkie asserts. "The show is a complete joke and is completely worthless."\nThe two discuss and analyze the merits of the show for what seems like a fun eternity. The analysis is laced with snarky comments about cast members and fits of laughter until the Trekkie wanders back to his table. Elke has never been a shy person, and her experience as a bartender has made her even more outgoing.\n"I could make friends with a fly," she jokes.\nJust then, a fly that has been buzzing around the table for the past 15 minutes attempts to land on Ekle's arm. The woman voted Bloomington's first-ever best bartender playfully shoos it away. Long shifts, drunk guys' attempts to pick her up and flies cannot deter her smile and poise. Elke Morgan is a pro.
