5 Sixty 8
Flick here.
I've always loved cowboys. Over the years, the reason for my love has changed. At first it was the ability to shoot all the bad guys dead. When teenage angst rolled around, the freedom of living by my own rules was very appealing. A little older, I realized no one ordered drinks in a cooler fashion. A little older, the brotherhood of cowboy camaraderie. A little older, the legacy a cowboy can leave behind.
And you got to wear awesome hats.
As my drinking ways have matured, I've come to realize that cowboys had it easy. They stepped into a saloon, approached the bar and said, "one." Maybe they pointed a finger to the sky. It all makes for a very confident and important moment.
However, compare the bars of today to the saloons of yesteryear. There's a good chance there's only one bottle behind that cowboy's bar. Or there's plenty of bottles...of the same whiskey.
Today's bars are filled with options. Some offer their own drinking menus. It's easy to feel overwhelmed.
Poor Benjamin Braddock felt overwhelmed too. The clip above is from the fantastic movie The Graduate. Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, who is about to embark on an affair if he can pull himself together long enough to enjoy it. Everyone has this ideal personification of cool running around in their heads. For me it was a cowboy. Others believe in James Bond. How many people in the world order martini's just because they feel cool ordering them.
I knew a guy who would only order Roman Cokes. Not Rum and Coke. Roman cokes. He didn't even like them. He just happened to be out one night and a pretty girl ordered him one. It had been the best night off his life. Even though the night did not end in marriage, he continued to order Roman cokes. I believe, like many of us, he was trying to recreate that wonderful time. Unfortunately for him, he had misheard the pretty girl. Enough bartenders and waiters started to laugh in his face, that his confidence spiralled downward.
For a period of time he swore off alcohol. Once again, he was associating a single emotion with the rest of his life.
Next time you order, just make sure you pronounce it right. Rum and Coke, I told him.
But I don't want a Rum and Coke. I hate them. I want a Cosmopolitan, he said.
Then order a Cosmopolitan, I said.
But what if the bartender doesn't know how to make it?
And there's the rub. Just like Dustin Hoffman above, sometimes we all feel as if life has to be in complete control. Just because I love a drink, it doesn't mean I should be able to step behind the bar and start making them for the crowd. There's plenty of food that I love, but I'll never be able to reproduce their amazing flavor in my own kitchen.
Bars can be scary places because we've managed to trick ourselves into believing everyone knows what they're doing (or drinking). A tip to the wise, this is a very incorrect assumption. Most of them are drunk. That's why they're standing at the bar waving money in the bartenders face. The group sitting at the table next to you discussing the ins and outs of porters and stouts are just recalling a recently read magazine article of which their accuracy is questionable at best. A good percentage of those James Bond wannabe's have no idea if there's Gin or Vodka in the martini's they're drinking. Or which does Bond prefer.
Confidence is an attribute that is gained through life's experiences, but you can cheat at it too. The best approach is to figure out what you want, ask for it and be polite. In other words step up to the bar and make eye contact with the bartender before any idea of shouting an order comes to mind. Knowing what you want, let the bartender know. If the bartender asks any questions you're unable to answer then ask for advice. You might find out that the bartender hates making cosmopolitans because the bar's owner buys cheap vodka. This little bit of advice might have just saved your night. What we as a people hate to remember is that we are surrounded by people just like ourselves. That bartender wants you to enjoy your drink, because everyone wants repeat business. It means more money and it also means they're doing a good job. Be sure to compliment your bartender.
Take care of your bartender and they will take care of you. They are the most interesting people you will ever talk to or miss out on talking with.
Until next time. Drink up.
Cosmopolitan
2 ounces vodka
Shake ingredients well with cracked ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/drinks/cosmopolitan-drink-recipe#ixzz1qv4TsHWW
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