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Tips for Tips
Help support our Madrone Art Bar & Pops Family during the bar closures
Featured staff:
DEB LEAL
Artist/Bartender
Send your tip directly to Deb via Paypal or Venmo
Paypal: handfasthotel@gmail.com
Venmo: @DebLeal
Deb’s Specialty Cocktail Recipe:
1.5 oz Buffalo Trace bourbon
.5 oz Aperol
.5 oz Jalapeno agave
.5 oz Lemon
.25 oz Grapefruit
Shaken over ice with a grapefruit twist
As we try to weather the closure of our bars, our staff has lost their main source of income. We are looking for creative ways to band together to pull through this difficult time as a community.
During this crisis, we will be bringing you stories and cocktail recipes from our staff. We hope you will enjoy learning more about the people who have been serving you and donate aka “tip” them to help support them. This money goes directly to the featured staff member.
Thank you for your help of our Madrone & Pops family. We can’t wait to see you again. In the meantime please generously TIP YOUR BARTENDER!
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Deb’s Story
Hello! Many of the Madrone family know me from the Sunday day shift when I started working with Mike + Ludo 5 whole years ago. Currently, I’m the tiny but mighty one zipping behind the bar on Friday & Monday nights (Fun Fact: if days are still more your speed and you find yourself in the Mission, I’m at Pop’s Bar chatting about all things except sports on Saturdays. Much of our fam there have been hooked on the “Deb Special”, and I’m sure none of you are surprised that there is mezcal in it.)
Post college, I moved to San Francisco in 2013 with two checked bags and carry-on after a particularly horrid Milwaukee winter (Blanket-frozen-to-the-wall kind of horrid. Yeah, it was that bad). Despite never having been to San Francisco before, I knew that the leap of faith would shape me as an artist and an individual– and boy, did it ever. The artists here are *the* prime example of resilience, and without the community surrounding the bar and restaurant industry– many of us wouldn’t have much to stand on. It’s small business owners like Mike, Tom, and Ludo, that have given me the ability to work towards having the space to create with the handful of mediums that I employ; so, if I may, let me take this small moment to extend my gratitude to the folks that find importance in the creativity found in bars and restaurants everywhere.
Despite the chaotic uncertainty, what I know to be true is that I need to keep creating.
Expect these things from lil’ ole me in the future:
A short film about the exploration of Catholic ritual in an abstract sphere through the eyes of a bisexual Latinx artist. Presented in the format of vignettes shot on 8mm, the imagery will be woven together in sequences much like walking through a gallery behind a woman’s eyes. What ties each scene together is the exploration of breath; There is a rythmic breath present during the most human of acts– running, sex, and giving birth. It is present in the peaks and valleys of human emotion, from a depressed sigh to the gasping for air from laughter. The breath is ever-cyclical, and it keeps the narrative moving. Currently, I am in the development process with LA-based writers and designers, and seeking opportunities for funding. My goal is to have this film completed by 2022. If you are interested to see my style of work, you can take a peek at a music video I produced and directed in 2019 here:
“Sugar” by James Wavey (Alleyes Manifest) feat. Keri Shewmaker
Expect these things in the very near future:
“Corners” – An online photographic exhibit
“Corners” is a dual show by artists Deb Leal & Syra McCarthy debuting a photographic body of work featuring women living and working in the Bay Area. This work will discuss the archetypes of feminine energy in relation to the elements that allows us all to thrive; Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Powerful entities all on their own, yet when connected- transformation is brought to life. In light of recent layoffs due to Covid-19, we felt it is necessary to not only provide moments of alleviation in any way possible, but to also shine some light on the women in our community that may be facing economic hardship in this very moment, many of which are currently unemployed.
These images will be released on Instagram, so feel free to follow us to witness our multifaceted exhibit unfold. You can find me on Instagram @sneakyleal, and Syra at @syranaraÂ
Although I may not be able to make you a drink at this moment, perhaps a little bit of art can ease you just the same.
Times are extremely trying for us all, and every little bit helps to ensure rent is paid here in Oakland. Prints are also available through my website, www.debleal.cool if you’re looking to gussy up yours or a loved one’s wall space!
From the very bottom of my heart– thank you. This is an experience that will never be forgotten, and I am truly lucky to have Madrone & Pop’s as family.
-Deb Leal