1 Heather McKearnan, Cowgirl
319 S. Guadalupe St.
505-982-2565
You know her—probably by name. She’s speedy, friendly and, all would have to agree, super hot. But this year’s best bartender is quick to deflect being singled out from her peers. “I kind of feel like I’m accepting that award for the entire Cowgirl bar staff, because I could never do what I do without them and without the customers and without the Cowgirl giving us the freedom to do what we do,” McKearnan says before adding: “But it’s a huge honor and I’m totally overwhelmed.”
A Brooklyn native, McKearnan has lived in Santa Fe since 1993 and has worked at the Cowgirl, on and off, since 1995. In addition to bartending at the Girl, McKearnan also books the popular music there—a big job, she admits. It’s hard to overwhelm McKearnan who keeps pace with the Cowgirl’s three-deep nights so well she makes it look easy. “You just keep hitting the refresh button on yourself,” she says. “You just have to deal with the moment; there’s so much interaction and psychic exchange between people and what people’s needs are. But I would say, we just try to make sure everyone is having a great time and gets served as quickly as possible.” Cheers to that.
2 Chris Quintana, The Underground, 200 W. San Francisco St., 505-577-5893
3 Cesar Fort, The Matador, 116 W. San Francisco St., St. 113
