Mixologist of the Month: Mica Carter

Having only opened in July, Awake Lounge is new to the area, but already showing what a good time it is. Boasting different theme nights for each day, including Pride Night, Latina Night and Afro Night, owner Ritchell Aboah said, "We want to give everyone a place they can come to where they can say, 'this is for me.'" We spoke with bartender Mica Carter about her favorite concoctions to make to keep the nights lively.

BY Alexandra Martin PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen

Q&A

ABOUT MICA

I'm originally from Georgia and I came here to Fargo for more opportunities. It's a very competitive market there, so I wanted a new start. I started bartending here at Awake by just walking in and deciding I loved the scene, I loved the vibe of everything. I've been bartending here since July, so it's been a lot of training and a fast paced environment, but I like it a lot.

WHATS THE BARTENDING EXPERIENCE LIKE AT AWAKE?

I started bartending here. I had always thought about bartending, but I wasn't sure if the lifestyle would be for me. But when I got here I just loved the vibe and wanted to start serving people and getting to know more people in the community here. We get different customers every single night so you meet all sorts of people that I never would have met before. The theme nights help bring in different people each night.

FAVORITE PART

I love meeting the people. They get so comfortable with you and you learn a lot about them. When they come back it's like, "oh it's my regular from last time!" and you have more to talk about, like asking about their kids and whatnot. I also get to open up more about myself and make those back and forth connections. To me, the most important part is meeting all sorts of people I might not have been able to meet before.

MOST POPULAR DRINKS LATELY

Our crowd loves Sex on the Beach, Long Islands, and Alaskan Teas.

ABOUT THIS DRINK

This is the Ghostbuster, perfect for the Halloween season! We put Pop Rocks around the rim and then we have blue curacao, banana and vodka. It'll have a nice a strong taste and the color also makes it stand out really nicely. The pop rocks burst in your mouth when you drink it and it makes for a real interesting feeling.

• Blue Curacao

• Creme de Banana

• Absolut Vodka

• Green Apple Pop Rocks