It's 10 a.m. at Water Street Music Hall, and Chopsie's pouring coffee for everyone. (Last night was a long one.) The man is at ease behind the bar, which makes sense; he's bartended here since 1978, when the place was a country western joint.

Now going on 84 years old, Chopsie - Angelo Speranza, if you want to get all formal - neatly distills the job to this: "If a man needs a drink, I'll give him a drink." An edited version of our bar talk follows.

CITY: Why "Chopsie"?

Chopsie: Because I like pork chops.

You see, they called my brother that, and after he passed away, I took over, and I started to eat pork chops a lot more. And then they'd start the "chop, chop, chop," and that's the way it went.

Where did you bartend before Water Street?

I had a place for five years, they called it Chopsie's Cozy Corner. I gave it up because it was a little too much after working day and night. That was in the 70's.

What's the best thing about the job?

I like people. I like to talk to them and have a little fun with them. Serve ‘em. And that's it. And then there's a certain drink I like to make for them if they want it. It's called the monkey's banana.

What's in a monkey's banana?

We put two different kinds of juice in there. Amaretto, Frangelico, and crème de cacoa. There's a tall banana that goes in there. And a cherry. It's in a tall, frosted glass. [Chopsie shuffles to the end of the bar to show us the glasses. He says he used to have taller ones, but they broke.]

What's the worst thing about the job?

There's nothing "worse"; I gotta find out if they're old enough, and that's it. If they're not, there's the door. It swings both ways. Don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out.

Have you ever had anybody give you trouble?

No. Every now and then, maybe a little smart, but I cool it down. [Later, Chopsie shows us the bent middle finger on his right hand; someone broke it awhile back, when they smashed a beer bottle against it.]

How can someone catch your eye at the bar?

[He calls "Chopsie."] That's all. I'll run down.

And what's your favorite drink?

I don't drink, honey.