They Drank From The Ice Carving?

Well, it’s not what you think. Last weekend we had an ice sculpture (ice carving to many of us) at the wedding. It had cutouts for 6 bottles. It was billed as a “vodka sculpture”. We were asked to place 6 bottles of vodka in it and display it during the cocktail hour. Then we had to bring it to the ballroom for the main reception (another sales chick fiasco).

I didn’t want to put empty bottles inside ‘cause it would look tacky and we didn’t have dummy bottles. So I put 2 bottles of Absolute, 2 of Stoli Orange, and 2 Stoli Raspberry inside. Normally we would have put more premium brands but this is what the bar called for.

Anyway, we dressed-up the rolling table with colored linens and back-lighted it. Then we decorated the table with some lemons & limes and other stuff…it looked really nice. Into the cocktail hour next to the bar the ice carving went. No issues.

When the cocktail hour was over and all the attendees left, we rolled the now melting ice carving to the ballroom and it took its place of honor next to the bar again. No issues.

Midway during the party came the usual calls for “shots” from the bar. We don’t allow shots at our property and we’re pretty strict with this. Yes, yes, I know there are ways around this but that a story for another day. After we pissed off enough people by saying no to the shot requests, we noticed a crowd of around 15 people laughing and having a good time. Guess where they were standing?

At the vodka sculpture of course!!! They had opened three bottles of vodka and were helping themselves to shots right from the sculpture AND they were taking the glasses right off the back bar and were scooping the ice from the base of the sculpture and putting in their glasses. Real classy folks. Oh, did I forget to mention that they were all cops? I wanted to slap them all like a red-headed stepchild!

Now, I have around 15-17 cops all taking shots of vodka from our display and they keep inviting more people over. And of course the groom is in the middle of all this…What do I do?

I ran downstairs to the storeroom, found a bunch of empty bottles of vodka (I didn’t care what brands they were at this point) and ran upstairs. I told the bartender that came into the kitchen, “As soon as they leave the ice carving, take all the bottles out and put in these empties”. He said, “That’s if there’s even any vodka left in them”. Good point. So off he went.

You know what happened next. The bartender comes back after 10 minutes and says “The groom is pissed we put the empties in the sculpture, he wants them back right now”. Just then, the sales chick walks over and we fill her in on the story. I asked her “Were we expected to allow them to do shots from it”. She did her best impression of a tree stump and said “Well I’m not sure”. “What do you mean you’re not sure”? “You sold the damm event, what did they want”, I yelled.

“Well, I told the bride that we can’t do the vodka slide”, she whined. “Listen, I said as I was becoming increasingly pissed, “You need to go out there and talk to them”. “I’m not putting any more liquor in that friggin’ thing, no shots remember”?

Off she goes with her tail between her legs. I move onto getting ready to serve the next course and try to calm down.

Later on she returns saying, “I just spoke with the bride and she KNOWS there is not supposed to be any shots and the ice sculpture is only for display”. “He’s still pissed”. “The groom will have to get over it”, I say. Then I realize it’s time for the entrée to come out and I find out the kitchen shorted us 27 salmon. On to the next issue…

I need a REAL job!

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