Gin + Tonic = Gin and Tonic
My flight to Miami was a red-eye flight. I thought I would benefit money and time by traveling overnight. Such was not the case. I arrived at my hotel around noon and slept all afternoon. I woke up around 7pm to walk around Miami Beach and get some food. It rained. I found myself doing that thing I do when I travel alone, where I set out for a meal and walk, and walk, and walk, passing tons of restaurants and never going inside one. I’m not sure what the psychology is behind that, but it’s definitely a thing. I’ve walked for miles/hours before not eating, in London, and my first time in San Francisco… I’m sure other times too.
I ended up eating at the restaurant next door to my hotel, the Cafe d’Artes. The wait staff seemed to be French. Or French-ish. I ordered a cajun fish sandwich, which sounded really good on the menu, but was actually kind of plain. When I ordered a Tanqueray and tonic, the waitress was baffled.
“Gin and tonic?” I suggested. “What kind of gin do you have?”
She nodded as if she understood and a moment later the head waiter came to the table.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked.
“What sort of gin have you got? Tanqueray? Bombay Sapphire? Citadel?” Well-gin tends to be really nasty.
“You want gin?” his accent was thicker than when he had originally seated me to my table. “We have Gordon’s”
I shuddered, “Any other kind?”
He looked in the direction of the bar, through the wall of the building “Uh, Gordon’s gin.”
“Okay, I’ll have a gin and tonic”
He looked perplexed.
“You would like a gin. Just gin. With ice?”
I nodded, confused that he was confused, “Yes, with tonic.”
He nodded as if he understood and walked away. I am baffled that this drink was so confusing. Not only is it one of the most common drinks at any bar, but the recipe is pretty much right there in the title.
They served it with a lemon wedge instead of lime, which is totally the wrong garnish. It’s supposed to be lime. Nearly all the basic drinks are served with lime.
The check included a 15% gratuity, altogether totaling $30 for a coke, a fish sandwich, and a poorly made well-bottle gin and tonic. I will stay away from the Cafe d’Artes from now on.
It’s now 3:50pm and I’m having a hard time leaving my hotel room. All I want to do is get a sandwich and go to the beach to record the sound of the waves. And I procrastinate leaving. Writing this blog entry, in fact, has been part of my procrastination. Not sure what the psychology is behind that one either, but it’s definitely a thing. The list of things gets longer and longer.