Bartending Grandma, Whose Motto Is ‘Take No Bull,’ Honored by Granddaughter and “Always Sunny” Stars (Exclusive)
Even now, Emberlin Leja tells PEOPLE her 97-year-old grandma Rose will go up to bartenders and ask if they'll let her work there
Even now, Emberlin Leja tells PEOPLE her 97-year-old grandma Rose will go up to bartenders and ask if they'll let her work there Courtesy of Emberlin Leja, Four Walls Whiskey and Adim Rose Leja:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Rose-Leja-102424-155c8b79b4bc47b1b318c5a0f4f50e4c.jpg "Rose Leja")
- This year, Emberlin Leja submitted a story about her grandmother, semi-retired bartender Rose Leja, to a contest spearheaded by Four Walls Irish American Whiskey, founded by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton
- Although it didn't end up winning the grand prize, Emberlin's story inspired Four Walls to make a video about Rose — and create a special T-shirt
- "Every drink you could think of, I probably made," Rose tells PEOPLE.
A woman’s heartwarming story about her spunky 97-year-old bartending grandmother recently inspired a charity initiative involving the stars of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Back in May, Four Walls Irish American Whiskey — the whiskey brand founded by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, and Adim, a creator platform co-founded by McElhenney — invited people to share their best bar stories.
One contest entry that stood out was submitted by Emberlin Leja, who tells PEOPLE she heard about the contest on social media.
“I just happened to know somebody incredible who has so many amazing stories from their time in the bar,” she remembers thinking about her grandmother Rose Leja, a resident of Auburn, New York. “So it was like a natural progression to go and write about her and learn more of her background.”
Rose, who was born Flemington as the daughter of Polish immigrants, tells PEOPLE that she grew up in a large family of 10.
Having dropped out of high school at the age of 17, she held various jobs from milking cows to working at the J.J. Newberry store, where she worked for $1.25 an hour.
Rose also worked at a department store and grocery shop. She later married her husband Babe, a state trooper, and they were together for 60 years until his death in 2009 at age 83. Together, the couple raised two sons, John and Michael. “I had a very lovely life,” she says. Courtesy of Emberlin Leja, Four Walls Whiskey and Adim An archival photo of Rose Leja
Her career as a bartender began during the 1960s and continued through the present at such Auburn-area fraternal organizations like the Polish Falcons and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“I made up a lot of [drinks] and they went flying,” Rose said of her concoctions. "I made fancy drinks, all kinds of whiskey — [especially] honey whiskey, which I love myself. Every drink you could think of, I probably made.” Courtesy of Emberlin Leja, Four Walls Whiskey and Adim An archival wedding photo of Rose Leja and her husband Babe.
The best part of her job, she says, was interacting with the people on the other side of the bar. “I love being with someone to talk to. I myself was much of a drinker, only after hours, and we had my famous drinks, gin and tonic. A lot of crazy drinks I drank, too.”
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“I really loved them all,” she says of her patrons. “I helped a lot of them. They didn't have the money and I bought them the drink myself off the bar, and they knew it.” Courtesy of Emberlin Leja, Four Walls Whiskey and Adim Rose Leja holding a dog
These days, Rose doesn't bartend much, but she still goes out to drink with her son and daughter-in-law. “My dad has told me that on many occasions she'll go there and be like to the staff, ‘Oh, can I have a job? Would you let me work here?’ And they'll be like, "I mean, yeah, if you want to.' "
Although Emberlin’s submission ended up not being one of the contest’s grand prize winners, Four Walls was so enamored with Rose’s story that they requested photos from her family to create a special video. Rose also inspired the company to launch a special edition T-shirt featuring the words ‘Four Walls’ and an illustration of a rose — with the proceeds from the sales benefiting the nonprofit Tales of the Cocktail Foundation.
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Rose found out about everything after the video tribute was created and presented to her by Emberlin — and it was quite a surprise.
"I was like, ‘What's the time I could share this with her that's going to be the least overwhelming for her?’ ” says Emberlin.
“I was shocked, I'm telling you,” Rose adds. “I think I'm still in shock.”
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Always Sunny stars McElhenney, Day and Howerton say that they "immediately connected" with Rose's "three bartending rules: 'take no bull, make everyone feel like they belong, and have a good time.' '
"Four Walls is a tribute to the four walls of the bar and the role those bars play in shaping culture and community. And bartenders like Rose, who dedicate their lives to the craft, deserve recognition," they add. "We love the idea of using her story to support the next generation of bartenders.” Courtesy of Emberlin Leja, Four Walls Whiskey and Adim Rose Leja (R) with her granddaughter Emberlin (C)
“She's my major role model in life,” Emberlin says of Rose. “She's such a strong person. She's always worked. She's always dedicated herself a hundred percent to everything she does. All of the people in her life, every job she's ever had…I'd give anything to emulate her life just because it's been so full.”
“I just think she's just the most wonderful person I've met,” adds Rose about her granddaughter. “I love her. She's a sweet person. Not only is she beautiful, but she's smart and I love smart people.”
