The Devil's Nest, Tuesday Night

[my_own_advocate]

"How's that? Too sweet? A bit too acidic perhaps? Hm... Bitter?"

Tiny grunted over the fifteenth cocktail he'd had to try in the space of an hour.

"Can you at least qualify your grunting better? How else am I supposed to come up with a good cocktail bar menu?"

Lucifer sighed. "Useless," he said, padding towards the specials board.

TODAY'S SPECIALS:
COCKTAILS ON THE HOUSE
IF YOU'LL HELP US TASTE-TEST

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Comments

[long_memory]

It had been awhile since Silver had been to the bar to do anything other than work, and the lure of free alcohol was too much to resist.

"Trying something new?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Pirate!" Lucifer said, perking up halfway (at least Silver, as far as he recalled, was capable of using words). "I'm working on a cocktail menu for my new club."

[long_memory]

"A new club? Get tired of fighting Eric for dominance?" Silver joked.

[my_own_advocate]

"No, this one's too small," Lucifer said matter-of-factly. "I stopped fighting Eric for dominance because I realized I was fighting him because I was bored. This is far more productive."

[long_memory]

Silver nodded in understanding. He got bored here every now and again, but luckily TV was still a novelty to him so he hadn't felt the need to buy a club.

"So what kind of atmosphere are you trying to achieve with this new club?" he asked. "So I know how I'm judging these cocktails."

[what_the_shock]

Rosa might want to bitch at Kitty about this weekend, so Miguel was going to give her that space just in case. And if the other bar was going to have free booze, why not?

"Hi." Miguel waved at Lucifer. "What kinds of things are you taste testing?"

[my_own_advocate]

Most people tried the middle ground between 'being bored' and 'buying a club' first before escalating to the club-purchasing, like learning how to crochet or joining a book club.

Most people had an actual sense of proportion.

"Think classy, but in that old-fashioned sense where there's dark corners everywhere for lurking in," Lucifer said thoughtfully. "At least, that's the vibe I was thinking about. I still have to think through the entire remodel."

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, I've started on the bourbon-forward cocktails tonight," Lucifer said, peering at the glass in front of him. "Would you like to try a Bourbon Sidecar?"

[what_the_shock]

"Sure. I'll try just about anything," Miguel said. "What's in it?"

[long_memory]

"Very nice," Silver said approvingly. "I have no doubt you'll be able to strike that balance. Sort of your expertise, isn't it?"

[existencemisspent]

"Do your best," Eliot said as he came up to the bar. "But I warn you, I have a very discerning palate for cocktails."

[my_own_advocate]

"Bourbon, Cointreau, lemon juice and simple syrup," Lucifer said, picking up a bright yellow drink and shoving it his way.

[my_own_advocate]

"It is the environment I tend to do best in," Lucifer agreed, "Even if I now spend most of my time on a boat."

[my_own_advocate]

"And how are your feelings about bourbon?" Lucifer said, eyeing Eliot critically.

He was absolutely going to take some of this feedback home.

[what_the_shock]

"That is...definitely yellow." Miguel eyed it for a moment, picked it up, and drank.

"Huh. Not sure the sour with the smoky is my thing." He shrugged. He kept drinking, though. "It's not really bad, just a little weird."

Sorry, Lucifer, but you had asked!

[long_memory]

"You're truly a master if you can keep up the classy environment on a boat," Silver said with a laugh. "Although I'm sure Duke and Octavia are much cleaner than the people I've shared a boat with."

[existencemisspent]

"I enjoy a good bourbon," Eliot said. "It's a nice, warm hit of the south for a cold and rainy day."

[my_own_advocate]

"Duke has some very nice woodwork in the living areas," Lucifer told him, "But never tell him I said so."

Beat.

"Also it's only the three of us, I imagine that helps."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "Right. Weird how?" he said. "Intriguing weird, or just 'I'd rather never put that in my mouth again' weird?"

He needed a notepad. Did he have a notepad?

He ducked behind the bar to find one.

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, with that description in mind, why not try a Winter Spiced Old Fashioned?" Lucifer asked, putting forward a small glass of bourbon, cinnamon and orange bitters.

[what_the_shock]

"'I'd rather drink something else, but I wouldn't turn this down, and I might get used to it if I drank it more' weird," Miguel answered. And finished it, because yeah, it wasn't that bad, he wasn't letting it go to waste.

[existencemisspent]

"Feeling festive already?" Eliot asked, picking up the drink and immediately closing his eyes as he smelled the spice. He took a long, slow sip, taking the time to let the flavors sit on his tongue a moment before swallowing.

"That is positively lovely," he decided. "This place finally thinking of getting itself a signature cocktail?"

[my_own_advocate]

"No, I just bought a new club up in Baltimore," Lucifer said, scribbling down a quick note on his notepad. "I hope to open it around the holidays. Hence the bourbon."

[my_own_advocate]

"Not really the rousing endorsement I was hoping for."

Lucifer popped back up with a notepad and scribbled a few things on it. "Right, next one, then."

[what_the_shock]

"You want honesty or just enthusiastic yeses?" Miguel asked. "I can absolutely be an alcohol yes-man."