If ever you were to look for someone born for a social job like bartending, you’d know your search was at an end upon meeting Dee McKelvie. A spunky Canadian with a great husky laugh and a terrific sense of fun, Dee immediately welcomes everyone to Stingers Bar with open arms (and bottles).

Dee was born in Vancouver and grew up there, attending school in Port Alberni where her favourite subject was English. Although she took some college computer courses, she couldn’t resist the pull of the family business. Creating roofing shingles went all the way back to her Great-Grandmother – the first woman in the country to saw Cedar shingles. She was the fourth generation in a long line of women, and had begun learning the ways of the Force from the tender age of 14.

For twenty years Dee diligently pulled her weight in the industry until she developed back problems and was told by the doctor to change her line of work. Always up for a challenge, she took a Professional Bartending course over many months that covered ingredients, recipes, mixing, measuring, customer service, food safety, glassware and Level One First Aid. It was a comprehensive class, and she emerged fully qualified and ready for action!

Her first job in her new profession was behind the bar in an Inn on Queen Charlotte Island. A year later she was offered a better-paying position at a hotel in neighbouring Masset, and so she took it, remaining there for over a year.

In 2005 she came to the Cayman Islands to settle down with her husband who had a job here, and she was content to relax for a while as she found her bearings. By 2007 she had itchy feet so when an opportunity came up to bartend at Stingers on West Bay Road, she signed up on the spot. She has been serving up the drinks there ever since.

She doesn’t miss shingles – the roofing sort, not the illness – because frankly she’s having too much fun right where she is. Bartending is such a social job, and Dee is one of the most social people you’ll meet. She loves meeting new people, and thanks to the bar’s close proximity to Comfort Suites, she’s chatting to an international clientele on a weekly basis.

Dee has no plans to change her job or this lifestyle any time soon. As you look out over the lush foliage, swimming pool and sunny days clearly visible from Stingers Bar, you can understand why. Whether you’re tourist, resident, animal, vegetable or mineral, you need to stop by and meet this chick! If she was as good at making shingles as she is at making drinks, there are some lucky Canadians up North with roofs that can handle any harsh weather Mother Nature wants to sling at them!

Bacardi Hummer
1½ oz Bacardi
½ oz Coffee Patron
½ oz Kahlua
2 scoops softened vanilla ice cream

Put all ingredients in a blender with crushed ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with a cherry.