The Grand Marnier Story

I took Mrs. Flick to Philadelphia last weekend and we treated ourselves to a couple of children-free days for food drink and merriment.

We ate at the finest steak restaurant in all of Philadelphia on Saturday night...Smith and Wollensky. It was, as it always is, supurb. But when I got the bill I was shocked to see that my Manhattan was $11, her Bud Light draft beer was $7.50, and adding some lobster tail to my steak left our dinner check at the same price as our car payment.

Getting away occurs once in a blue moon, so I'm not going to balk at a couple of bucks for a fun night out, but the situation reminded me of an old story that I don't think I've told here...the story of the Grand Marnier.

My buddy Charlie is one of the last Old School Gentlemen. And by Old School, I don't mean RUN-DMC...I mean in the all-class Cary Grant kinda way.

So when it was time to celebrate his mothers 65th birthday Charlie pulled out all the stops and made arrangements for private dining at Le Bec-Fin , one of more posh restaurants in the city.

Charlie saved up all his pennies for the dinner and they pulled out all the stops...H'Oderves, fine wine, a five course meal, private dining area, top shelf everything. Charlie's father had died a couple of years earlier and Charlie really want this to be a special day for his Mother. This was going to clean him out financially for a little while, but the smile on his mothers face made it all worth while.

At the end of the evening, the waiter came to the table and asked if anyone wanted a
degestif . Charlies wife declined as did his mother who was nursing her coffee. The idea of an after dinner drink appealed to Charlie and he requested a menu.

Charlie opened the drink menu and at the top of page one it read Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire...which roughly translates to Susquecentennial Special. That refers to a special batch of Grand Marier made to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle's first distilling the liquor. To provide you with some perspective, the drink has been marketed under the slogan, "Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive."

This being the finest meal Charlie had ever eaten, knowing that he might not have another opportunity, and wanting to cap off a perfect evening, Charlie overlooked the $65 A GLASS price. Sure he'd have to work overtime or a couple of weekends, but when you're in this far...you're in all the way...he ordered the drink.

Well the waiter lit up, " What and excellent choice sir ! As you may know the Speciale was awarded a Gold Medal at the Salon des Arts Ménager. It is made with 50-year-old cognacs sealed within hand-finished frosted glass bottles. Its has a deep flavor with just a hint of organge. I'm sure that you will find it excellent." and with a big smile turn and started to walk away.

Just then Charlies mother, who had been sitting there attentively enjoying the floor show piped up. " Ummmm, that does sound yummy. I'll have one of those too."

Charlie didn't do a double take, he did a tripple take. Knowing full well the situation, the waiter paused and looked to Charlie for direction. Charlie struggled for an out " Ah, Mom, don't you think you'd like something a bit more tame than a cognac ? It's really strong...more like a whiskey. How about if I have him bring you a Sambuka or how about a nice Brandy ?"

She thought for a second, " No, that orangey thing sounded good. I'll have one of those too."

Defeated, Charlie glanced to the waiter and gave him the nod, " Ok, we'll have two."

Moments later the waiter brought the drinks out. Charlie swirreled the liquor in his glass to aerate and took a sniff. He took a small sip and let a drop sit on his tongue filling his mouth with the flavor. As he went to place his still full glass on the table to settle he saw some movement to his left. He turn to the side just in time to see his mother grab the glass off the waiters tray, kick her head back, and toss the 'shot' down in one gulp.

" Ahhhhhhhhh," she smacked her lips and broke out in a big smile, " that was pretty good."

Charlie could only sit and pray that she didn't ask for another.