General’s

Personality – 1.5

Service – 2.5

Drink Presentation – 2

Overall – 2

Upon walking in to General’s, I received confirmation I was below the Mason-Dixon Line. Elaborate maroon ruffled curtains, Antebellum-styled columns and portraits of old generals all served as décor that would make anyone feel Southern. The music was predictably country, but it fit its atmosphere and put the bar’s patrons in a good mood.

General’s is famous for its “Iced Tea,” a concoction similar to a Long Island Iced Tea, but I ordered something light to work my way up to it: an amaretto sour. Now, this is not a hard drink to stomach, nor to make, but our bartender Max disproved both of these for this moment. The drink was about 90 percent sour mix, and that’s being generous. If the taste did not give its imbalance away, the bright yellow color sure did.

Max himself seemed dazed, possibly unqualified and not nearly as energetic as his fellow bartenders. He was attentive to his customers, but just lacked the good-old-boy feeling everyone seemed to have. Not that you necessarily need to be like this to drink here, but something’s gotta give.

Although Max did not conquer a simple task, his fellow unnamed bartender made up for it by giving us a free shot. Needless to say, I did not make an effort to get an “Iced Tea,” but I’ll give them a second chance and hope my next drink is sans sour mix.

JR’s

Bait Shack

Personality – 4

Service – 4

Drink Presentation – 3

Overall – 4

As we stepped into the laid-back, country music-blaring JR’s Bait Shack, Rob immediately locked eyes with us and followed our movement to the end of the bar, ready to be of service.

He smiled an overly plastered bright, peppy smile (he used to be a University cheerleader in his college days), and he seemed to love his atmosphere of fish nets and beer pong balls casually flying through the air.

He boasted of his skills, throwing shiny silver cups into the air and swirling purple plastic balls on his fingers. With similar flair, he served up drinks speedily and came back repeatedly to ask if everything was OK. In the true style of a good bartender, he chatted breezily and with wit while serving the entire semi-packed bar.

Serving mainly beer, I can’t say much for his drinks, but I’d be willing to bet that they’re exactly what I would desire and maybe more.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the final installment in the “Bartender Review.” Next week, we’ll recap the grades and verdicts from this semester as well as reveal our mystery critics.