Mixology 101

“Oh, stay here I’ll be right back!”

Holland sat at the bar and nervously watched Harley make her way across the room to greet a Bun she knew. He glanced around but kept his head down as he twiddled his fingers due to his anxious energy. He could handle being by himself while Harley was away for a few minutes but he much preferred her by his side.

“Hi there! What can I get for you?” The cheery bartender, Hops, asked.

“O-Oh, I’m not sure yet.”

Holland hadn’t decided on a drink yet, wanting to wait until Harley returned.

“Well,” Hops started, drawing out the word, “what kind of liquor do you like?”

He shrugged his shoulders staying silent.

“Hmm,” the bartender thought for a moment. “Oh, I know! Why don’t I teach you how to make one of them so you can see what’s in it then you can decide if you’d like that or not!”

“Ok,” Holland agreed softly.

“Great!” Hops grinned, excited to teach the Bun some drinks.

Hops listed off a few drinks for Holland to pick from.

“Umm, Iris Coffee I guess,” came his timid reply.

“Oh, that’s a fun and easy one!”

Hops rummaged around the bar pulling out all the necessary tools and ingredients to make the drink.

“This one only has two ingredients; coffee and cream liquor!”

Hops quickly brewed a single serving of coffee while explaining to Holland some tips and tricks to make it taste perfect. She poured the hot coffee into a glass before grabbing the cream liquor.

“This is the tricky part! To keep it from mixing, you gotta pour it over the back of a spoon!”

Hops demonstrated pouring a small amount. Holland watched intently as the cream stayed perfectly layer on top.

“T-That seems kinda difficult,” Holland commented, impressed at Hops’ skill.

“Oh, it’s not too hard! Here you try!”

Hops passed the spoon, glass, and cream to Holland.

“M-Me? I’ll just mess it up,” the Bun muttered.

“It’s ok to make mistakes! That’s part of the process!”

Holland stared at Hops’ excited grin for a moment before grabbing the spoon and cream. He carefully imitated Hops’ actions; most of the cream stayed layered at the top while a small amount trickled further into the coffee. Holland stared at the drink, disappointed.

“Hey, that was really good for your first time!”

Holland smiled at Hops’ encouragement.

“Oh, having a mixing class?”

Harley placed a hand on Holland’s shoulder and leaned against the counter!

“Hey, Harley!” Hops greeted. “I was just showing Holland how to make an Iris Coffee! He did great for his first time!”

Hops reached for the glass of coffee and liquor before knocking it back in one go.

“Tastes great too!”

“I didn’t get to try it,” Holland mumbled in disappointment.

“Oh hell, I’m sorry!” Hops apologized profusely. “Let me make you another one!”

Holland looked at Harley when she started to chuckle.

“Geez, Hops and her drinks. Can’t go a day without them.”

Holland giggled quietly, watching Hops frantically make another Iris Coffee.