My friend Dave suggested that I talk to “Big Bad Bill” over at Eagan’s (1030 N. Water St.). “Every move 
he makes is with purpose,” he says. Dave channels Bill, picking up a wine bottle with his right hand, a couple glasses with his left. He puts the bottle down and picks another up in the same motion. Bill has tended bar for more than 30 years, and my youthful friend swears that Bill is still the fastest. He also happens to be a character.
Eagan’s has been a Milwaukee staple since Jim and Jerry Pandl opened the place more than 16 years ago. Bill has been with the owners from the beginning, excluding a short break while he ran a wine shop downtown for about two years. When things didn’t pan out at the shop, Eagan’s had an opening and asked Bill to come back and stay on at least six months — that was seven years ago.
“There are a lot of people with college degrees who get caught up in the restaurant business, who always think they’re going to leave and they never quite do,” Bill says. “I guess I kind of fit that bill.”
He studied in Madison with a focus on communication arts, Radio/TV and Film. Twenty-five years ago he followed his passion with a friend. “We did a movie review on a local cable station that nobody watched.”
Music is another passion that Bill continues to practice. He used to play piano around the city in a bluesy, singer/songwriter fashion. By popular demand, he performs every year at the Eagan’s Christmas party. He refers to this as the “Billy Wrap.” “I write stuff down all year, and then I do a 10-minute thing with the microphone and make fun of people,” he says. “I have to do it now, even new employees know about it.”
And Bill certainly has a way with words. He loves to write and has been working on a book for a number of years titled Bar Wars: Dispatches from the Font Lines. The book is mostly vignettes, observations and stories about things that have happened in his years of bartending and bar managing. I ask him for an example, and he references a poignant observation from a startled customer. “There’s a chicken bone in my root beer, what are you going to do about it?” the customer asks, directing his accusation at Bill. I’m not taking sides, but from the sound of the account, I’d say the fault might lie in the tiny, curious hands of the toddler at the table.
Not all customers are a nuisance to Bill. He’s developed relationships with many of his regulars. Eagan’s downtown location draws many of the local theater folk. He was especially impressed with one man in particular, “Symphony Tom,” who is drinking his way through more than 600 liqueurs and liquors that Eagan’s has to offer — just because. After three years of hard work, Tom’s tasting is coming to a close. One of his final shots was from an $1,800 bottle of Jose Cuervo Coleccion — that’s $90 for one shot. Bill talked about rewarding “Symphony Tom” with the empty $1,800 blue agave tequila bottle and a generous bar tab.
Customers like this seem to excite Bill and affirm his appreciation for his work. “Your friends come in and see you, you can have a great time, and you actually get paid for it,” Bill says. “There aren’t many jobs like that.”
Bill is also grateful for his coworkers. Most of the people he works with are a bit younger, but Bill sees this as an advantage. “I think they help keep me young,” he says. “I still like to be curious and interested in what younger people are interested in, like music.” His staff helps him out with what is hip and new, and occasionally Bill makes a tape of his past favorites. “Sometimes they’ll invite me to a bar to be nice, but I’m carded, and they turn me away because I’m too old,” Bill jokes.
When Bill does go out, he visits his friends’ restaurant, La Merenda, and Elsa’s where he knows a couple bartenders who have been working there since the place opened 30 years ago. Otherwise, Bill sticks to the comfort of his Third Ward neighborhood. I wondered if he gets anxious going out because he’s been a face of the industry for so long. People must recognize him. He confirms that they do.
“Once in a while it’s nice to be anonymous,” Bill says. He used to go to Pleasant Valley Inn, tucked in a residential neighborhood. He liked how it made you feel like you left town and were in a supper club up north.
What does the bartender drink when he is out on the town? Beer and wine. With five shelves of more than 600 bottles of liqueurs and liquors at his fingertips, I was a little surprised by his quick and simple answer. I wanted to give him a fist bump but decided to maintain a professional relationship.
“There’s a finite quality to a well-made wine,” he says. Bill’s face lights up when he talks about wineries and grapes. “If you have five or six bottles of the same wine, there’s something about sharing that last bottle because of all the history. The taste profile will never be duplicated.” He says this variation gives the wine a kind of mystique.
With all the books Bill’s read on wine, he could go on for hours and still keep me entertained. Stop in for a visit and a chat with “Big Bad Bill.” Be polite and tip well, of course. Try the Bloody Mary bar on Sundays. They soak their garnishes (peppers, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, etc.) in vodka, which is then used in your Bloody — delicious. Drinks are reasonable at about $7 or $8 for a glass of wine and an average of $11 for a martini. I leave you with a few tales from Bill’s ongoing compilation. Enjoy.
Excerpts from Bar Wars: Dispatches from the Frontlines:
From the “I remember when this place—” Dept.
The most inane, oft-repeated and, by definition, unanswerable question that can be posed by an astute customer is the classic, “Where is everybody” or “Why is it so dead?” Every bar or restaurant where the ‘shine is most assuredly off the rose’ has suffered this lame incantation to which there is no reply other than the one a professional is not allowed to utter. That would be: Perhaps everyone knew you were coming.
If you step behind the bar at 5 p.m. on a Saturday night, and the very first drink order you receive is for a Sambuca milkshake, topped off with Bacardi 151 rum and then lit on fire… it is going to be a very, very, very long night…
Actual Words spoken by customers—and the responses and/or thoughts a server/bartender might entertain:
“Can you make a Margarita?” (Yes, my hands are still attached to my wrists!!!”)
“How many White Zinfandels do you have by the glass?” (Nine. The fifth one is exquisite!!) When informed that we carried just one, the next question was: “What’s the vintage?” (Very recent. It was handcrafted at 10:00 this morning.)
Cactus Club
2496 S. Wentworth Ave.
Wednesday, April 14
9 p.m.
WMSE and Muzzle Of Bees present: DOSH, White Hinterland
Mikey’s
811 N. Jefferson St.
Friday-Saturday, April 16-17
“Bye, Bye, Liver: The Milwaukee Drinking Play.” Enjoy this interactive, comedic performance from 9-11 p.m. Go to www.byebyeliver.com for ticket and show information.
Thief Wine Shop and Bar
400 N. Water St.
Tuesday, April 20
Maligned Varietal Month: California Chardonnay
Taste five different wines for $20. Seatings at 5, 6:15, and 7:30 p.m. RSVPs are required.
Benno’s Genuine Bar & Grill
7413 W. Greenfield Ave.
Mondays
$1 off all taps, and three sliders for $3.
Rustico Pizzeria
223 N. Water St.
Mondays
From 9 p.m.-close, take advantage of $1 slice night.
Blackbird
3007 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Tuesdays
Free tacos from Hector’s, 4-8 p.m., or until supplies last. Also, $4 margaritas and $2 Pacifico and Corona.
Café Lulu
2265 S. Howell Ave.
Wino Wednesdays
Every Wednesday starting at 5 p.m., enjoy $10 off bottles of wine.
Polish Falcon’s Nest 725
801 E. Clarke St.
Wednesdays
Open Bowl on the oldest lanes in town. And it only costs $3.25 a game plus $1 for shoes.
Decibel
1905 North Ave.
Thursdays
Hey ladies! Free drinks until midnight. Everyone else pays $3 for Stoli drinks. Not bad. No cover.
Hi-Hat Lounge & Garage
1701 N. Arlington Pl.
Thursdays
Ladies Night: DJs Kid Cut Up and Steve Marxx. Two complimentary drinks for the ladies.
Kenadee’s Ultra Pub
718 N. Milwaukee St.
Fridays
Bitch Pleeze Fridays: Ladies drink free mixers every Friday from 10 p.m.-midnight. Kenny Perez provides the music. No cover. No dress code.
Apartment 720
720 N. Milwaukee St.
Saturdays
Enjoy the spins of special guest DJs from LA, Las Vegas, New York City and Chicago. The special of the evening: $100 bottles of Belvedere vodka, of course.
Mo’s Irish Pub
142 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Sundays
Take your Sunday Fun-day to Mo’s for $5 Bloodies and 3-for-$1 wings.
Brocach Irish Pub and Restaurant
1850 N. Water St.
Monday-Friday
From 3:30 to 6 p.m., try happy hour: Half off all top-shelf Irish and scotch whiskies. 20 oz. pint of Guinness and shot of Powers for $6.25. $5 wines by the glass.
Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge
1579 S. Ninth St.
Tuesday-Thursday
Old-Fashioned Cocktail Hour
Bryant’s happy hour is from 5-9 p.m. and includes half price Old-Fashioneds and Depression-era cocktails.
