A Drink With Dale Irons, Owner/Bartender, 8-Bit

" A Drink With ..." is a segment in the Beijinger magazine in which we interview a local personality of note under libationary circumstances. This week, Mr. Dale Irons of 8-Bit bar and arcade heaven.

Who would you most like to go out drinking with?
Cyndi Lauper. She would just wanna have fun. She also buys the rounds time after time.

How old were you when you started drinking?
My father introduced me to the beer and lemonade cocktail, better known as “the shandy,” around the age of 15. As my tolerance grew so did the beer to lemonade ratio. I was growing up one shandy at a time.

Where’s the dumbest place you’ve gone drinking?
On a long distance bus in Vietnam. Didn’t really think that one through. The announcement that we would not be stopping for three hours was not at all welcome news.

What’s your idea of a good night out?
Spending time with the people I care about. Activities, venues, music – they’re all important, but passing time in good company is what’s most important to me.

Where’s your favorite place to go drinking?
An unusual one, but that would be at the Mooloolaba Bowls Club in Queensland, Australia, getting together with my high school chums and rolling those bowls down the turf in the sun. It’s fun to be around the older laid-back locals and spin tales of the past.

What’s your favorite drink?
I have a good friend from Romania who regularly travels between his home and Beijing. After visiting his family’s farm he brings back his grandfather’s homemade red wine. I like the way he describes the setting and his grandfather, he’s so passionate about the wine.

Has your favorite drink changed over time?
Of course. Gone are the dark teenage days of bottled cider or boxed wine. Dark days. I am still developing my taste palate, a few years ago I could not have enjoyed neat spirits, but I am leaning towards this now. We’re at the bar – what are you having? On a warm day, I would be inclined to go for ice-cold beer or ale. On a cold winter night, I would usually opt for a glass of hot buttered rum or mulled wine.

Challenge Dale to a game of Mario Kart at 8-Bit.

Photo: Mitchell Pe Masilun