Jill DeGroff - John Myers: The Barman of Portland, Maine

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Producer	Jill DeGroff
Country	United States
Item Type	Artwork
Sku	JD0029

By Jill DeGroff
Watercolor 10 x 14"

JOHN MYERS
Hunt & Alpine Club, Portland, Maine

A Bar Story: Johnny K was born in a little Kentucky town severely edited. He had no arms from the elbows and no legs from the knees. The ancient prosthetics, by our whizzbang standards, looked like they’d be more at home on a bicycle, than on a man. His hands were a doubled set of curled hooks connected to some cables, and his legs, which we never saw, were simpler still. From that little Kentucky town to Georgetown Law– his background and demeanor made him seem singularly and uniquely American.

John strode the halls of DC power; or rather he rode those halls, preferring the gentle whirr of his rascal scooter to the difficult chore of walking. Tall, dapper, and dignified, even Gable-esque, he was adored by many Washington DC bartenders. Which is why I felt unease and trepidation the night I saw him dismount his scooter and head for the barstool next to Susan, one of the pushiest liquor salespersons in the trade. Poor John would have to endure her endless small talk and sales pitches. He was literally a captive audience....

" Yes I know about your stupid vodka...(fill glass) yes, I know i know it will not give me a hangover, especially since I won't drink it... Comes in nifty colors, too? how nifty! anti-oxidants? (fill glass) you-don't-say!"

After a few hours of this, I go to top her off and she demurely puts her hand across her glass: 'I gotsa go- got a sales meeting t'morrow at sheven and I should per-pare'

"PREPARE?" shouted John, waving his knife and fork, "What the blazes have you been doing for the past hour? WHEN I CAME IN HERE, I HAD TWO HANDS!"

I almost kissed him, and we never saw her again. - John Myers

John Myers plies his trade in Portland, ME , the “drinking town with a fishing problem.”
I created this caricature in 2008 on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary celebration of B&B at the 21 Club in NYC. John took first place in the competition with a drink called “The Touchable.”

1 oz B&B, 1 oz rum, 1 oz dry Vermouth, 1/2 oz pure maple syrup, 1/2 oz fresh lime juice. Shake all and strain into a martini glass, garnish with a cinnamon stick

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