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Great Confidants Called Bartenders

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Flori Cantillo empezó en el negocio, se afligía porque algunos clientes no la trataban bien, hasta que un día decidió cambiar de actitud y ahora es una de las cantineras más respetadas de Santa Cruz. En la imagen sostiene una botella del trago estrella del bar, una mezcla de hombre grande con Cacique, la cual asegura Cantillo que le quita la resaca a cualquiera
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Nicoya and Santa Cruz are places that are constantly changing. Businesses open and close their doors every year, but if there has been something that people can count on with the passage of time, it is the bars. These small businesses have endured over time without a doubt because they offer more than just a place to have a drink.

The bartender is their confidant, someone to turn to in whom to confide their problems. He is the one who makes even the saddest person laugh, and in a way he becomes an important part of the lives of those who frequent these places.

The bartender is a figure who cannot be missing in the towns of Guanacaste, where going for a drink is a sacred act for many. To be a bartender, one must be attentive and have a good sense of humor, be willing to listen to thousands of stories and serve all kinds of people.

For some, the bar is a home away from home, a place full of memories where there will always be someone willing to listen and to serve.

 

When Flori Cantillo started in the business, she was troubled because some customers did not treat her well, until one day she decided to change her attitude, and now she is one of the most respected bartenders in Santa Cruz. In the photo, she holds a bottle of the bar’s star drink, a mixture of hombre grande with Cacique, which Cantillo claims will take away any hangover.
Tobias Morales was a farmer and a storekeeper for many years and when he was 55 years old, he opened one of the first bars in the San Martin neighborhood, Centro Social McCoy. Morales is one of the oldest bartenders in all of Nicoya and currently, at 92, he serves his customers every day, despite having hearing problems, because he says he “does not like to be idle.”
Before turning into a bar, El Tronco was a liquor store in Santa Cruz. This family business became a bar more than 40 years ago, and in the late 80s, Flori Cantillo (daughter of the original owners) started to run it. Stuffed animal heads are mounted on the walls from when the bar had a different owner, and next to them is a collage of portraits that is more than 15 years old, which is part of the decor that gives the place a particular look.
Before turning into a bar, El Tronco was a liquor store in Santa Cruz. This family business became a bar more than 40 years ago, and in the late 80s, Flori Cantillo (daughter of the original owners) started to run it. Stuffed animal heads are mounted on the walls from when the bar had a different owner, and next to them is a collage of portraits that is more than 15 years old, which is part of the decor that gives the place a particular look.
With ¢2,000 (about $4) borrowed from his brother, Jose Hipolito Torres opened La Deportiva sports bar in 1993 in downtown Nicoya. Thanks to the income that the bar has generated in the past 22 years, hewas able topay for three children to study and for his wife to get her master’s degree . Since opening, he runs the bar by himself and although he has some difficult days, the bar has regular customers who have been coming for many years.
Ezequiel Casares, aka “Chequelo,” is one of the most beloved bartenders in Nicoya. On September 14, 1980, his life took another direction when he decided to take ove Camino al Estadio bar after a game between Liberia and ADG, with no experienced and not even five cents in his pocket. Since then, he opens every day and his bar is one of the meeting places for the “La Gallada” Guanacastse fan club. For the past five years, customers have been giving him soccer jerseys

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