Milwaukee happens to be known for its drinking. The name of the city conjures up thoughts of our proud brewing heritage and our not-so-flattering title of America’s Drunkest City, given to us by Forbes.com. While being called the Drunkest City is a dubious honor, it’s clear that drinking is a part of the culture here. I mean, just look at our Major League Baseball team. We are the Brewers, for goodness sake. I was at a comedy show recently, and the comedian asked the audience if there are any amusement parks in the area. One loud-mouthed guy shouted out, “Beer!” Milwaukee’s boozy history is just one facet of our fair city, but it’s a pretty significant one.

Clearly, there are serious health risks to over-indulging, and don’t even get me started on what I consider the stupidest decision anyone could make: driving drunk. But I do believe Milwaukee has a great bar culture. There are so many different offerings, from dance clubs to wine bars to Irish pubs to cocktail lounges. With several universities in the area, there is never a shortage of young adults out at the bars on the weekends, which means there is a lot to do and see.

Writing this column was a spur of the moment decision. Patrick, the Marquette Journal’s features and online editor, mentioned one day that he was looking for a bar columnist. I immediately volunteered because it seemed like a perfect fit. I love going out and socializing, and the most obvious perk to this job is that it gives me an excuse to do just that. I can just imagine the conversation I’ll have with my mother. “I am doing my work, Mom. I have to go to Caffrey’s tonight. It’s for my column. No, I am being serious!”

If this was my major, I imagine my degree would be in a field of study called social-drinking anthropology. Social anthropology is the study of how people behave in social groups. A bar is an establishment that serves alcoholic drinks. So the study of how people behave in social groups at bars would be social-drinking anthropology, which may just be my favorite subject yet.

So here is what I promise you as Bar Girl. I promise to sample a broad range of the drinking establishments that Milwaukee has to offer. I promise to write about the good, the bad, the funny and the ugly, even if it means admitting to my own slightly awkward tendencies. I promise to go on brewery tours and try local beverages. I promise to observe the people, describe the surroundings and critique the drinks. In short, I promise to epitomize a true Milwaukeean.