Booze Quest
BoozeQuest: The Bloody Mary
Feb 9th 2006
By: Sweepea
Tonight’s drink is going to be the Bloody Mary. I’m going to my friend Missy’s surprise birthday party in Hollywood and I thought I’d give the classic tomato juice mixture a try. I reach the restaurant with enough time to hit the bar before Missy arrives, and I order my first one. Strangely the bartender asks, “With salt?” and I pause. They all come with salt – and pepper, and celery salt. So, a bit confused, I say yes.
Drink #1: *cough cough* The bartender – although cute – made this Bloody Mary way too spicy. Lay off the Tabasco, my man! Not only that, but he took my salt request as putting salt on the rim. A third look and I realize he’s forgotten the celery stalk! Bad bartender! Bad!
Sweepea is not too happy a camper at this point. But I’m halfway back to my seat and deep into a throng of party people, so I attempt to try this Bloody Mary instead of fighting the crowd again. I sit with my friends and we chat as we wait for Missy’s grand entrance. A quick poll of the table confirms my confusion over putting salt on the rim of a Bloody Mary. No one’s ever seen it served this way before. Maybe it’s this place’s version of the cocktail, we rationalize. It’s actually quite good with the salted rim…but then again I could eat a whole salt lick by myself.
BoozeQuest: The Cape Cod
Feb 1st 2006
By: Sweepea
Since going to Bartending School, I realized that there are a lot of drinks out there that sound fantastic but I’ve never tried. So I’ve decided that for every night I go out I’ll dedicate the entire night to one drink. And thus each shall make up what will be dubbed thine Booze Quest.
Tonight’s drink is going to be the Cape Cod, which is simply vodka and cranberry juice. Lou and I go to see my friend’s band perform at this place in Santa Monica. It’s a wanna-be jazz club, decorated with red velvet curtains and huge black and white pictures of old stars. A little kitschy, but nice.
Drink #1: The waitress brings me my first drink and it’s rather pink – meaning there’s more vodka than cranberry. This bartender seems to know his stuff: get the customer drunk on the first one, and bring on the watered-down ones progressively. I know his game… Anyway, we’re sitting among friends and they’re talking about work and movies and things I’ve never seen or heard of. And I’m really thirsty, so I finish the Cape Cod quickly and order another.