![]() ![]() So then I was a hairdresser and a cosmetologist because I like to make people feel good about themselves. That was horrible because, you gotta realize, in the early ’90s, women were still not respected in the banking -or any real corporate industry, for that matter. And then right out of school I was a mortgage broker for Bank of America. I started bartending in school in Oregon. They’re going to be able to let their hair down and feel comfortable and just let it go for a moment. might not be completely gone, but while they’re here with me, they’re going to enjoy their time. But the thing is, if they’re coming in here after having a shitty day, I purposely take it upon me to make sure they are leaving with a smile on their face and their troubles are gone, like my dad taught me. Not everyone is going to walk in here having the best day of their life. And it’s still a learning process.Īnd in your 13 years at Gossip, what have you learned? I’ve learned about different palates and the different parts of your tongue and what you’re gonna taste, from sweet to sour to fire. You know what I mean? Just a lot of different things. And I’ve learned how to make my own bitters, how to make my own mixes, how to properly whip an egg white. What’s been your favorite thing about the job? Her go-to drink: Tequila, bourbon or bold reds Later, when she whips me up a spicy mezcal Margarita, I can taste his influence.Īs we continue to talk, Horton opens up about her family, her community, her bartending ethos and the one drink she won’t make you-even if you ask nicely. “My dad smoked a pipe, so when I drink that smoky, grab-you-by-the-chest alcohol, it just triggers happy moments in my life,” she says. Welcome home.’”Īt Gossip, Horton has seen a growing interest in Scotches and mezcals, which are two spirits she happens to love. “They said, ‘Do you remember us from the airport?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely. Two months later, Horton adds, the same customers were at the bar. “My dad always said, ‘If you see someone without a smile, you’re obligated to give them yours.’ It’s OK to have your sadness, but at that moment I was obligated to pull back my tears and say, ‘Hi, so good to see you again. “I had to put on a different face and greet them,” she says. She was on her way back from saying her final goodbye to her dad, who had just died of liver cancer. Sometimes Horton even gets spotted in airports, including in Salt Lake City in 2018. She bonds with Gossip-goers, who bring her Thin Mints and gummies (but only the pink and red ones) and ask her to bartend their weddings. Horton has built generation-defying relationships with her customers for some, she poured their first legal drink on a 21st birthday over a decade ago. But to Gossip Grill patrons, Horton is known more for her warm spirit, her open-arm acceptance and her mama-bear generosity than for her creative cocktails. She’s a champion mixologist, winning blue ribbons for her cucumber Martinis with blueberry vodka since her early days of bartending in Oregon. ![]() Within San Diego’s queer community, Horton is something of a celebrity. Behind her are the trappings of a legendary women’s bar: hand-painted “My Body My Choice” posters from a recent abortion rally, pink piñatas that read “Cunt,” rainbow everything, a disco ball. “I think that’s where my love for being a bartender came from, because of all the different cuisines and palates that he introduced me to on those dates,” Horton says, perched on one of the wooden swings on Gossip’s outdoor patio. ![]()
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