Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier from X-Men First Class (doesn't have to be time appropriate, it's an AU) And I need a drink with a fruit and/or stuff in it, something to play with. Gin and tonic has lemon slice, doesn't it? I've found conflicting recipes - or is that a lame drink? I don't know o.O Thanks for the suggestions! It's Saturday, everybody get their drink suggestions on the table :D
Let me see... It's a bar/lounge in a hotel, they are young, maybe mid-twenties to thirties, the year is unspecified. Erik is there because Emma dragged him there, Charles is there to pick up guys/girls and they don't know each other. Erik buys him a drink. ...And go! :D
Gin and tonic for Xavier. It’s made with gin, tonic water, and a lime slice. It’s a traditional English drink: it was developed when the British Empire spead out into the tropics. To keep from falling victim to malaria, everyone had to take quinine daily. Tonic water is water with quinine dissolved in it. The Brits added gin, to make it easier for them to drink this unfamiliar stuff, and it went from a ‘weird flavour’ to a favourite combination. The lime slice may have been added for vitamin C, or just because the bit of tartness makes a good combination.
Gin and tonic should be made with good-quality tonic water (Schweppes is the leader). It can be made with cheap gin; for a snobbier version, the drinker can specify the gin. Like all hard liquors, gin goes in ranks, improving in price and presumed quality. Xavier might order his drink with the house gin if he’s just drinking, Gordon’s if he’s being moderate, Tanqueray or Beefeater’s if he’s being posh.
Gin and tonic is associated with the British upper class. It can smack of colonialism. It’s not a lame drink by any means: depending on how much gin you add, it can pack a solid punch. Because all the components are clear (usually; some gin is blue), you can’t tell by looking at it how strong it is.
So, have Erik buy Charles a Tanqueray and tonic – the very high-end version of the drink Charles had last round. The lime is usually a wedge, about an eighth of the lime, floating in the ice in the drink (rather than perched on the rim).
Now I’ll ponder what Erik is drinking himself.
How much money does Erik have to throw around at this point in his life? Is he a show-off? Does he regard himself as sophisticated and worldly, or down-to-earth?
Thank you! I was wondering if gin and tonic is too mundane, but if there is better versions, well that could work! And it would give Erik a chance to impress him, knowing differences like that?
I was writing Erik as some type of high-end criminal, he's being very evasive, doesn't like to be in a bar, out in the open. He wouldn't drink anything strong in that situation, don't you think?
Given what you’ve said, he’ll definitely drink: a non-drinker in a bar stands out like a neon sign. Blending in will be important.
Moreover, any adult male in that situation will be drinking regularly and daily. He’ll have developed a high toleranced and capacity. He’ll know his capacity well and know how to stay within it; but he’d actually lose status if he doesn’t drink at all. It’s expected that he will.
Also, IIRC, he’s a big guy. Body mass as well as metabolism figure into alcohol tolerance, although neither instantly equates to it.
He’ll also know his drinks and know what’s due to him (that is, he’ll regard high-end liquor as his due). He’s used to excellent service, and knows how to catch the eye of the bartender and serving staff. He’ll tip well, since he wants them to value his custom, which also entails not talking about who’s been around. Good bar staff can have excellent selective memories.
He’ll have a range of preferred drinks, and very clear opinions on what he likes.
If he’s just passing time and hanging out, he might simply order beer. He’d be very specific about which beer, though: a German import, good quality, and he’ll expect prompt refills (fresh glass, with the old one cleared away).
If he’s being more of a tough guy but still being German, he might go for schnapps: small, single shots of clear liquid, probably tossed back in one go. Again, he’ll expect the bartender to keep an eye on him, and have a fresh drink on the bar immediately, if Erik signals he wants a refill. Refills will be a new glass, with the old one quickly removed.
If he’s being more sophisticated, he might go for brandy. With brandy, he’ll drink much more slowly, savouring what he’s drinking. Brandy can run the gamut from basic drink to insanely expensive. Brandy comes in a different glass, a snifter; he’ll hold it in his hand for a moment before drinking.
*ponders again* Okay, here’s my thought: have Erik start by drinking beer. He asks what they have and dismisses most of it as undrinkable. If he’s showing off, he asks for Westvleteren (very rare and expensive beer) and settles for Beck’s (if you want something easy to type) or Hasseröder (if you want a name that looks very German).
After he’s bought Charles the gin and tonic, he might order ‘the same thing for myself’: this is often done, especially as part of the Bar Mating Dance. If he gets pissed off or cross or nervous, he might shift to schnapps. If he scores and feels celebratory, he might finish by ordering brandy. However: once he’s gone from beer to hard liquor, he will not go back to beer.
The world of liquor is an entire culture -- and it's amazing how much is communicated through it, isn't it?
Wow, thank you so much for such thoughtful replies! I'll save them, I'm sure to get a chance to use this info - I have several bar scenes in different fics. That clean glass point is excellent, I've never thought of that before (I drink coffee at bars, which only results to confused looks from the bartenders and one cup, max. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I might even get a sugar cube! Whoa, stop that crazy party train XD)
Yes, see, I knew there was some secret code about drinks, I just knew it :) Thank you for this! I got plenty of ideas!
Not just a code: an entire language! Especially amongst guys, because status and self-image play into it so much.
Feel free to ask again when your next scene comes up!
Ironically enough, I mostly write fic about a canonical non-drinker (MacGyver). So, in my first fic, I had to make him fit in at a bar. In a really tough neighbourhood. In Belfast.
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Date: 2012-09-22 02:34 pm (UTC)Gin and tonic has lemon slice, doesn't it? I've found conflicting recipes - or is that a lame drink? I don't know o.O
Thanks for the suggestions! It's Saturday, everybody get their drink suggestions on the table :D
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Date: 2012-09-22 02:47 pm (UTC)While I'm thinking about possibilities: where is the bar (city, country, type of neighbourhood), what age are they, and what year is it?
Also: for what reason did each of them go to the bar? To meet friends? Bump into each other? Listen to live music? Drown their sorrows?
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Date: 2012-09-22 02:55 pm (UTC)...And go! :D
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Date: 2012-09-22 03:06 pm (UTC)Gin and tonic should be made with good-quality tonic water (Schweppes is the leader). It can be made with cheap gin; for a snobbier version, the drinker can specify the gin. Like all hard liquors, gin goes in ranks, improving in price and presumed quality. Xavier might order his drink with the house gin if he’s just drinking, Gordon’s if he’s being moderate, Tanqueray or Beefeater’s if he’s being posh.
Gin and tonic is associated with the British upper class. It can smack of colonialism. It’s not a lame drink by any means: depending on how much gin you add, it can pack a solid punch. Because all the components are clear (usually; some gin is blue), you can’t tell by looking at it how strong it is.
So, have Erik buy Charles a Tanqueray and tonic – the very high-end version of the drink Charles had last round. The lime is usually a wedge, about an eighth of the lime, floating in the ice in the drink (rather than perched on the rim).
Now I’ll ponder what Erik is drinking himself.
How much money does Erik have to throw around at this point in his life? Is he a show-off? Does he regard himself as sophisticated and worldly, or down-to-earth?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 03:18 pm (UTC)I was writing Erik as some type of high-end criminal, he's being very evasive, doesn't like to be in a bar, out in the open. He wouldn't drink anything strong in that situation, don't you think?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 03:36 pm (UTC)Given what you’ve said, he’ll definitely drink: a non-drinker in a bar stands out like a neon sign. Blending in will be important.
Moreover, any adult male in that situation will be drinking regularly and daily. He’ll have developed a high toleranced and capacity. He’ll know his capacity well and know how to stay within it; but he’d actually lose status if he doesn’t drink at all. It’s expected that he will.
Also, IIRC, he’s a big guy. Body mass as well as metabolism figure into alcohol tolerance, although neither instantly equates to it.
He’ll also know his drinks and know what’s due to him (that is, he’ll regard high-end liquor as his due). He’s used to excellent service, and knows how to catch the eye of the bartender and serving staff. He’ll tip well, since he wants them to value his custom, which also entails not talking about who’s been around. Good bar staff can have excellent selective memories.
He’ll have a range of preferred drinks, and very clear opinions on what he likes.
If he’s just passing time and hanging out, he might simply order beer. He’d be very specific about which beer, though: a German import, good quality, and he’ll expect prompt refills (fresh glass, with the old one cleared away).
If he’s being more of a tough guy but still being German, he might go for schnapps: small, single shots of clear liquid, probably tossed back in one go. Again, he’ll expect the bartender to keep an eye on him, and have a fresh drink on the bar immediately, if Erik signals he wants a refill. Refills will be a new glass, with the old one quickly removed.
If he’s being more sophisticated, he might go for brandy. With brandy, he’ll drink much more slowly, savouring what he’s drinking. Brandy can run the gamut from basic drink to insanely expensive. Brandy comes in a different glass, a snifter; he’ll hold it in his hand for a moment before drinking.
*ponders again* Okay, here’s my thought: have Erik start by drinking beer. He asks what they have and dismisses most of it as undrinkable. If he’s showing off, he asks for Westvleteren (very rare and expensive beer) and settles for Beck’s (if you want something easy to type) or Hasseröder (if you want a name that looks very German).
After he’s bought Charles the gin and tonic, he might order ‘the same thing for myself’: this is often done, especially as part of the Bar Mating Dance. If he gets pissed off or cross or nervous, he might shift to schnapps. If he scores and feels celebratory, he might finish by ordering brandy. However: once he’s gone from beer to hard liquor, he will not go back to beer.
The world of liquor is an entire culture -- and it's amazing how much is communicated through it, isn't it?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 03:55 pm (UTC)That clean glass point is excellent, I've never thought of that before (I drink coffee at bars, which only results to confused looks from the bartenders and one cup, max. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I might even get a sugar cube! Whoa, stop that crazy party train XD)
Yes, see, I knew there was some secret code about drinks, I just knew it :) Thank you for this! I got plenty of ideas!
no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 04:01 pm (UTC)Feel free to ask again when your next scene comes up!
Ironically enough, I mostly write fic about a canonical non-drinker (MacGyver). So, in my first fic, I had to make him fit in at a bar. In a really tough neighbourhood. In Belfast.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 04:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 04:10 pm (UTC)How does a man who doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t even swear going to blend in with a crowd like this?
Then he spots MacGyver behind the bar, fixing the taps, having wangled himself into the good graces of the (female) owner of the pub.