By Tom Joyce
posted
Mar 14, 2013
This week let's look at the other job of a bartender, besides
making delicious cocktails, our job is to entertain guests. While
perusing Killington's 4241' magazine I found a great article on the
area's bartenders. What a handsome bunch they are, not in the same
league as Dave & Dave from the Garlic but a fine looking
bunch. How about those pictures, wow, pretty cool and so
Big. Hopefully next year if they include the guys behind the
stick at the Garlic it will have some sort of fold out feature that
could be used as a poster for above your bed.
Anywho, I noticed that they may have misunderstood one of the
questions posed to them. Favorite Bar Trick. They seem to
have interpreted "trick" as 'practical joke.' I maybe wrong
but I thought they were looking for some sort of stunt, feat of
dexterity with some shaker tins or a magic trick. It's probably
because I'm a magician during the day that I interpreted the
question this way.
Regardless, I thought I'd share with you this week, what we would
call in the magician community a "Betcha Ya." As in, 'I bethca you
can't do this.' These are not all magic tricks but are usually more
like puzzles.
Harry Anderson had as character on "Cheers" called, Harry the
Hat, who would use these to swindle people into buying him
drinks.
So here's one that's easy and visual and may get you a free
drink.
Props we will need, small glass of water (snifters work great, 2
oz H2O), pack of matches, bread plate and a maraschino cherry.
To begin, pour the water onto the small plate. The object is to
get the water back into the glass. Rules are: No touching the
water, no touching or moving the plate and you can only use the
cherry and the matches to facilitate this challenge.
No, you can't hop up on the bar and suck the water off the
plate, behave yourself.
No, no straws, just using the cherry and the matchbook,
jeepers!
Now, find a 'sucker,' from the title of Harry Anderson's book,
Hello Suckers. Make your wager and prepare to amaze, amuse and
annoy.
Step one: Take the cherry and place it in the water, centered in
the plate.
Step two: Stick a match in the cherry pointing up.
Step three: Strike another match and light the cherry match.
Step four: Quickly cover the lit cherry match with the snifter,
those darn safety matches don't allow you much burn time on that
flame so cover it quickly.
Step five: Watch all that water move from the plate right back
into your snifter.
Mission Accomplished!
Step six:Collect your libation and enjoy.
I assume this whole thing works because the atoms or neutrons in
the water are attracted to the sulfur from the match. That might
not be accurate, but hey, if I had paid attention to Sister Ruth in
Science class I probably wouldn't be bartending and bringing you
these wildly entertaining little ditties.
P.S. Remember gambling is illegal and your powers should be used
for only good. Oh, and, The Road probably doesn't need one. Tipple
don't Topple.
