What's in a name?

Most current and former students who are of age have watched The Upstairs Pub bartenders make their famous “AMF,”– which stands for Adios Mother Fucker – but no one except those who make it seem to know exactly what is in the “blue drink.”

“It’s sweet – I can definitely taste that blue raspberry flavor,” senior Stephen Hiller said.

Other than blue raspberry syrup, Hiller and his drinking companion senior Joel Papay said they were positive the drink includes tequila, Sprite and something else they couldn’t put a finger on.

Bartender Gerald Borman said he has been serving drinks at Upstairs longer than any other bartender in the joint. The bar likes to keep its signature drink’s ingredients a secret, but Borman did reveal that the only thing making the infamously blue drink blue is a simple shot of food coloring, not raspberry or any other flavoring.

“Other bars in town claim to make (the AMF), and I’ve heard people say they get it at other places,” he said. “But people always tell me ‘yours is better.’”

Though Borman was reluctant to talk about how the AMF is made, he talked at length about its history.

Bloomington’s favorite local drink is nearly a quarter of a century old, he said, and has its roots in the 1980s, when a group of Upstairs bartenders put their heads together to create something that could rival the Long Island Iced Tea in popularity. Now, Borman said, the AMF has “taken on a life of its own.”

And the drink’s popularity certainly does compete with the Long Island, at least in Bloomington. Lindsey Dickerson, an IU alumna, also noted the AMF’s very sweet flavor and said she likes them because the taste of alcohol is well-masked.

She said because it’s so smooth, most people come to the Upstairs for an AMF after a night of drinking to “top it off” and relax. And though there’s a lot of alcohol in one serving, especially in the tall $7 glass, Dickerson said she’s not usually buzzed after just one.

Hiller agreed, saying he is usually “borderline buzzed” after drinking a tall AMF, but also said it’s one of those drinks that makes you forget just how much alcohol you are actually drinking. Papay agreed and said he drinks the AMF gingerly if he’s going somewhere else that night, because it’s so much alcohol in one glass.

“One is enough.”

Borman said the size of the AMF is definitely what drives sales. He said most of the people he serves will get a large, especially if it’s a busy night and they don’t want to make a lot of return trips to the bar. He also thinks there’s a psychological element – people are drawn to the blue color because of its novelty.

And then of course, there’s the name.

“It’s fun to ask for,” he said. “I’ve seen people make their mothers come up and ask for one, because of what the name means.”