The Secret to a Good Drink [Mixology 101]

Daiquiri felt excited as he walked up to The Rabbit Hole, hearing that Hops was hosting drink mixing classes again. Dai had heard about the exclusive classes and finally decided to jump on the chance! He felt his tail sway with nervous energy as he stepped into the dimly lit bar.

Only a few other buns were sitting around and chatting, bartenders mixing drinks at the counter but Hops was nowhere in sight. Dai worried he had come on the wrong day when a tender noticed him and smirked.

"She's in the back, you are a little early. Sit down, you get a drink on the house with your class." The bartender said as they gestured to sit at the countertop.

Daiquiri felt the tips of his ears warm when he was called out, but sat down and tried to hide his excitement. A pink drink was slid in front of him, a lighter pink heart slowly bubbling to the surface as the liquid settled in the rounded glass. Red lipstick marks dotted the rim and base of the glass and Dai wondered if those were cherry flavored.

Settling into the quiet thrum of the bar, a purple haired rabbit burst through a set of doors off to the side, holding a tray in front of her lined with ingredients. She huffed as bartenders quickly moved out of her way and she set all the supplies down at a prepped section of the counter.

"Daiquiri, right?" Hops asked with a slightly flustered smile, "Sorry I'm late- you know how it is." She seemed to chuckle as Dai shifted closer to her. "Make yourself comfortable, I see you already have seen what drink we will be making!" She gestured towards the pink drink. Smooch Hooch, a simple mix that was a favorite with couples that wandered into the bar.

Daiquiri nodded and felt the excitement settle into his stomach once again, soft pink sea shores on his ears swaying.

"Oh! How fun, I was wondering how that one was decorated..!" Daiquiri commented as he watched Hops grab two glasses.

"I won't spoil the surprise just yet, little bun. Now this drink is really easy to make.. the key is my secret ingredient." With a small wink, she swirled two bottles in her hands. A large one with a pink heart at the top, and a smaller deep red bottle.

With a practiced motion, Hops poured from the red bottle and a rich liquid flowed into her glass. Hops handed the bottle over to Daiquiri and raised a finger.

"Four seconds. That's how long you pour, these bottles are pretty good at letting you know by how it flows."

Daiquiri focused as he started to pour. Gravity pulled the liquid down and the bottle made a small 'glug' every second. He got an approving nod from Hops when he quickly stopped at four seconds. A little overfilled compared to her own but it would work. He was then handed the heart bottle and she seemed to sparkle as he inspected it.

"Just a little bit of this." She watched him pour, and told him to stop when the deep red liquid suddenly turned light pink. Dai gasped and she let out a small chuckle, a perfectly shaped heart bubbling to the top.

Pulling out a tied bag, she sprinkled a little bit of powder inside and it started to shimmer.

"We add edible glitter if you order it at the bar. Cute, huh?" Hops giggled as she fetched the final touch. "Now here is the fun part. Usually we just have a stamp, but.." She paused as she uncapped a small red tube of lipstick. "You get to decorate the glasses."

Daiquiri felt himself blush as he took the lipstick. He figured this was just for show, slowly applying it to his lips and pressing it a few times to her glass, then his own. They were perfect little kiss marks, and Dai ignored the slight fluster in his chest as he watched Hops put the glass to her lips.

"A perfectly light and cute drink! Now you know how to make your own, or you can just buy the mixed bottles. Not as fun though." She winked and Dai wagged his tail.

Drinking with Hops, Daiquiri had a pleasantly calm evening, finishing off his drink and spending a few carats just to continue the good conversation.