Author Archives: MikeQ

AN OWNER’S FOLLY (The king and the tide)

(One more bar post involving an Aesop’s fable . . . I can’t help it, those old scribes knew what they were talking about.) I’ve known Jake for years. I trained him as a bartender when he was a few … Continue reading

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THE MIDAS TOUCH

(Here’s something from bartending at The Lark Tavern in Albany NY.) “Johnny Walker Black, no ice, water on the side.” The guy was back again, as pompous as ever. He owned a popular bar on the outskirts of Albany, and … Continue reading

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“MOUNTAIN”

It was by far my all-time-worst bartending experience, and it started with a simple but nasty prank among friends. Who knows how long everyone had been picking on the guy they called “Mountain.” His friends had been teasing him at … Continue reading

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A QUICKIE (POST)

Starting in September 2010, we posted weekly at Life on a Cocktail Napkin for three years–then this past year there were a few missed weeks, and a few more, until lately it’s only been once a month. For a good … Continue reading

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TWISTS AND TURNS WITH A BOSTON PLAYWRIGHT

When I first moved to Boston, I worked at The Sunflower Café in Harvard Square and it was a trip. Aside from the expected swarms of students, our crowd included artists and musicians, an occasional Harvard professor, guys just looking … Continue reading

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