Hey Bartender

What is a Cosmopolitan?

The Cosmopolitan, or Cosmo as it is known, is a relatively modern cocktail. The recipe first appeared in the 1960's as part of a promotional campaign for Ocean Spray cranberry juice. The ingredients include citrus vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, and freshly squeezed lime juice. These days, most bartenders use triple sec instead of Cointreau and Roses lime juice rather than fresh lime juice. The drink's popularity has been spurred in recent years by the long-running cable television series Sex and the City. One of the most humorous urban legends surrounding the creation of the Cosmo involves Popular Music icon Madonna. The legend suggests that a bartender at some trendy bar in New York City created a special drink for the Material Girl and named it a Cosmopolitan in honor of her. Apparently, at that time, Madonna was as cosmopolitan an individual as humanly possible. Since Madonna hadn't yet begun her rise to stardom in the 1960's when the Ocean Spray ads first appeared, I'm going to have to say that this story is truly a myth.

The Cosmo is still pretty popular these days. It's amazing how often people order them. It's more amazing that after almost 50 years, the ingredients are still a mystery to most. The fact that the ingredients first appeared on the label of a cranberry juice container is icing on the cake.

I read your post about martinis last week. Why did it seem like you were angry when you wrote it?

I've heard this comment more than once, so I thought I'd address it. First, I wasn't angry. Sometimes, I get a little too passionate about the topics I write about. The classic cocktails are one of my passions and it's quite possible that my passion spilled over into my writing.

The point that I was trying to make was that changing the recipe means that you've changed the drink. When the creator of the drink put the recipe in print, he/she did so after much trial and error. The blend of ingredients is what he/she thinks is the best combination to stimulate the senses in the manner that they believe is best for their creation. It's similar to a menu in a restaurant. The chef doesn't present you with a framework for you to choose how your meal will be prepared. He/she gives you what he/she believes are meals that you will enjoy. They are properly seasoned and complimented with starches and vegetables that he feels are perfect. Obviously, dietary restrictions and allergies are reasons that they can be altered, but otherwise the idea is to enjoy it the way that it is presented. That's what I was trying to convey when I wrote about martinis. If you take away the the vermouth, you've taken away one half of the ingredients in the drink. If you substitute vodka, you've changed the drink. I think that these days we've all gotten caught up in the idea that the customer is always right. I've learned over the years that they aren't always right. The idea that you should be able to have it your way only works in an environment where you've been invited to do so. In all other instances, you should be open minded enough to try it the way that the creator intended it. Enjoy the experience. Going out for a meal or a drink is supposed to be an experience. The people in the industry are, for the most part, good at creating awesome experiences. We want you to have fun, so sit back and let us do our thing. You'll be surprised how often you'll enjoy yourself.

What's the craziest thing you've received as a gratuity?

Unfortunately, this is a family oriented show, so I can't share that story with you. However, I can tell about the largest gratuity that I never got. I worked in a super posh fine dining restaurant when I was in college -- the kind of place where crystal, sterling silver, and linen were the norm. My uniform was a tuxedo. We even had a miniature broom and dust pan to remove crumbs from the tables of messy eaters. My second shift after I completed my training was a busy Thursday night. We were completely booked. In addition to the sell out in the dining room, we had a reservation for something called the Chef's Table. The chef's table was, literally, in the kitchen. There was a giant plate glass window in the main dining room so that everyone else could watch the VIP dinner unfold. It was decided that it would be much safer to give the new guy, me, the chef's table because there would be plenty of people to help me out in the kitchen. The reservation was for ten people, but they felt that I'd be fine. The chef's table dinners were easy. It was a six course meal paired with wines. I didn't have to take any orders because the chef decided what the meal would be in advance. The wines were picked in advance as well. All I had to do was describe each dish as it was served and make sure that everyone's glass was filled with wine all night. It was fun. Everyone had a great time. They commented several times that I must have been a veteran server. When they found out that it was my second real shift, they were impressed. At the end of the meal, I presented the check. Since it was a large party, a 20% gratuity was added. Since it was a special dinner with expensive wine for ten people, the check was really high. The gratuity was a few thousand dollars. They were even nice enough to add several hundred more dollars to thank me for the wonderful evening. The bad news was that this restaurant employed a tip share system, so everyone would get a piece of the action. Not only that, the tip share was based on a point system, so, as the new guy, my share would be the smallest. Despite the volume of clientele in the restaurant and the generosity of my table, I took home barely 30% of what I made on the chef's table. Everyone was excited by their new found wealth. I was kind of disappointed. The only bright spot was that one of the veteran waiters came to me afterwards and gave me $300 of his share. He felt that I deserved it more than he did. I won't ever forget that.

So, there you have it. One rant cleared up, one drink uncovered, and one really disappointing night with a surprise silver lining. Thanks for the questions. I enjoy answering them, so please keep sending them to me. Until next time...prosit!!!

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