Chapter 119 Mixing Drinks
"Glug! Glug!"
Three minutes later, another dozen beers had been finished off; at this point, Lin Yifan was beginning to feel a bit tipsy; however, he was still sober and could continue drinking, so he loudly exclaimed, "Another dozen, please!"
"Wow, he can really drink!" the people around him who were drinking marveled.
Lin Yifan had consecutively polished off three dozen beers in an incredibly short amount of time, and they felt ashamed of their inferior skills, admiring him immensely.
"Is his stomach made out of a barrel? How can he fit so much liquid in there?" someone wondered.
This was somewhat abnormal since Lin Yifan hadn't gone to the bathroom even once up to this point.
"Maybe he's the legendary God of Wine!" someone guessed in disbelief. Only that could explain all these questions.
On the other side, the female bartender was also staring in amazement; she hadn't expected Lin Yifan to finish another dozen so quickly.
One or two dozen, she could understand, but three dozen, and so quickly, was beyond her belief; no one could do that.
Having been a bartender for so many years and having seen many people who could drink, she had never encountered someone who could drink so much.
Therefore, she decided to personally make him a high-proof cocktail and then asked, "Since you're so keen on getting drunk, how about trying a more exciting cocktail?"
Beer has a low alcohol content, and no matter how much of it is consumed, it's difficult to get drunk, so only high-proof alcohol could satisfy his current desire.
"What's a cocktail?" Lin Yifan asked curiously.
"A cocktail is a type of mixed drink with many flavors, able to satisfy the psychological needs of all kinds of people," the bartender answered.
"Then, make me a cocktail that will satisfy my current mood!" Lin Yifan called out heartily.
He was full of curiosity and wanted to see if the cocktail was as magical as described by the bartender.
"OK! I'll make you one right away!" After saying that, the female bartender started to mix the drink.
She took a glass, put a few ice cubes in it; then she grabbed a bottle of whiskey in a special bottle and started pouring it into the cocktail shaker; tossing it behind her back, her right hand spun the shaker in a circle; with a backhand, two rotations to her back, through the shaker; rolling the bottle onto her back, over her head to the shaker; then she stood the bottle, and finally poured from above her head, cutting the drink.
The process was complicated and quite cool, providing quite the spectacle.
"Xiaolian's bartending is beautiful!" an old customer watched mesmerized, clearly loving it.
That was only the beginning; there was more mixing to do.
After pouring the just-mixed whiskey into the glass with ice cubes, the bartender named Xiaolian grabbed a bottle of vermouth and repeated the process with the shaker over her head; then she threw it backward half a turn, slapped the neck of the bottle sideways, caught it after a half rotation; then, two rotations back over her shoulder with the right hand to stand the bottle; finally, she threw it from behind her body, caught it with her right hand, and clamped the shaker between her arm and the back of her hand, stopping the bottle to cut the drink.
"Flip the bottle, toss behind and cut over the shoulder, 666," a customer who understood some bartending jargon exclaimed in admiration.
Although Xiaolian wasn't a master-level flair bartender, she could still be considered an expert-level in flair bartending.
"Interesting!" After watching for a while, Lin Yifan had somewhat grasped the techniques.
The bottles used in flair bartending were specially made, with the spouts modified to pour the liquor slowly and allow for better control; the cool moves were just like juggling, no different from those performed by acrobats in a circus.
To master juggling, one must undoubtedly have dedicated a huge amount of effort behind the scenes; the same held true for this female bartender, who couldn't possibly have been so skillful without significant practice. Even a seemingly simple bottle flipping move might require hundreds or thousands of tries, not to mention various spinning, tossing, and high-catching actions.
"At such a young age, having to learn so much, it's truly saddening." Lin Yifan sighed inwardly; for some reason, he felt a bit of sympathy for the female bartender.
After finishing the second drink, Talisman began to make the final one; it was a type of bitter liqueur made from gentian and bitter orange, quite bitter and astringent.
Picking up the bottle, flipping it, a 360-degree toss in the air, two spins over the shoulder before landing in the TIN (cocktail shaker)—a series of flawlessly executed, flowing movements without a single imperfection.
Watching this Night Elf dance before him, Lin Yifan couldn't help but be somewhat intoxicated.
Talisman held a unique beauty, a beauty that was unrestrained, willful, arrogantly vibrant, youthful, and rebellious.
On the other side, aside from being focused on making drinks, Talisman occasionally checked Lin Yifan's expressions; everything she did, including all the dazzling moves, aimed to capture Lin Yifan's attention. The reason for her peacock-like display was that she had found herself falling for this infinitely charming, incredibly capable man.
Having finished the third drink and garnished it with a cherry, Talisman handed over the prepared Manhattan cocktail to Lin Yifan, "Sir! Please!"
Lin Yifan took the red cocktail and took a cautious sip, finding the taste extraordinarily spicy and sweet-and-sour, which greatly stimulated his nerves.
"Cough, cough! Damn! That's exhilarating! So refreshing!"
Trying a cocktail for the first time, Lin Yifan felt overwhelmed and choked severely; but fortunately, he quickly adapted.
This strong Manhattan cocktail matched his taste at the moment, so he opened his mouth wide, and in one gulp, he indulged in a thrilling rush.
After swallowing the high-strength cocktail, Lin Yifan felt a burning sensation in his throat and stomach, extremely fiery; his face turned bright red in an instant.
"What a hero! True to the nickname, downing such a potent drink in one go, I'm truly in awe," a spectator exclaimed in admiration.
This Manhattan cocktail was different from the usual, with a lot of whiskey, Vermouth, and Angostura bitters added, making it very strong and potent in taste; a normal person couldn't handle even one sip, let alone finishing it in one go.
"Phew! Exhilarating! Another one, please!" Lin Yifan exhaled and said, still longing for more.
The nearby customers, hearing his words, were shocked, "Good Lord! Are they drinking with their lives on the line!"
That cocktail from before was at least eighty proof; one drink would be the limit for most, and yet he was asking for another.
Seeing Lin Yifan's red and overheated face, tipsy and unsteady, the female bartender Talisman advised, "Sir! You are already drunk! You should stop drinking."
"Who says I'm drunk? I'm perfectly clear-headed!" Lin Yifan mumbled groggily, swaying as he spoke, the picture of intoxication.
Talisman held up three fingers in front of Lin Yifan and asked, "How many fingers are these?"
"One, no, four, that's right, four," Lin Yifan replied hazily, his words slurred.