Trina Nishimura originally got into bartending for some extra cash during college. It was strictly a means to an end. Then, after graduating for the University of North Texas in Denton, Nishimura got a job doing cartoon voices -- primarily English dubs for Japanese animation. Still looking for that extra income, she landed a job keeping bar at Craft in Dallas.
And that's when it all began to change. She discovered the long lost art of classic cocktails and fell in love with it.
"It's easy to be the shot girl, and it's definitely easy money," explains Nishimura. "And that's great if that's want you want to do. But for some of us, it's more than just a gig to get by now. It's a craft and a passion."
Nishimura worked at Craft for six years, spent some time at Smoke and then was recruited by Michael Martensen to open his class-cocktail driven spot The Cedars Social.
During all this time, the Dallas cocktail scene has taken off. But, whether we like it or not, the idea of a classic cocktail bartender skews towards the mustachioed masculine type.
This Sunday at Sissy's, several of Dallas' cocktails heiresses, and perhaps the matriarch herself, Louis Owens of the Windmill, are willing to prove that theory wrong. In an effort to bring attention to the strong relationships of females behind the local burgeoning cocktail culture, Nishimura and Bonnie Wilson of Whiskey Cake are hosting Shake for Second Base.
"We love our bartending brothers, but we won't be marginalized," said Nishimura. "The bond between women bartenders is really strong and we're really trying to grow that sense of camaraderie."
Some of the best bar ladies from around the city will gather at the event to support the craft and also raise money for charity -- 100 percent of the door, bar and tips goes to a cancer research fund.
There's a $10 cover at the door, which will get you one classic cocktail and some of that amazing chicken from Sissy's. Each subsequent drink is $7. DJ JT Donaldson will set the mood and there will also be a bartender auction.
There's no need for tickets or to get on a list. Just show up Sunday at Sissy's from 6 to 10 p.m.
