Chapter 4: A Bartender?
"Bartender, one Old Fashioned, please."
"Understood," the red-haired boy—bartender—replied, his voice low and steady, almost like a quiet melody weaving through the ambient murmur of the bar.
The place was a warm cocoon of polished wood and soft shadow, the walnut counter gleaming beneath the amber glow of hanging pendant lights.
Behind him, shelves stretched to the ceiling, densely packed with bottles. The mellow hum of old jazz floated from a vintage speaker tucked into the corner, mingling with the occasional burst of laughter and the soft thrum of conversations, while the city’s neon flickered across the bottles and glasses in smears of crimson and blue.
His hands moved with a calm, practised grace—no rush, just certainty. A sugar cube is dropped into the bottom of a weighted glass. A few precise dashes of Angostura bitters followed, releasing that rich, herbal scent that curled into the air and mingled with the citrus of the orange peel already waiting on the cutting board.
He spoke as he worked, not bothering to lift his eyes. His tone was easy, storytelling without pretence, "The Old Fashioned’s got history. Some say it first showed up at the Pendennis Club in Louisville. Others say folks were mixing spirits, sugar, water, and bitters long before anyone gave it a name. Back then, if you asked for a ’cocktail,’ this is what you got. No frills, no flash—just the basics done right."
He gently muddled the sugar and bitters, added a dash of water, and then poured in the bourbon—a slow, honey-colored ribbon that caught the light. The ice cubes he added clinked softly, clear as cut crystal.
With a smooth twist of his wrist, he coaxed the oil from an orange peel, letting it rest on the surface like a final signature.
"Bourbon gives it that mellow, lingering warmth," he said softly. "Some people go for rye—they want that edge, that bite. But I stick with the old way. Easy, honest, and meant to be sipped slowly."
He slid the glass forward across a black napkin, the drink perfectly centred.
"There you are. Let the night take its time."