Anthony Mackie Talks Whiskey, Bartending, And Girls

You may recognize Anthony Mackie from Million Dollar Baby, Half Nelson, and The Hurt Locker, but Brooklynites may recognize the star of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter from another spot: his own bar, NoBar. The actor recently shared with Esquire and Comic Book Resources not only his acting inspiration and comic book lore, but what he's learned behind the bar. (He even advises his interviewer from Comic Book Resources to avoid the Maker's Mark and try a better alternative whiskey, Van Winkle or Basil Hayden.) Here's the best from Esquire's interview with Mackie on booze, girls, and bartending:

From his customers: "The best one I heard [behind the bar] was this dude who walked in and said, 'I need a drink.' 'All right, what's going on?' 'I just got home and there's an eviction notice on my door.' 'That's crazy. You didn't pay your rent?' And he said, 'No, my rent was paid. My building was condemned. Because it's deemed unlivable.' This isn't no Bill Cosby brownstone."

On owning NoBar: "The worst part of owning a business is your friends. Because they'll come in, and they only drink top-shelf. It's never 'Oh, give me the little cheap vodka.' It's 'I want the purified, XO vodka from the top, double-distilled...'"

On his drinking philosophy: "I feel like a drink or two really gets you to who you are. That's why, when you go to the Independent Spirit Awards, at the beginning of the carpet, they're handing out Jameson. They're like, 'Here. Drink. Go down the carpet.' Now, the publicists might hate it. The managers definitely hate it. But the actors are like, 'Yes!'"

On what every guy should know how to make: "I would say every man should know how to make a really good piña colada. Because every girl likes a piña colada. Right?"

Read the full Esquire interview here.