Bartender in Woodstock “could write a book”

By Merry Mackinnon

The Bee, Aug 6, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Bartender at Country Bill’s Restaurant and Lounge in Woodstock, Delores Norris, better known as “Dee”, has served a lot Manhattans over the years – and has seen a lot of heartache and celebration.

Merry MacKinnon / THE BEE

When she heard President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the radio, mobilizing the American people after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Delores Norris was 10 years old.

In those days, a fair number of Americans, after listening to Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chat” and contemplating the country’s entry into World War II, might have left their easy chairs and headed to the nearest bar for a stiff drink.

Now 76 years old, Norris herself has served many stiff drinks. For 31 years she’s been a bartender at Country Bill’s Restaurant and Lounge in Woodstock.

“I could write a book!” says Norris, whom most know as Dee — about her decades serving drinks at the popular Woodstock institution.

Over her years behind the bar, Norris has seen a lot of broken hearts, crises, and celebrations, but she mostly stuck to the task at hand — to make the best Manhattans, whiskey sours, and White Russians she could.

“Making drinks is just like cooking — a little of this, a little of that,” she says.

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