One man’s odyssey growing up in bars, working in bars and finally owning his own bar. And that’s not just in any city but New York City. Read all about it in Brian Michels novel memoir where a large bulk of the action in this novel in all likelihood, believe it or not, actually happened. And happened to Brian. To provide not a taste but a string of drinks to whet your thirst, below are a number of novel New York Cocktail or is that Nutty Irishman or Naked Margarita quotes along with my brief comments:

“My father had me perched at the far end of that bar top on a Saturday afternoon with a couple of cohorts standing around. He told me I was a natural, had everyone smiling and I was quick with my hands, premium traits for a barman.” ---------- You think you have a tough life? How about spending a good chunk of your childhood in a bar including the time when you’re five years old and a guy comes in and sticks a gun in your belly demanding you empty your pockets?

“Don’t let anyone tell you that everyone has talent and it’s just waiting to be discovered. Unless you consider talent the ability to open a bottle of beer or crack open a handful of peanuts; which would still leave the talent team a few men short for a warranted competition. Bottom line is plenty of people are without an ounce of talent.” ---------- And that bottom line has an implicit moral: what it takes in life if you have to work for a living is effort with a capital “E.”

“My will had always been tangible and provided nominal results that satisfied menial goals. But willpower must be a more discernable part; it should be what identifies a person, even more than character, personality or smarts. It’s the ultimate boss of you. It is you.” ---------- Again, that’s not only effort but continuous effort over a long hall.

“Working all night in a club required energy so cocaine was an integral part of the job. Lazy flakes and nerds would be thinned from the work force quickly. You had to have talent too because it wasn’t just about pouring drinks and making sure the bar is supplied. The right energy is what made a club great and the staff had as much to do with that as the owners, club designers, and DJs." ---------- This is the cocaine-fueled 1980s and if you are going to make it among the fast movers you’ll be expected to move your butt fast or get off the NYC bar train.


“A glitch, the pedestrian signal began flickering. Walk and Don’t Walk, and my brain deteriorated, hemorrhaged and everything inside of me liquefied. I couldn’t read any billboards, or recall one bit or thing of my squandered life.” ---------- Oh, my goodness. All that fast-paced energy fueled by cocaine and other substances, both legal and illegal, can take its toll on a guy’s system.

“A great change of pace to listen to guys with something relevant to say and maybe teach me a thing or two, or three, or four, or more. Rabbi Odd On was the smartest guy I ever served in a bar. He was a mathematician savant with a vast set of interests and could speak a dozen languages, probably more.” ---------- But you can bounce back and learn a few things along the way. Brian certainly did.

“They walloped me with baseball bats and took everything I had. I waited a week in the bus terminal all banged up sleeping on the floor and eating out of the garbage until my mother could wire me money she didn’t have for a ticket back to New York.” ---------- It has always been true. When you are in a fix or beaten up, literally or figuratively, always good to be able to call on friends or family to lend a hand. Most especially mom.

“It dawned on me that I had a real opportunity. They had to have hired more staff than needed because a smart boss doesn’t want to be left short-handed at the grand opening, and he’s want to see how an untested crew performs on their feet, sort them out.” ---------- A real opportunity, Brian! Not to be squandered as you’ve come to learn the hard way.

“Swallowing your pride can go down as easy as a worm bowl full of beef stock, onions, blood and cheese as long as you pretend it was your intended recipe. Even with a swollen tongue you can learn to gulp down yellow-bellied swill.” ---------- And you can gulp down some good old fashion learning by, among other things, immersing yourself in a whole bunch of good reading.

“The miracle happened on a miserable rainy night. Almost a dozen Professionals were yapping at the bar. A blood vessel in my left eye popped just as I heard the front door open and close with a thud.”” ---------- What’s Brian’s miracle? You’ll have to read this very readable, enjoyable, fast-paced story of one man’s journey into the Big Apple bar nights.