NEW: Follow The News-Gazette on TikTok here
Bellying up with …
On Fridays, we’ll spotlight the men and women serving up cold ones and conversation in our neck of the woods. Let us know about your favorite bartender by emailing ltaylor@news-gazette.com.
For bartenders MEL RAUCKMAN and ADRIAN MARTIN, coming to work at the Social Oasis in Villa Grove is just another opportunity to spend time with longtime friends.
“Sometimes even if we’re not working, we go in on the days that the other person is working, just so that we can hang out,” Martin said.
They’ve known each other their entire lives, they said, and have been bartending together for about a year and a half.
They said they’re just two of the great folks you can meet by stopping in at the Social Oasis.
“You’re going to meet the coolest people you ever met before in your life,” Rauckman said. “It’s a car and motorcycle bar, so we get a lot of guys that come in and talk about the ‘honk honk and the beep beep,’ something I know nothing about, but I can talk to them and make them drinks.”
Talking with customers is the best part of the job, both agree.
“Just sitting and talking to everybody about their lives. They come in and sometimes you can make it better, or sometimes you just sit with them,” Martin said.
“And sometimes vice versa, we can go in in a bad way, and this one customer makes all the difference in your day,” Rauckman said.
The pair also share a favorite drink to make, a Chuck Norris bomb, and a go-to order, a Michelob Ultra.
“Car show days” on the last Sunday of every month from March through October are the most fun days to come out, they said, and everyone should visit Villa Grove at least once.
“If you can’t have a good time in Villa Grove, you just can’t have a good time,” Rauckman said.
