Remember the Q&A I did with Jennie back in September? Her first question to me was, "What is a drink that you wish you could sip on and enjoy but the taste is horrid?" My answer was a Dirty Martini. It's always been a drink that's intrigued me because it sounds, well, just so dirty! I love olives, like "will drink the olive juice out the jar when Jon's not looking", love, but I'm not so big on straight martinis. I've always wanted to try one, but when you're out at a nice bar and it's your money buying, ordering a drink that you're not sure you even like is a gamble.
My consulting firm hosted a holiday happy hour at Ruth's Chris tonight with a free open bar. This was finally my chance! My first order was a whiskey sour...a classic favorite drink that I know I'll enjoy. And oh, was it tasty! Then with a bit of alcohol in me, I decided to take a risk and order a Dirty Martini. But then the waitress asked, "What kind of vodka? Or would you prefer gin?" I was like, "Ummm, Grey Goose?" It's on the company dollar so what the hell! And I was excited for it. Oh so excited. And when the waitress brought it out, it looked so pretty with it's two jumbo olives speared on a cocktail toothpick.
But the taste? Oh my god, it was strong! I could taste the faint aroma of olives. And that I loved. But the vodka, oh the vodka...so strong. I just couldn't handle it. I had a few pursed lip-sips and finally conceded defeat. I plucked the olives off the toothpick, popped them in my mouth and pushed the glass to the center of the table. I felt terrible wasting Grey Goose. That's pure alcohol abuse at it's worst. Jonathan would have been ashamed of me. But I just couldn't drink it. So I ordered a $14 glass of Shiraz instead (my favorite red!) and called it a night.
What do you order at an open bar? Only the finest or your usual fare?
