"Breaking news. Mr. Lee Su-Bin, the famous wine tasting master in our country, because of his obsession with fine wine, recklessly tasted a wine of the Han Dynasty that was unearthed not long ago, fell into a coma, and passed away after 72 hours of invalid treatment. Thirty-two of age."
"Mr. Lee Su-Bin is the most outstanding wine tasting master in our country and even in the world. He has won the Fidelity International Bartender Competition for five consecutive times, the honorary president of the International Bartenders Federation, and the founder of Lee's bartending method. "
"Mr. Lee Su-Bin has almost never left wine in his short 32 years of life experience. His achievements are unprecedented. According to his friend, Mr. Lee Su-Bin took the risk to taste the best wine in the world. Without adding any water, Lee tasted the fine wine of the Han Dynasty, which has become a paste. The death of Mr. Lee Su-Bin is a huge loss to the world's bartending and wine tasting circles. So far, thirty-seven The National Liquor Industry Association sent a telegram of condolences..."
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Lihuo City, Fire Empire, Five Elements Continent.
In the Fire Empire, Lihuo City is only a medium-sized city, but it is quite prosperous in all aspects. There are only a few hundred soldiers stationed here, but the city is surprisingly safe. The wide streets are spotless. The ground is paved with the unique dark red granite of the Fire Empire. Using this kind of rock to make bricks for paving is not only beautiful, but also durable. As long as there is no war damage, it will be no problem even if it is used for hundreds of years.
It was already evening, and the setting sun left a gorgeous sunset glow on the horizon. Lihuo City became more and more peaceful. After a busy day of work, people began to rest. Various entertainment venues suitable for the evening also followed. Quite lively.
Burning Flame of Love is one of the most famous bars in Lihuo City. It is located beside the main road in the prime location. Its main color is red like most buildings in Lihuo City, but it is redder and more vivid. The tall two-story building is not its biggest selling point, but the open-air square in front of the bar is what attracts the most customers.
The open-air square is more than 5000 square feet, and in the center is a circular bar with a diameter of 30 feet. The most famous bartenders in the bar will mix drinks for the guests here every night, even if it is raining. There is never a shortage of guests, and the roof that can be pulled up at any time to cover the entire open square is sufficient.
There is no winter in the Fire Empire, so the nights here are never deserted.
At this time, several bartenders from Burning Flame of Love were already in place, and the number of guests in the plaza gradually increased. For them, this was the busiest time of the day.
An old man in a red robe walked into the open-air plaza. As soon as his front foot stepped into the confines of the plaza, a waiter greeted him with a smile on his face, leading him to the middle of the open-air plaza, closest to the central bar. The ten tables surrounding the central bar are not for ordinary guests, they are all reserved for the VIPs. There is no doubt that this old man in red robe is one of them, and the position where he sits is facing the street. The table he sat in labeled Table 1.
The old man has short gray hair, rosaceous nose, small eyes, and a short stature. No matter how you look at it, he belongs to that kind of inconspicuous appearance, but the faint red light that flashes between his small eyes occasionally opens and closes seems to have a breathtaking power.
"Mr. Yang, is it still the same?" A middle-aged man in a formal dress came over and gracefully bowed slightly to the old man in red. Only guests at the VIP table could be personally entertained by the bar owner.
Yang said with a smile: "Except for the special taste of your signature drink, Burning Flame of Love, there is really nothing that can attract me here."
The boss smiled slightly and said, "Please wait a moment." As he spoke, he turned around and snapped his fingers at the oldest bartender behind the center bar. The bartender immediately understood and took out a clean crystal shaker, quickly started his first job today, which is also the most important job for him every day.
Soon, all kinds of wine were poured into the shaker in order, put into the strainer, and the lid was closed, and the shaker immediately danced cheerfully in the hands of the bartender.
The color of the wine inside can be clearly seen through the crystal shaker. The red wine in the shaker is like a cluster of flames flying up and down. When the cluster of flames finally calmed down in the hands of the bartender, the lid of the jug had been opened at some point, and the bartender poured the dark red wine in a martini glass. With a sway from the nearby lamp stove, suddenly, a light red flame ignited above the glass. Rich and somewhat spicy aroma of the wine spread in the air.
The smooth movements of the senior bartender, as well as the aroma of the signature cocktail, immediately won applause and smiles from nearby guests. Yang was no exception, and nodded to the bartender. When his eyes fell on the glass of wine, his small eyes couldn't help showing a look of impatience.
Soon, the glass of fine wine was delivered to Yang, and he took a sip, completely ignoring the flames burning on the wine. Yang heaved a satisfying noise and praised the bar owner: "Good! , It's still delicious as always. After drinking it for five years, it still makes me, an old alcoholic, linger. No wonder your business here is so prosperous."
The bar owner smiled respectfully and said, "Just as long as you are satisfied."
At this moment, a discordant voice suddenly sounded from the side, "Is this also called good wine? It's just rubbish." The voice was not loud, and a little hoarse and weak, but it could not conceal the arrogance in his words.
"Huh?" The bar owner and Yang looked towards the direction where the voice came from almost at the same time. They didn't notice when, a small beggar in ragged clothes was squatting not far from the table, his eyes were focused on the cup of flames, and his dim eyes were full of passion. The color of disdain.
The bar owner frowned slightly, and looked sternly at a waiter not far away. Only then did the waiter notice the existence of the little beggar, and hurried over, "Sorry, boss, I didn't see him coming in."
The bar owner waved his hand and signaled the waiter to pull the little beggar out quickly so as not to affect the business. In front of Yang, it is not easy for him to act too aggressively.
The little beggar stood up by himself, his face was dirty, his body was thin, he looked only eleven or twelve years old, his disheveled hair hadn't been washed for many days, and it was unavoidable that he had some unpleasant smells on his body.
The waiter came over with disgust and wanted to pull him out. But, at this moment, Yang suddenly said, "Wait a second." The waiter quickly withdrew his hand and looked at Yang hesitantly.
Old Yang's eyes fell on the little beggar, "Little friend, did you just say that this cup of flaming cocktail is not good? I don't know where you have seen better wine. But can you tell me?" For Yang, the pursuit of good wine can be said to be life's goal, one of his greatest interests.
The owner of the bar hurriedly said: "Mr. Yang, what can he know as a little beggar, don't let him spoil your drinking pleasure." The people of Fire Empire like to drink the most, and the competition in the bar industry is naturally extremely fierce. The little beggar lured the distinguished guest away by telling which other bar in the city had a good drink. We know, it's more than just how much income Mr. Yang brings in every day.
Yang glanced at him, how could he not understand the bar owner's thoughts, smiled and said: "It's okay, kid, if you have any good suggestions, let's listen to them. If you are right, this gold coin is yours." Without seeing how he made any movement, a golden gold coin had already landed on the table. This one gold coin is enough to feed and clothe a family of three civilians in Lihuo City for a month.
However, what is surprising is that the little beggar didn't even look at the gold coin. He raised his finger to the center bar and said proudly: "If you want to drink a real cup of cocktail, let me go there and just give me the ingredients I need."
"You know how to mix?" The bar owner and Yang Lao asked at the same time. The waiter next to him even laughed disdainfully. The job of a bartender is quite popular in the Fire Empire. But without the ages of experience, how can you become an excellent bartender. The words of the little beggar in front of him can only make people feel that he is talking nonsense.
Yang's expression became serious, "Little friend, honesty is the most important virtue in life, do you understand?"
The bar owner felt relieved at this moment. In his heart, this was just a bragging little beggar, not a trustee of some other bars.
The little beggar put his hands behind his back and said coldly, "Why don't you let the facts speak for themselves?"
Elder Yang frowned and said, "Can you really make a better cocktail than this?"
A flash of anger flashed in the little beggar's eyes, and he said loudly, "If I can't, I'll give you my life."
Looking at the anger in the little beggar's eyes, Mr. Yang was suddenly surprised to feel a kind of strong self-confidence and unquestionable pride from this thin body. This is clearly just a low-level little beggar. Where does self-confidence come from?
At this time, everything that happened here has attracted the attention of many people, and the little beggar's words have also aroused the interest of many drinkers. Someone is already shouting, "let him try."
The bar owner recovered his elegance, bent down, lowered his head and said in Yang's ear: "Then let him try."
Yang nodded slightly, and said to the little beggar, "I hope you can surprise me. Boss Zhao, give him the ingredients he needs, and I'll pay for it."
Boss Zhao smiled flatteringly and said, "It's useless, how can I make you spend money." He waved his hand and signaled the waiter to take the little beggar there.
Hearing what they said, the little beggar didn't even stay for a second, turned around and walked towards the center bar. Naturally, the few bartenders in the bar were not worried about the threat this sudden child would bring them, and they were all very interested. Looking at him, they gave out a place with various tools. The previous bartender who made the drink smiled sarcastically: "Little friend, do you want me to introduce you to the wine here?" While talking, he pointed to the hundreds of bottles placed behind the bar. A wine cabinet with a variety of fine wines.
Another young bartender curled his lips, and said in a strange way: "Now even a beggar dares to say that he can make drinks. I really don't know what the boss thinks. He actually let him come to our place, so we don't have to worry about him getting dirty. "
The older bartender glanced at him, and said in a low voice: "Say a few words, didn't you see that Mr. Yang is interested in this kid? "
The little beggar didn't seem to hear anything, and he didn't even look at them. Although he was thin and small, at this moment, his back was straight, and the arrogance in his eyes became stronger, even with a bit of arrogance. scorching hot. Without looking back, he stated his request:
"One tomato juice, one fresh lemon juice, one Worcestershire sauce, one Tabasco oil, and salt and pepper."
The young bartender couldn't help but ask, "Are you cooking or bartending?"
At this time, Boss Zhao and Yang also walked to the central bar. Zhao's expression darkened when he heard this, "Do as he says, there are no rules at all."
The young bartender still muttered unwillingly, "Let's see how this little beggar makes a fool of himself." Then he turned around and left.
The little beggar did not care to see any of this, turned around, and walked to the sink specially set up for the central bar and began to wash his hands. He washed very carefully, first wet his hands covered with dirt with water, then smeared with hand sanitizer, rubbed his hands together, and then carefully cleaned his fingers one by one, no matter between the fingers or the nails, he was meticulous cleaned thoroughly, even the wrists were not spared. His clean hands were in stark contrast to his dirty little face.
The senior bartender who made Yang's drink before showed a hint of astonishment at first, and gradually, the astonishment turned into a dignified and serious one, watching the little beggar's movements and slowly nodding. As a bartender, you must not only fully focus on the process of bartending, but also respect the wine you make. This is not only respecting the guests, but also respecting yourself. Out of the corner of the beggar's eye, he saw a glimmer of piety. Obviously, he really didn't listen to the conversation on his side before, but devoted all his body and mind to the upcoming bartending. Even if it is himself, it is difficult to do this if you don't do it deliberately. But the eleven or twelve-year-old child in front of him, who is still a beggar, seems to be very natural when doing these things. When washing his hands, every step is connected without delay, as if it has been like this all year round, and his demeanor showed by no means he is pretending it. The little beggar occasionally looked up at the wine on the wine rack, the piety and fanaticism in his eyes were full of persistence. Details determine success or failure. The middle-aged man who is also a bartender can see a lot from his simple washing process.
There was also a smile on Yang's face, and he said to himself, "It's interesting."
After washing his hands, the little beggar took a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet. The position of the bottle of wine happened to be within reach of his height. When he turned back to the bar, the ingredients he asked for had already been delivered. You can see how long it took him to wash his hands.
The middle-aged bartender took the initiative to hand a clean crystal jug to the little beggar. The little beggar opened the jug and took out the filter. His eyes were in a trance for a moment, as if he was remembering something.
There was already a circle of guests around the bar. They all wanted to see how far this little beggar could go. At this moment, the little beggar had already picked up the bottle of wine in front of him and poured it into the shaker.