- ABOUT THIS BLOG
- Everyone has done it – you’re in a bar, looking for a scrap of paper to write a woman's name and phone number on, or just want to make a note to yourself so you don’t forget something. You grab a cocktail napkin.
- (In the TV series The West Wing, a political consultant decides that Jed Bartlet – played by Martin Sheen – should run for President. He takes a cocktail napkin and writes down the slogan, “Bartlet for America.”)
- I work in bars. Over the years, I’ve accumulated enough of my own cocktail-napkin notes to fill six liquor bottle boxes.
- Here are the people and stories that wound up in those notes -- real-life characters like Jackie Rabbit and Maude the Broad, the narcotics cops Paul and Sonny, mafia guys, some shameless tramps and one suicidal young man. You'll meet an old-time boxer who wants to take me into the gym to teach me his trade, and a woman who thinks God is on the stool next to her, urging her to have one more whiskey and ginger. It's life behind the taps.
Popular Posts
-
Recent Entries
- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
- Life on a Cocktail Napkin has over 30,000 page views per month. Check out the stories you've been missing in our Archives (below). And my sincere thanks to all of you who have visited here!
Archives
- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Blogroll
- Because we're not all there
- Behind The Stick
- Best Restaurant Blogs
- Hospitality Formula
- I'm your SERVER NOT your SERVANT
- Jeffrey Morgenthaler
- On the Rocks
- Restaurant Laughs
- Same Food For Every Day
- Squirrel Farts Drink Blog
- Tales From a Bar
- The Real Barman
- The Rogue Wino
- The Truth About Bartending
- These American Servers
- Waiters Today
- Wino on a Ramble
Category Archives: Life on a Cocktail Napkin
BLUE MOON DINER, and hitting on Big Sam’s girlfriend
Before becoming a bartender, I took time off from my college years to travel as the road manager of a local rock band. The band was called “Wool” — Neil Diamond was our producer. Here’s a story from those days … Continue reading
Posted in Life on a Cocktail Napkin
3 Comments
IN THE WEEDS (with fresh-squeezed OJ)
Bartending should be fun — and it is fun, especially when there’s music in the background, a lively crowd, and those dollar bills keep piling up in in the tip jar. It can also be hard work, a daunting challenge … Continue reading
Posted in Life on a Cocktail Napkin
17 Comments
AN IRISH SHOT (and two other notes)
Last week’s video showed how to use a traditional “four count” to pour an exact shot. Apparently in Ireland, they have their own count. This just in from our good friend and fellow barman on the emerald island, Diarmaid D: … Continue reading
Posted in Life on a Cocktail Napkin
3 Comments
How to “Free Pour” like a Pro in 10 minutes (or less)
Ever wonder how professional bartenders easily free pour so accurately — one ounce, one and a half, or two ounces — all without using a shot glass or jigger? How long does it take to master this skill? Check out … Continue reading
Posted in Life on a Cocktail Napkin
21 Comments
WHEN SOME OF THE CUSTOMERS ARE GANGSTERS . . .
I’ve been lucky in this business. I’ve always liked the places I worked . . . always thought highly of the regulars, the staff and the owners. In part, that was simply good fortune — lucking out in getting … Continue reading
Posted in Life on a Cocktail Napkin
11 Comments