Step behind the bar in Southie and meet Will Falaro—since his early days as a barback on Beacon Street, the South Shore native has lent his beverage skills to spots like Temazcal, Anthem and, most recently, Lincoln Tavern. Now, he’s at Loco Taqueria and Oyster Bar, where “a little crazy is a good thing” and margaritas rules the roost. Here, the “Bar Dude” (yes, official title) opens up on how he inherited the hospitality gene, the merits of mezcal and sharing the bar with Julian Edelman.

How did you first get involved in restaurants and bartending?

I went to college at Northeastern and my roommate was a bartender at An Tua Nua on Beacon Street, which is now closed. I went in there one night with him and the owner was bitching and moaning about a barback that wasn’t moving. I spoke up and said, “Hey, I’ll do it,” and he was like, “Yeah, fine! Come in tomorrow night at 6.” So I started barbacking when I was 21 and after a couple weeks they had me make drinks because it was so busy. I caught on quick and the rest is history. Bartending was something that I thought I could never really do. I never really saw myself as an outgoing person. You feel like you’re on stage, but you’re also in control in a way. You’re always moving, always meeting people. It’s fast-paced. That’s what I fell in love with.

What’s your favorite drink to make? Least favorite?

We have a big array of margaritas and I love making those. When someone comes in and they order six coconut margaritas at a time—a lot of people are bitching and moaning when they get an order like that, but I actually enjoy it. Least favorite would have to be something like a martini or an Old Fashioned now. Working at a tequila bar you get used to making certain things and when you get thrown a curveball, it’s always at the worst time.

How do you feel about the mixology movement?

When I started, there was nothing called mixology, there was no real scene for that yet. There wasn’t a real big food lovers movement either and now it’s everywhere. I think what a lot of mixologists are doing is brilliant, but it was never really my thing to consider myself a mixologist. I consider myself a bartender, just mixing drinks, pouring beer and wine, and having everyone have fun.

What do you keep stocked at home?

It’s usually bourbon at home,  some sort of vermouth, a lot of bitters. I find myself making Manhattans. It’s actually a running joke at Loco that I tend to go home, make Manhattans and throw in a Celeste pizza. People think I’m crazy. I have a beautiful wine rack that’s not as stocked as I’d like. Beer and wine tend to not last very long at home.

Are you excited about one spirit in particular? 

Mezcal has become a new favorite of mine. Boston is fairly new to tequila; ten years ago was kind of the tequila boom in Boston, then its sister mezcal was behind. Now everyone—not just people in the industry—has become familiar with mezcal. You can do a lot of fun things with it. You can incorporate it into a lot of things, mix it with tequila, mix it with bourbon or a pisco or cachaça. A mezcal margarita is actually one of my favorites.

What’s something you wish the average guest knew about your job?

I wish they knew that closing a tab over and over and over again is more work than you think. It takes an hour and a half to put all those slips in at the end of the night.  Other than that, people should know it’s not just a dream job where you’re chit-chatting with people and pouring beers. There’s a lot of hours, there’s a lot of prep work. There’s a big ugly side to bartending and restaurants, you know, the cleaning, and trying to put on a happy face everyday. Being behind the bar and on the floor, you’re kind of vulnerable in a way. I go back to when I began and I felt like it was a stage, and it is. People are looking at you, people could be picking apart the way you do things or don’t do things. It can sometimes be trying.

Any fun clientele stories to share?

We had Julian Edelman behind the bar one night, which was a big hit. He and a bunch of his people came in and they were ripping it up. He was like “Hey, can I get behind the bar?” I said, “Hey, I’m not going to say no to you!” So he was behind the bar, pouring beers, throwing everything everywhere. Also, there’s always first dates, watching things go good and go terribly wrong—that’s always exciting.

When you’re having friends over, do you become the default bartender?

Yes, absolutely. Holidays, gatherings, anything. I think I got into this business because my mother always loved throwing parties. I’d come home and she’d be scrubbing the floors and an hour later there would be a cop at the door saying there’s too many cars on the street, so I think this all came from her.