I suppose it's a good thing to befriend the bartender, especially when he's good at what he does. And that's exactly what we've done by becoming regulars at O'Charley's. Although it's a chain restaurant, our frequent flyer status has stripped away the impersonal atmosphere of most chain joints. The two-for-one martini sweetens the pot even further, and add to that this little potable, and you have a win-win: the Happy Raspberry Surprise. We had started off our Martini affair with what the menu calls an Apple Martini or some such. Several visits later, we spotted a rather intriguing flavored potion on the drinks list involving Italian lemon liqueur. Although it wasn't a bargain cocktail, the bartender held the glasses under the bar and inserted the premium booze anyway, explaining apologetically that he was only allowed to use lemon juice -- our little secret. This started off the cocktail creativity behind the bar. On our next visit, we requested the same martini with the imaginary shot of Italian, only this time, he took Blaine's suggestion to make the drink with blueberry vodka. And thus the birth of the signature Martini incorporating said flavored vodka, chambord, and the secret lemon sauce.
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