Okay, get ready for a very serious subject disclaimer. I'm really really dorky, so this chapter involved some research. Sorry if I get anything wrong! My parents are bartenders, so I knew a little bit about what's in drinks, and soem of the lingo, but I just hope I used it all right!
Also, I know this subject was kind of an easy play off of the last episode, but considering how little I know of this, give me a break?
Spoilers for Last Call.
"For you, my lady," Castle pushed a drink in a large-rimmed margarita glass towards his mother. "Blended and citrus-y, just like you like it."
Martha accepted the drink, grinning at her son. She was first wary of her son purchasing the Old Haunt, unsure if it was a solid investment he could manage along with everything else he managed to do, but she definitely warmed up to the idea.
"Thank you, darling," she replied, tipping the glass towards him before bringing the straw to her lips. Her son grinned back at her, tossing the drying towel over his shoulder.
He loved doing that.
In truth, he loved being behind the bar. He wasn't so blinded by the romanticism of the idea to actually do it, but after close and a long case, he didn't see the harm in inviting his closest friends and family for drinks on the house.
He ran a lime expertly around the wide rim of another bowl-like glass before dipping it in salt and filling in with the contents of a shaker . He garnished the drink with a lime wedge and handed it to Lanie, who was sitting next to his mother.
"Straight up, just like you like it," he told her, raising an eyebrow, mischievously.
"I don't even care how you know how I drink it," Lanie quipped back, accepting the drink.
He grinned before moving down the bar, setting two highball glasses on the wooden bar. "Baccardi over Dr. Pepper," he told the boys, who were grinning, excitedly. "You two are really original," Castle said, ironically.
He moved on before they could retort back, grabbing a Collins glass from the freezer and the muddler sitting under the bar. He collected the bruised mint and limes off of the cutting board, going over it with a soapy sponge, tossing the mixture into the cold glass and adding a few ice cubes before reaching behind him for two bottles topped with chrome bottle pourers.
He poured them in, simultaneously, stopping just before the mixture reached the lip of the tall glass, the ice bobbing to the top. He stirred the drink until the mint leaves floated to the surface and hooked a lime slice on the edge of the rim before handing it to the woman in front of him.
Beckett accepted the glass, laughing at his elaborate antics. "What is this, Castle, Rock and Rita's?"
"Hey, nothing wrong with having a little fun. Besides, you were supposed to find that attractive," he informed her, matter-of-factly.
"Oh, I'm seeing you in a whole other light," she replied, eyebrow lifting only slightly before she took a long sip of her drink.
Truthfully, she found this newly uncovered skill extremely attractive. She looked at him beneath the soft white glow of the bar lights.
It had been an excruciating case, and he had been wearing that shirt for the better part of three very long days, but she didn't seem to mind it now, the first few buttons undone, the towel draped casually over his shoulder.
He hadn't had the time nor energy to shave so there was this small trail of stubble lining his angular jaw, and for the first time in far too long, his smile was reaching his eyes.
She watched as he prepared one last drink, his fingers working expertly over the glasses and ingredients, and she imagined they must taste like salt and lime. He set the drink on the bar, jerking her out of her reverie.
"One Virgin Cuba Libre," he announced, pushing the old fashioned glass towards his daughter, who sat on the stool beside Beckett.
"What? Everyone gets these elaborate summer drinks and I get a Pepsi on the rocks?" She exclaimed, mock appalled at her father's assumption.
Castle just groaned, and turning to Beckett, "There was a time when she asked me, and I quote, 'What does a mo-gi-to taste like?' Now she's using words like summer drinks and 'on-the-rocks.'"
Kate just laughed. "Someone's got to get us home, Lex," she told the teenager, who rolled her eyes. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Castle poured himself an alcohol-free soda as well. She was struck with this sort of appreciation for the father and the friend that stood behind the bar.