Charlotte, NC—Ex-patriot and Buffalo bartending legend, Kevin McNamara—Mulligan’s Brick Bar, Pink Flamingo, Third Room—is in serious preparation for the upcoming floating season at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Though not recognized internationally, floating is the summer sporting activity of lounging on an aquatic device in a swimming pool while sipping cocktails and ignoring your chores, relationships, and other responsibilities.
In addition to being a bartending legend, McNamara has worked his way up through the floating ranks to be a world-class practitioner. His unwavering commitment to sloth and sipping cocktails has been instrumental in his rise. People assumed he was just some lazy tosser with an insatiable taste for tequila, but in reality, on those scorching summer days in Charlotte, while his friends, neighbors, and family were running for the frosty safety and comfort of air-conditioning, McNamara was in the pool training, honing his skills for the day floating achieves international recognition and possibly a spot in the summer Olympic games.
Though looking like a cross between Angelica Huston and Jughead’s grandfather, some in the floating game have started to refer to him as the Josh Allen of floaters. McNamara says, “The recognition is cool, but this isn’t a game to me. I’ve been at this for some time, and I’ve seen ‘em come and I’ve seen ‘em go—the contenders and the pretenders. These pretenders think they can crack open a fucking High Noon, drop their fat asses into any old waterborne device, and be a floater. Well, let me tell you that’s not only a recipe for failure, but also for cramping and soft-tissue injuries. The floating game requires effort, discipline, and patience.”
With the warmer weather just around the corner in Charlotte, McNamara has been in grind mode. He says one of the keys to being a successful floater is preparation—both mentally and physically. Since January, he has been lying around, ignoring his wife and letting his house go to shit. He has also been watching reruns of The Jeffersons on a loop. “I get inspiration from George and Weezie’s story of movin’ on up. It helps me to mentally prepare for the grind of the floating season.”
Being physically ready is mostly a matter of hydration. Since January, McNamara has been increasing his intake of Gatorade and water, while limiting his tequila consumption. “I go 6:3:1 (six parts Gatorade, three parts water, one part tequila). By the start of floating season in May, my body will be fully prepped, and I’ll be able to turn that around—six parts tequila, three parts water, one part Gatorade, all of which I’ll chase with a shitload of Blue Lights. Once I get my body right, there are no limits to what I might accomplish this floating season.”
McNamara will take a short break over St. Patrick’s Day weekend to visit family and friends in Buffalo. But after that, he will return to Charlotte and resume his strict training regimen.
