By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Feb 24, 2009 at 1:22 PM

"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun bars and club articles -- including guides, unique features, drink recipes and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

As OnMilwaukee.com gets ready to host the first Bartender Olympics, you can prepare to cheer on the competition by familiarizing yourself with future Milwaukee Bar Olympians.

Watch for profiles of all 10 bartenders over the next week and then catch the action at the Milwaukee Ale House on Thursday, Feb. 26. All in honor of friendly competition, cheer on your favorite Olympian while you enjoy deals on Ale House food and Maker's Mark, Jameson, Absolut Mango or Dr. Lemon drinks.

Here's a quick Q & A with Up and Under's bartender Steve Gilbertson.

OnMilwaukee.com: What's your favorite thing about working as a bartender in Milwaukee?

Steve Gilbertson: Milwaukee's a blue collar town. Most of the places I've bartended over the years, there isn't too much pretense. Milwaukee's full of down to earth people and its probably one of the easier places to bartend because of that. People aren't as concerned with seeing you flip bottles and do all sorts of silly flair as much as they are interested in getting their drink quickly and having a good conversation.

OMC: If you could bartend at an establishment other than the Up and Under, where would it be?

SG: I'm quite happy at the Up and Under. I've bartended 11 years, everything from Milwaukee Street to Pizza Man; I've kind of run the gammet on different styles of bars and I'm happy with the live music scene.

OMC: If you could serve a drink to anyone, who would it be and what would you serve?

SG:  I think it'd be Tom Waits because I'd love to just sit and pick that guy's brain.

OMC: Which artists would you put on your jukebox?

SG:  That's kind of a hard for me because I'm a big music nerd but Tom Waits has got to be on there. Big fan of Twin Cities indie hip hop like Atmosphere and POS,  Subhumans and Hayes Carll.

OMC: In the competition you're going to be making a cocktail with one of the four sponsor brands. Which one did you pick and how do you typically serve it?

SG: I'm a beer and whiskey guy. My drink of choice is Jameson on the rocks with water.