Tamara Ovdenk is one tough bartender. She was working one week before giving birth to her daughter.

Last week, after complaining of her lower abdomen hurting, she went home sick. Once home, she just felt worse and worse. After calling her twin sister, Tabitha, a bartender at Hooter’s, and finding out she was driving a drunk customer home, she drove herself to the emergency room.

Ovdenk was quickly diagnosed with appendicitis and just as quickly went into surgery to remove the inflamed appendix that was almost ready to burst.

Just days after surgery, she met with us at the Mix Ultra Lounge on Broadway where she works to talk to us about her job as a bartender.

Ovdenk never set out to be a bartender.

“I used to go out and one night someone asked me if I wanted to be a ‘party girl,’” she said. “I was a shot girl and I had to make sure people had a good time. I could always use the extra money.”

That “party girl” gig turned into being a bartender, which she learned on the job.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How do you deal with unruly customers?

With a smile. There is no real way to do it. It may be that something that has happened and he is having a bad day. There’s something behind it.

Is it difficult to hear orders when the music is going?

It is hard, but you learn to read lips.

Are you ever stumped with a drink order?

Yeah. Some things are just made up. And one drink may have five or six different names. And there’s a difference between West Coast drinks and East Coast drinks and drinks in the North and South. There’s a difference just between Florida and here. One night someone asked me for a Red Devil. “What? You don’t know what a Red Devil is,” he said.

What is a Red Devil?

It has sloe gin, peach schnapps, orange juice and grenadine.

Did you study a mixology guide?

I’ve never, ever, ever looked at one. I was handed a bottle filled with water and a shot glass. I had to practice until I could pour a single shot into an empty glass (without using the shot glass). Now it’s second-nature.

What is the most popular drink you mix?

Here, the most popular drinks are the ones I’ve made up for people. I ask what kinds of flavors they like and what kinds of liquor and then I mix one up for them. When they come back, they ask for “their” drink. But the one I make most often is the Long Island Tea. Drinks change from bar to bar and it changes from season to season.

What’s popular during the holidays?

Drinks with spiced rum and vanilla vodka. I don’t know why. Maybe the spiced drinks taste like the sugar cookies Grandma baked.

What is your favorite drink?

The Scorpion King.

What is in that?

Peach schnapps, Southern Comfort, vanilla vodka, cranberry juice and my secret ingredient.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The people.

Can you tell me the funniest thing you’ve seen in the club?

I’ve seen everything in a club. But why would anyone come into a bar and immediately go on Facebook? What are you doing in a bar and texting on a phone? The funniest thing I see all the time are girls when they fall down. They look around and think no one saw them fall. Those girls are the most hilarious. I have to turn away because I’ll start laughing.

What do you do if someone has too much to drink and you need to cut him or her off?

Each one is different. Sometimes I tell security. I just want them to get home safely. I want people to have a good time.

What kind of shoes to do you wear? Is there a uniform?

Comfortable ones! I have to spend eight hours a night in these shoes. When I started, I would wear cute shoes. Now, I’m in a dress and a Nikes. I don’t even pretend to wear cute shoes.

Is there a uniform at Mix Ultra?

He (owner Roonie Griffith) wants us to dress in classy clubwear on the weekends. Weeknights, I wear nice jeans and a nice top.

What is the life-span of a bartender?

You can for a long time if you want to work at the VFW. This is a job you can’t retire from. Beauty sells. I want a secure job and that’s why I’m in school.

What is your daily schedule like?

I usually go to sleep around 4:30 or 5 a.m. I’m up by 8 a.m. and I’m back here by 11 a.m. I’m in and out until we close at 3 a.m.