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I know it's been a while, I've been busy with college stuff. I need Help with a title and whether or not this is even slightly amusing. Okay here it goes....
I decided to write a series which revolves around a bartender and his interactions with different customers. His goal is to serve each customer a life changing cocktail which will inspire them achieve what ever it was they were unable to do before (this goal will change based on the customer).
Anyway this is the first story and I really want to know if it's even worth it. Before the title of the first story called "Glass 1: A Tender Stool" is the intro to the entire collection.
In Japan there are many traditions and concepts which seem a bit odd to a foreigner but one of the most intriguing of them, is perhaps as simple as ordering a cocktail. Rather than refereeing to alcoholic beverages simply as liquor, they are affectionately called “Spirits” since each different type of alcohol has different characteristics and influences a person. These spirits may be enjoyed different ways by different people, for example a beer after a long bath. The drinker takes the drink tilts their head back and enjoys a cool and refreshing sip to complete their relaxing bath. However not everyone enjoys spirits this way, some enjoy them as they talk to friends, others over whispers with the one they love and others simply tip the glass as they ponder their thoughts. A place where all people gather to relax this place is called a bar. Spirits create a story and this story is in essence what creates your drink. There are many who simply mix these concoctions but there are few who truly understand them. One of these individuals is a Bar master at a small bar on the corner in Ginza at a bar called Myst. It is here where an intriguing bar master resides called Kami no Glass or the “God’s Glass”. A young bartender with a talent for mixing just the right spirits to make your evening unforgettable; this is the mystery of Myst.
Glass 1: A Tender Stool
It had been years since Ryu Uzuki had been in Japan, he had spent a vast amount of time abroad and Ryu began to wonder how much Ginza had changed. The streets were still lined with elaborate florescent and neon displays pointing out where bars were. Among these glaring signs was a smaller one call Orchid Lounge. Ryu stood outside the door and slowly opened the door. Everything was as he had remembered, tables lined the sides of the shop and a large bar spanned the entire left side of the bar. It was warmly lit and the small space gave a feeling of peace. Ryu sighed with relief when he noticed the bar master mixing another one of his special cocktails. Sitting at the bar were several customers, a pair of happy salary men, two young women chatting and one young woman sitting by herself. Her long blond hair rolled over her shoulders and the bartender slowly placed a glass before her. She was scratching away on a memo pad, the pencil sounded as though it would go through the paper at any moment. It was apparent she had been through a lot that day and seemed to only be torturing herself further. “A Gin Fizz, please,” said Ryu as he took a seat next to her.
The bartender nodded and pulled the ingredients to mix a Gin Fizz. He listened to the sound of the shaker as the bartender mixed his drink. Ryu watched the bartender pour the drink out of the shaker and into the highball glass, the ice slowly floated from the bottom as the drink rushed in. “This place fails too,” muttered the young woman next to him. The bartender slid Ryu’s drink in front of him and said, “Your Gin Fiz.” Ryu nodded and lifted the glass to his lips, it was sweet yet there was a slight tang of lemon with the taste of Gordon’s Gin. She scribbled a number on her memo pad and dropped her pencil. What ever she had been thinking about was consuming her to the point that it even began to agitate the bartender. “Ma’am?” asked the bartender cautiously, the young woman rose from her seat and leaned on the bar. “Face, 59 points,” she said harshly. The bartender stood in shock he was unsure of how to respond. The woman took a sip of her drink, pursed her lips and slammed the glass on the bar counter, “Gross,” she remarked. The bartender became even more flustered and shouted, “Ma’am please stop of course it tastes gross.” She glared and Ryu closed his eyes for a moment, “Here it comes,” he muttered as he took another sip of his Gin Fiz. “What was that?” she responded, “What a horrible bartender, getting mad and telling me of course it tastes gross.” Her voice was even more elevated than before, she wasn’t drunk yet however she was still perfectly capable of causing chaos. “It’s not that he’s bad, he’s not,” said Ryu and the young woman turned her attention to him. Ryu felt as though he had become a target in her scope, however he wasn’t about to let the atmosphere of the bar be destroyed. He smiled a little and held out his glass, “How about trying a sip of this, it’s not bad. It’s a Gin Fizz though,” said Ryu.
She took the glass from his hand and Ryu noticed the hesitation in her eyes. He smiled and realized that it would be best to offer her an explanation, “Cocktails should be finished in 3 sips,” he noticed the bartender relax a little as he continued, “and longs should be finished with in 10 minutes, or so I’ve heard.” The young woman’s shoulders dropped and she looked a little calmer. “Bartenders tend to get rather nervous when the alcohol leaves their hands,” said Ryu. The bartender had crossed his arms and said defensively, “The ice could melt too.” Ryu nodded, and watched the young woman lift the glass to her lips and take a sip. “You’re right, this is great,” she exclaimed, her brown eyes looked down at her memo pad. Ryu hadn’t noticed before but there was a magazine under it. She blushed and muttered, “Sorry I’m just brooding over stuff,” her voice faded as she looked at the materials in front of her. Ryu smiled and responded, “It happens, just take it easy on the bartender.” He noticed how her dress shirt collar was folded smoothly and her blazer was perfectly tailored for her. Suddenly she looked up at Ryu and picked up the magazine, she looked at the article. On one of the pages was a picture of the young short black haired oriental with black eyes sitting next to her. She then looked back up at him in shock. Ryu leaned on the bar and the bartender whispered, “She’s trouble man. I’d be carful if I were you.” Ryu looked at her; the young woman’s jaw had dropped as she stared at an article in the magazine. Ryu had a very bad feeling about this; however he had no idea why.
The young woman she began to read aloud, “Uzuki Ryu, Age 26, Winner of the European foods and cocktail contest.” Ryu knew instantly he was in trouble and slowly pulled two olives from the martini he had ordered to replace the Gin Fizz she had finished. “One of the first Asians to serve cocktails to VIPs from many different nations,” she continued, “He is currently employed at the Ritz Hotel as Chief Bartender. The taste of his drinks is called, “God’s Glass” and are surprisingly full of delicate flavor.” She slowly looked up and Ryu said playfully, “Well now here we use olives,” as he closed his eyes and stuck them on his eye lids, “Now I’m awake even when I’m asleep.” The young woman’s confidence faded as she stared at him nervously. The bartender burst out laughing and she asked nervously, “You really are Uzuki Ryu aren’t you?” Ryu removed the olives and looked at her, “Yeah,” he responded.
She stared in awe and he asked, “One question, how do you know my name?” she was silent. Ryu became nervous and realized the way she was dressed suggested that she might be a hostess, “Oh I know! You must be the Cabaret Girl from that club last night. Sorry there were lots of girls that night and I couldn’t remember.” He scratched his head nervously; she smiled mischievously and sprung up. Ryu jumped back and stared in confusion as the young woman shouted, “Please!” She grabbed his shoulders as though she were about to shake him and shouted, “I’ve got someone that absolutely must taste your cocktail!” Ryu stared at her in confusion and realized that he should have run away when he had the chance. “Okay,” he responded nervously, as he slowly removed her hands from his shoulders. “Great and just in the knick of time, be at the Shidome’s Hotel Cardinal tomorrow,” she said in a rush. In seconds she had a business card extended to him with her name and the name of the Cardinal Hotel on it. Ryu took the card and watched as she shoved her things in her bag, “Um Aoi Misaki?” he asked slowly. She turned and said, “It was a pleasure to meet you,” she bowed before darting out the door. “See you tomorrow!” she called.
He watched her run out the door. It was as though a hurricane had just left the bar. “What just happened?” he asked in confusion. The bartender was leaning on the counter; he was staring at the door and responded, “I think you have a job interview tomorrow for the Cardinal Hotel.” Ryu looked at him, his eyebrows knit together and he asked, “The what?” The bartender sighed and pulled a rag to wipe the counter down. “The Cardinal Hotel is the newest in a long chain of hotels owned by Takumi Aoi,” said the bartender. Ryu looked down at the card and said, “Aoi? Did I just talk to his Grand Daughter?” he asked in confusion. The bartender shrugged and walked away. Ryu was left sitting at the counter to cover the tab of not only his Gin Fizz and Dry Martini but her drink as well. He sighed and pulled a wad of Yen from his pocket. He placed it on the bar and said, “Thanks for the drink.” The bartender picked up the cash and slipped it in his apron before taking away the glasses and whipping the counter once again.
The sun was high in the sky and four bartenders stood behind a counter in the soon to be opened Sky Lounge of the Cardinal Hotel. Aoi Misaki stood before the group, a legal pad in hand and pen tucked between her fingers. She was wearing a black women’s suite and a lavender shirt. “Welcome to the Sky Lounge, today each of you will make your finest cocktail and serve it to Kamishima. He will evaluate you on presentation, skill and of course taste. After doing so, he will deicide who will be hired as the Chief Bartender,” she said loudly. There of the bartenders nodded and she continued, “Kamishima is in charge of drinks here and will conduct the practical phase of the interview.”
The three bartenders were silent and each around thirty years old. Kamishima stepped out from behind Aoi and said, “First off I will warn you now, I don’t have any expectation of you gentleman as bartenders.” There was silence and Aoi glared at him once again he had stepped over the line. “I am thoroughly marketing this bar in preparation of the hotel’s opening, as a place where everyone’s needs are fulfilled to the fullest capacity,” he said coldly. He continued, “You bartenders will do essentially what I say,” he glanced toward the window to find the youngest of the group staring out the window. “What are you doing over there!” he shouted angrily. Ryu continued to look out the window and commented, “Whoa this place is really high up! Where’s Mt. Fuji? But you know people who are afraid of heights will never come here.” He smiled and Kamishima grumbled, “Aoi-san it was your idea to bring this idiot here with the rest of the bartenders, right?” Aoi paused and responded, “Yes he’s the youngest of the group but he has an amazing amount of experience.” Ryu ignored what they were saying, once again someone was pointing out the obvious. He was well aware that he was the youngest in the room; however that didn’t mean he couldn’t make a good cocktail. “Wow the wind really blows through here too,” said Ryu, he looked up at the ceiling to notice the skylights which had been put in. “He just returned to Japan but I forced him to come here,” said Aoi.
Kamishima turned his back to her and said, “I’ve told you many times that this isn’t that kind of bar. This isn’t a place where bartenders will be known for their experience of skill, they will simply become another piece of furniture. Even if the customer knows the name of the designer they will now know the name of a single bartender.” Aoi glared and sighed, Ryu could tell that these comments were a normal occurrence. As well as the fact that Aoi didn’t like Kamishima’s idea at all. All four bartenders were behind the bar at their stations; Kamishima walked over to the first bartender and asked, “What will you make?” The first of the four smiled, he was a French foreigner with greased back hair and a mustache. “How about a martini?” asked the bartender. “Sounds fine,” said Kamishima he was indifferent to the entire event. The bartender measured 15 ml of dry vermouth and 65 ml of dry Gin. He poured the ingredients into the silver shaker over cracked ice and stirred them with a bar spoon. Once it was mixed he attached the strainer and slowly poured it into the martini glass. Once had finished doing so he dropped an olive in the glass. He then placed the glass before Kamishima who picked it up and immediately took a sip. He looked down at the glass and remarked, “I wonder if I am finished eating or if I haven’t eaten yet?” The bartender stared and was quick to respond, “You didn’t say anything about that!” Kamishima placed the glass on the counter with a tap and said, “A martini is a strong cocktail how dare you make me one without knowing whether my stomach is full or empty.” The bartender simply looked at the glass on the counter and Kamishima smiled in triumph. “Next,” he said as he walked over to the next bartender.
The next of the four had rather long brown hair and a pair of blue eyes. “Well I will make a Grasshopper,” said the bartender. Kamishima glanced off to the side and said, “Good idea, make it Pousse-Café Style.” The bartender jumped and nervously looked at the empty glass he has set out. Ryu heard Kamishima’s order and remembered the first time he had attempted to make the drink. Pousse-Café Style is when each liquor used in the drink is poured into the glass in such a way that it layers, similar to how foam sits on top of a cappuccino. Only the layers are to never mix in order for this to be done successfully. The bartender slowly poured 15 ml of Crème de Menthe in the bottom of the Collin’s glass. He then picked up a bar spoon and turned it over, he held the spoon in one hand and poured 15 ml of White Cream de Cacao over the back of the spoon. Once again he used the back of the spoon to pour 15 ml of cream on top. Once he finished the drink he said, “Your Grasshopper,” as he slid the glass toward Kamishima. He looked at the glass and remarked snidely, “You mixed them.” The layer of White Cream de Cacao began to mix with the bottom layer of Crème de Menthe. The bartender was furious and as he shouted, “You changed your order all of a sudden!” Kamishima ignored him and responded simply, “Customers are cruel.”
Ryu noticed the look of anger in Aoi’s eyes and he knew instantly it was over the fact that Kamishima had asked for the bartender to make his best drink and then changed it to his most difficult. “By the way what do young people drink these days?” he asked. Aoi responded promptly, “Generally they order a Fuzzy navel or Cassis Orange some times I see someone order a Maccha Oolong.” Kamishima turned away and said, “It was foolish of me to leave you in charge of bartenders with those kinds of drinks.” Aoi looked even more agitated and she muttered as he walked over to the third bartender, “Ryu please just knock his socks off.” Kamishima stood before the third bartender and asked, “What will you make?”
The third bartender responded, “How about a Sidecar.” He was a simple looking barmen who looked around 32, in moments he had placed ice in his silver shaker. Then he meticulously measured 60 ml of Brandy, 30 ml of Cointreau and 5 ml of lemon juice. He closed the shaker and began to shake the ingredients, however something was off. Ryu listened to the sound the ice made in the shaker, it sounded off and in moments he was digging for a bin. “What’s with all the noise!” shouted Kamishima. Ryu was out from behind the bar with the bin in his hands, “Sorry give me ten minutes,” he said as he dashed out of the room. Aoi watched nervously as Ryu ran out of the room, “He can’t possibly be surrendering before he’s even made his cocktail,” she whispered. Kamishima smiled arrogantly and said, “He ran away before he could be scolded by me huh?” The third bartender looked up; he had finished straining the drink into a cocktail glass, “Your Sidecar, sir.” Kamishima picked up the drink and took a sip, the flavor was okay, however it wasn’t impressive. Ryu returned with the bin and placed it behind the bar.
“Sorry for the wait,” said Ryu with a smile. Kamishima was slightly disappointed as he responded, “So you didn’t run away.” Ryu smiled and responded, “Of course not.” Kamishima grit his teeth angrily it was clear that he found Ryu to be irritating and was unwilling to take his cocktail seriously. Ryu noticed this and said, “The job of a bartender is to fallow the recipe exactly and use exact amounts of alcohol required, that’s all.” Ryu was chiseling a piece of ice with a pick and Kamishima said, “It’s such a simple job and unbelievable that you get paid to do it.” Ryu picked up a pair of ice tongs and place two pieces of ice in a glass. Kamishima became even more impatient and he said, “I don’t care what you make just do so quickly.”
Ryu placed the tongs on the counter behind the bar and said playfully, “First a quiz.” Kamishima was taken back and he asked in confusion, “What?” Ryu held a metal 30 x 60 ml jigger between his fingers and said, “There are two professions in the world in which you absolutely can not betray the customer.” Aoi was furious he was the one person which was supposed to show Kamishima what a bartender should be like. Yet he was acting like a child in her eyes, “What the hell are you going on about?” she yelled. Ryu finished measuring 30 ml of whisky and then measured water and poured them into the glass he had put ice in. “One of them is a doctor or pharmacist,” he said as he stirred the drink with a bar spoon, “What is the other one?” Ryu looked up at Kamishima, Ryu’s brown eyes were filled with confidence, and all Kamishima did was watch the technique Ryu was using to mix the drink. The spoon was held perfectly and didn’t make a sound as he mixed the drink. “A Bartender,” he said with an heir of confidence. He pulled the spoon out and said, “All of them can fallow the same recipe but can sell you either poison or medicine.” Ryu smiled as he gently pushed the drink to Kamishima. “Here’s your drink,” said Ryu. Aoi stood in shock, there was no way he would dare to serve something so simple. “You,” stuttered Kamishima. Ryu smiled and said, “This is my cocktail.” Aoi stared at the light amber colored liquid in the glass and wondered whether that was one of God’s Glasses. Ryu closed his eyes and said, “It’s a Water Cut.”
Kamishima turned beat red and shouted, “Enough of this, I have no time to be playing with the likes of you! Get Out!” Ryu smirked as he turned to leave, “It’s disappointing that the drink isn’t to your liking.” He began to walk away and Aoi stared at the glass on the counter, there was no way this was a glass of the gods. Kamishima was outraged; he began to yell, “Who was it? Who brought that b*****d in here! I’ll have you busted down to handing out pamphlets outside of the train station.” His voice echoed and Aoi began to tremble, Ryu might have actually cost her more than she had anticipated. “Besides whisky companies in Japan are the only ones who cut their whisky with water, in an attempt to make more money,” he ranted, “It’s amazing some bartenders don’t know that these days.” He began to laugh; he took a sip of the drink and froze. It was like nothing he had ever tasted, he stood in shock and Aoi who was about to break for it noticed the expression on his face. “This is a water cut?” he exclaimed, he looked at the drink and continued, “There’s a faint smell of the cask it was in and the firm sweetness of the grain. The edge is taken off the alcohol and is soaking into my tongue. Yet it doesn’t taste like water at all.” He stared at the bottle of whisky on the counter and noticed it was a popular brand of whisky. “It’s got a thin taste for a water cut, I didn’t know such a thing existed,” he said as he placed the glass on the bar. He stood there with his hands at his sides and stared dumbfounded at the place Ryu had been standing. The 26 year old bartender with brown eyes and ink black hair, he seemed childish and yet he knew what he was doing. Aoi picked up the glass and took a sip, “That’s delicious,” she exclaimed, “There’s not as much alcohol in it so it’s easy to drink. Yet the taste is untouched.” She smiled and turned to him, “This isn’t just a whiskey cut with water! This is a Mizuwari Cocktail!” Kamishima stared at the empty glass on the counter and Aoi turned to the other three bartenders. “Thank you for participating today, we will call you if you are hired for the position.” She bowed and noticed how Kamishima hadn’t moved from that spot. She smiled and whispered, “Thank you Ryu. Thank you.”
Ryu sighed and leaned against the bar of his favorite place Scion. The bartender laughed hysterically as Ryu told him about what had occurred. “It was the worst I’m serious,” said Ryu. The bartender was polishing a glass as he continued to laugh, “What terrible luck you have Ryu, you just got back to Japan too.” Ryu sighed and lazily picked up the glass of bear with one hand around the rim. He sighed and said, “I know man I was bullied into going in the first place. Only for that guy to yell at me.” The bartender snickered and said, “Hang in there Ryu. I know you can handle it.” Ryu took a sip of bear when he heard a familiar voice behind him, “By ‘that guy’ you mean me right?” Ryu nearly spit his drink out all over the bartender. He stared to find it was Kamishima who had said it. Kamishima ordered a beer and took a seat next to him at the bar. “I’ve been drinking for 20 years, but I’ve never had a Mizuwari as great tasting as that one,” said Kamishima softly. Ryu had braced himself for a slew of insults only to find his defense useless. Ryu realized that Kamishima wasn’t interested in criticizing him anymore. “Tell me, what made you Mizuwari so different?” he asked.
Ryu scratched the side of his nose and began, “There is a tired customer in front of me. He hasn’t gone home for days and he’s working towards opening a new hotel.” Kamishima was shocked and he exclaimed, “How on earth did you know that?” Ryu smiled sweetly and took another sip of his beer before continuing, “Your shirt sleeves are pretty dirty which is rare for a hotel manager. It’s particularly rare for anyone with complete control over everything.” He placed the glass on the bar and continued, “Anyway this customer always argues with the younger staff over their opinions, and the stress tires him out. Even so he can’t sleep, so he resorts to drinking. I felt a regular Mizuwari with 1 part whisky to 2.5 parts water would be too strong for a tongue which has gone through that.” Kamishima was even more confused and said, “No your Mizuwari was thin but the taste was untouched.”
Ryu smiled as he held the glass up to eye level and said, “That was the ice.” Kamishima looked at the glass in Ryu’s hand and eagerly waited to hear an explanation. “If you drop the alcohol level too low the ice will melt. So you need fairly solid ice to keep the balance,” said Ryu. He place the glass back on the counter and suddenly everything made sense to Kamishima, his eyes lit up and he responded, “Ice! That’s what you went looking for? For one Mizuwari?” Kamishima was impressed, Ryu had come off as childish and uneducated, yet it seemed as though he was the one who didn’t know anything about cocktails. Kamishima sat quietly at the bar and Ryu looked at the grain of the counter. “Do you know the meaning of the word Bartender?” he asked quietly. Kamishima was silent and he slowly looked over at Ryu. “A Bar is like a stool and Tender meaning Gentle,” said Ryu, “So it means a Tender Barstool.” Ryu knocked on the bar and continued, “This wood here is the bar, just a board you put alcohol on. However when a bartender is present, you put Bar and Tender together you get Kindness.”
Kamishima felt a wave of guilt sweep over him, earlier he had treated the bartenders as though they were less than human. “I guess guys who call bartenders barkeeps really instead don’t have the right to be customers,” said Kamishima he was embarrassed by what he had said earlier and wished that he could simply erase it. Ryu paused before taking another sip of his drink, “No, it doesn’t matter who you are, but if you’re standing in front of the counter a bartender will call you his customer,” said Ryu. He smiled cheerfully and turned to Kamishima, “I believe I said that before. Cheers!” he said as Ryu’s and Kamishima’s glasses touched each other. There was bright clink as they toasted and Kamishima realized the most fundamental of a bar wasn’t the counter nor furniture. It wasn’t the liquor or the glasses that made a bar, the most important element, was the bartender. It was then that he realized his bar wasn’t a bar yet, it looked like one but it was missing the kindness Ryu spoke of and the warm hand which had slid the glass across the counter. “How about it, will you work for us?” asked Kamishima. Ryu sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, “Sorry, it’s a nice offer but I want to check out some other bars in Japan first,” said Ryu. Kamishima sighed and thought about the fact that there was still a bit of time before opening, so it was possible to get Ryu to be one of their bartenders.
Kamishima paused and suddenly remembered what Ryu had said about the ice. “By the way where did you get that ice?” he asked curiously. Ryu smiled crookedly and responded “That,” he paused and continued, “It was an old bartender’s trick.”
Aoi had finished cleaning up the bar only to be called down to the kitchen. Her job was safe however that didn’t mean she could stop working. Ryu’s Mizuwari had given Kamishima a wake up, to the point that he went to find Ryu. She entered the kitchen to find the chef standing there tapping his toe. Aoi was confused and she asked, “Why did you call me down here?” The chef pointed at what was an ice sculpture of a swan and shouted, “Who broke the ice sculpture! Who? Did someone use it for the damn bar?” She stared and noticed that the head and large portion of the neck were missing from the once majestic swan sculpture. Aoi smiled nervously and responded, “Er no of course not.” The chef’s eyes narrowed and he said, “I don’t believe you, don’t let it happen again!” Aoi bowed and walked away as soon as she was out of the kitchen she shouted, “That b*****d!”
Kamishima was about to leave when Ryu sneezed, “You better not be coming down with a cold,” said Kamishima. Ryu snickered and responded, “No I don’t think I am, someone’s just thinking of me.” Kamishima shrugged and turned to leave and Ryu called “One for the road.”
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