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.
Drink#2: This drink looks more red. More conversation with my companions. I seem to be talking a little bit louder, but that might be because the opening band is getting louder. I order a salad to keep something in my stomach, but the salad is gross and so I don't eat it. Instead I order another drink. Lou points out that he hasn't even finished his first drink yet.
Drink #3: The drink comes and it looks even more red than the first. This comforts me, as I know the bartender is skewing the juice-to-vodka ratio every time, and that works out in my favor because now I can just drink more. The music starts and my buddy's band is really good. They're playing classic songs and I find that I'm singing to myself. No one's looking at me so I'm guessing I'm not too loud. But I decide to slow down a bit because I'm running low on cash and these drinks are way too expensive to just be cranberry juice with a splash of vodka. My friend ends his set and we all congratulate him. We all head out onto the sidewalk and decide to continue the night at a sushi place nearby. I don't feel like I can drive, so I give my keys to Lou. Next thing I know I'm at the Sushi Bar, ordering my fourth drink.
Drink #4: This one tastes really good, mostly because it's made by a new bartender who's starting their whole juice-to-vodka ratio again. The coloring looks different, and when I ask Lou why, he says I ordered a Seabreeze instead of a Cape Cod; the difference being grapefruit juice. I wonder if I just ruined my whole experiment, thereby failing my first Booze Quest. Oh well, I figure it has the basic ingredients and still counts. I'm really hungry, and someone put a plate of sushi in front of me. It's a friend's and she insists I have some, so I help myself to some spicy tuna roll. I later regret the combination of alcohol, grapefruit juice, and raw fish.
Drink #5: Apparently the bartender is giving us these drinks for free as Lou is flirting with her. Bonus! Another Seabreeze appears in front of me and I keep drinking it. I'm still talking to my friends, but at the same time I'm egging on Lou to keep it up with the bartender, since I'm out of money. Next thing I know I'm getting into my car. Lou's driving me home. I believe I didn't have a drink #6, but at this point...who knows?
Final total: 5 drinks - that I know of.
Major after effects: I woke up the next morning with an empty wallet, an unidentified bruise on my elbow, a medium-sized hangover, and some soreness in my legs and back. At least Lou left a note saying where he parked the car.
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