Next to the plate was a glass filled halfway with amber liquor. Thanks to the magic light coming from the ceiling, the clear glass almost appeared to shine. A chunk of ice the size of a child’s fist floated inside.
First, a sip. Salivating, Johan reached for the whiskey. After his climb, the chilled glass felt refreshing in his warm hands. Now… Careful not to let the hard liquor overwhelm him, he tilted the glass cautiously toward his mouth.
The whiskey warmed his throat and tongue immediately. Whoa! This is strong! It’s delicious, too.
So, this was whiskey. It seemed powerful enough that you’d collapse if you chugged it down. Johan took another sip, this time letting the liquor run over his tongue a bit. The otherworldly drink wasn’t just strong; it had a unique aroma and a truly complex flavor. The taste was different from the dwarves’ usual drink, which simply scorched your throat.
Guzzling this would be a waste, Johan thought, so he set the glass down for a spell. Of course, he could always order another whiskey, but the beverage was strong. The more he drank, the drunker he’d get; he’d grow incapable of appreciating the whiskey’s flavor. He wanted to avoid that at all costs.
It’s about time I try some of this “canapé” stuff. Johan turned his gaze to the canapés sitting on the plate. They were clearly composed of a host of ingredients atop slices of toast. The dish’s riot of color pleased his eyes.
Where shall I start? Mulling it over for a moment, Johan reached for a canapé. Atop this particular piece, vibrant-green cucumbers sat on a pale-yellow something or other.
Holding the canapé in one hand and taking a bite, Johan finally identified the yellow ingredient. What he tasted crumbling to pieces alongside the cucumber seemed to be a spread made of finely diced, slightly sour eggs. Oh! This is delicious. And the eggs are good with cucumber.
The rich, slightly tangy flavor was fantastic; it mixed well with the cucumber’s gentle presence. Although the egg spread would’ve been delicious on its own, the moist cucumber and the sturdy wheat of the toast made the canapé even more unbelievable.
Too bad it’s so small. Since the delicious egg canapé was designed to be enjoyed alongside liquor, it was indeed a tiny dish. After only two bites, it vanished into Johan’s stomach. On the flip side, Johan mused, you could consider it a blessing that I get to try different flavors.
Although he could have gone for more egg canapés, Johan turned his gaze to another kind. Each canape was topped with something different; he would have two bites of each flavor.
He wasn’t sure how delicious the other canapés would be, but since his first choice had been so incredible, he was no longer concerned. If anything, it was his anticipation that made him pause before choosing. Eventually, he reached for his next canapé, which was topped with strips of multicolored fish.
I don’t think this fish is cooked, Johan thought, lifting the canapé. I hope it’s still good to eat.
Although he felt a bit nervous about the fish, he reconsidered quickly. This restaurant seemed trustworthy, if nothing else. It didn’t strike him as the kind of place that would serve food obviously on the verge of rotting.
With that thought buoying his confidence, Johan took a bite of the fish canapé. Yeah…I knew it. The flavor was just as he’d hoped. The fatty fish melted gently in his mouth; the saltiness and richness pleasing on his tongue.
The fish seemed to be smoked—it had a slight woodsy flavor. I see. In that case, the chef didn’t have to cook it over a fire. Still, the fish wouldn’t last longer than a day; it wasn’t dried for long storage. Nonetheless, the chef had made it delicious. Beneath the fish was a mildly sour white cheese that made quite an impression when mixed with the briny flavor of the seafood.
Next is this smoked meat canapé. As soon as Johan bit into the meat, he noticed that, unlike the toppings on the other two canapés, this meat had signs of being cooked over a flame. With each bite into the still-warm canapé, the cheese’s flavor and the meat’s savory juices poured into Johan’s mouth. The meat’s delicious rich marbling melded with the cheese, creating a tremendously savory taste the other two canapés lacked.
The meat and cheese also had a slight wood scent. Whoa…the cheese is smoked, too? Smoked meat was normal, but smoked cheese was rather uncommon. Yet the ingredients paired beautifully, bringing out the flavor and aroma of both.
As Johan filled his stomach with canapés, his plate eventually emptied. After enjoying a canapé topped with salted butter and sweet dried fruit, he reached for his glass. Now then, back to the whiskey! He was plenty full; all that was left was to enjoy the beverage.
“Hrm…?! It tastes completely different now!” Johan was stunned. The whiskey was significantly softer and easier to drink. It had burned earlier but now ran down his throat smoothly.
“I see! The ice melted!” he realized. That had reduced the alcohol’s strength, accounting for the flavor difference.
Looking at his now-empty glass, he pondered whiskey’s unique qualities. “I can’t believe it changes so much with just a little water. What a fascinating beverage.”
Since Johan loved liquor, he had no option but to enjoy this amazing new drink to the fullest. Fortunately, just beyond the door was a place he could crash—the mountain shack. He could spend the evening drinking at the restaurant, no problem.
With that in mind, Johan placed additional orders. “Excuse me!” he called. “Could I get another glass of whiskey? Wait, no. A bottle, please! And some water! Also, another plate of canapés, if you would!”
✦ ✦ ✦
The liquor having done its work, Johan opened the restaurant door and exited, slightly wobbly. Jeez. That was incredible. It’s just too bad I could only get a single bottle of whiskey.
After finishing his second order of canapés and drinking his fill, he’d requested multiple bottles. However, the master had shaken his head. “Sorry, but it’s one bottle per person,” he explained. “We’re not a pub or wholesaler.”
When Johan asked, the master said that the previous owner had made that rule. Apparently, a lot of merchants came to the restaurant trying to order food and drink in bulk. The previous master had been fine with customers taking home a single bottle of whiskey, as a gift of sorts, but more than that was out of the question.
There’s not much I can do about that, I suppose. Johan was drunk, but the alcohol hadn’t robbed him of his ability to think. The master’s answer had satisfied him, and he didn’t press the subject further.
As far as Johan knew, depending on the buyer, his bottle of whiskey could sell for up to ten times what a case of bottles would cost at the restaurant. Any merchant would want to buy as much of that whiskey as possible and sell it all, he reflected. But even Johan understood such sales wouldn’t benefit a restaurant serving delicious food and drink.
Now, should I take this bottle home or go stock up on the dwarf whiskey? Johan asked himself as he exited Nekoya. He’d returned to the dwarves’ shack for a rest but quickly sobered up as the door shut behind him—he had company.
“What the hell’re you doin’ here?!”
“You damn liquor thief! I hope you’re ready!”
Two furious dwarves pointed their giant axes at Johan.
✦ ✦ ✦
Johan had thought he would die then and there. I got away that day by giving them my whiskey, thank goodness. He believed that, if he hadn’t, he might not have left the dwarves’ shack alive.
In the intervening seven days, he’d entered the dwarves’ town and bought a case of their whiskey, which was delicious in itself. After a week, he and the dwarves from the shack had gone back to Nekoya, where Johan enjoyed more drinks and bought another bottle of whiskey to go. That single bottle served as the perfect gift for a local noble who loved liquor, helping Johan expand his business.
Now, Johan had gotten another request for a bottle, so he’d made the journey yet again. Of course, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. He waited at the dwarves’ small shack.
After some time, the owners came in, voices booming.
“Oh ho! What’s this? Come again, have you?”
“Long time no see! Cravin’ a drink now, are we, lad?”
“Yes,” Johan replied. “Would it be all right if I accompanied you gentlemen again?”
He asked permission with a smile. After a rocky start, he’d become fast friends with the pair.