A nightclub champion

The Irish Trash Can is a signature drink for the restaurant-turned-college hotspot. Gallego, a floor manager for Sam Hughes, says the bar can sell as many as 200 a night (at $10 a pop).

Gallego often doubles as a bartender on weekends to keep up with the high volume of customers coming through. The upscale restaurant, known for its generous portions of food during the day, has earned a reputation during its two years in business as the place to be seen on a Friday or Saturday night.

The establishment fills up just about every weekend whether University of Arizona classes are in session or not, according to general manager Matt McKinnon. He estimates the line to get in can reach between 75-100 people deep during the school year.

Our visit saw a packed house with swarms of patrons moving through the bar, smoking on the patio and seated with drinks in hand in the restaurant's luxury dining area.

Loud pop, hip-hop and R&B pumped through the restaurant's speaker system as television sets around the dining room aired a variety of sporting events. Most people were there to drink, but some snacked on appetizers and hamburgers. Sam Hughes' full menu is available until 10 p.m. with a limited bar menu available until midnight.
Gallego, along with six other bartenders, were on staff that night, doling out drinks to customers sitting along the winding, illuminated honey onyx-covered bar .

Among the crowd of patrons was Cole Kacic, a 22-year-old Tucson native, home for the summer from Argosy University in Colorado.

Kacic said the environment in Sam Hughes has always been a comfortable one, even when the place is slammed.

"I come here whenever I'm in town," Kacic said. "It is an easy place to see old friends and stuff, a nice gathering spot."

Lando Bia sat at the end of the bar with a pal, nursing a mug of Stella Artois beer and checking his cell phone every 2-3 minutes out of habit.
Bia blows away the misconception some might have that this is a bar strictly for the fraternity/sorority crowds.

The 29-year-old freelance graphic designer, with long black hair running down past his waist, labret piercing and spiked wristbands, comes to hang at Sam Hughes about three times a week.
"I love this bar, especially the bartenders," Bia said. "I am friends with most of the crew here. That goes a long way when the bartenders are friendly."

Gallego said it isn't always easy serving drinks to so many people at once, but he makes sure the staff is as efficient and upbeat as possible.
"We staff a lot at times," he said. "We've all been to bars where it takes a while to get a drink, and that ruins the experience. I think there is nothing more annoying than waiting at a bar for a drink. Then you finally get it, but you don't want to stay because it took forever. We try to avoid that here.

"People enjoy going to places where they can dress nice and still have a good time and feel like it's not too expensive."

Danny Gallego pours an Irish Trash Can — a Long Island Iced Tea with some Blue Curacao and a can of Red Bull — into a giant frosty beer mug at Sam Hughes' Place Championship Dining on a recent Friday night. "Oh my God," exclaims the drink's recipient, a skinny blond girl, utterly amazed at the size of her purchase. "I have to go to work at 7 in the morning." "That's what the Red Bull is for," Gallego replies with a smile before heading off to serve another thirsty customer at the other end of the bar.