We asked local barkeeps to spout off about their early imbibing experiences—turns out, the pros’ drinking debuts were just as embarrassing as your own.

Will Falaro of Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar

“The first drink I ever tried was a Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The first thing I ever got really drunk on was Captain Morgan, sitting on a beach in my hometown.”

Jason Kilgore of Uni

“I was on vacation with my family in Hawaii. I was 12, at a luau. The server mixed up the nonalcoholic drinks with the alcoholic ones. It was also the first time I was blackout drunk. And it probably was the basis for my love of Tiki and rum.”

Lily Jensen of Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar

“I have older brothers, so the first alcoholic beverage I ever tried was a beer, I think. The first time I got drunk was from gin… never again!”

Mike Wyatt of Ward 8

“My grandmother gave me a sip of her mudslide when I was a little kid. I actually remember enjoying it! First drink I ever got drunk on: Bacardi Limon when I was 16—sorry Mom.”

Erick Donoghue of Comedor

“In the 5th grade, I snuck a warm bottle of Amstel Light out of my house because I wanted to know what beer tasted like. I took a sip, practically vomited, poured the rest out and hid the bottle.”

Jenn Harvey of Temple Bar

“Southern Comfort on my 21st birthday—one of the few times I’ve vomited from drinking, so to this day just the smell of SoCo churns my stomach.”

Sam Treadway of Backbar

“I used to steal sips of gin and tonic from my parents! [And] I nearly drank an entire bottle of amaretto stolen from my parents’ liquor cabinet when I was in high school.”

Morgan Carney, Grafton Street

“The first alcoholic beverage I ever tried was a lukewarm Bud Ice from a keg in the woods in Arlington. The first thing I ever got really drunk on was my third lukewarm Bud Ice from that same very keg in those same very woods.”

Ashish Mitra, Russell House Tavern

“Southern Comfort. Never, never, never again…”

Derek Almeida of Park Restaurant & Bar

“A Budweiser that I got a hold of when I was a toddler, according to my mom. She found me sitting on the kitchen floor, sipping tiny sips of Bud and eating a bag of grapes.”