Short Fiction · Chapter
The Lost Blend explained
Con Lantry, a shy bartender in love with his boss's daughter Katherine, learns about two men, Riley and McQuirk, who are trying to recreate a miraculous alcoholic blend they accidentally made in Nicaragua.
What happens
Con Lantry, a shy bartender in love with his boss's daughter Katherine, learns about two men, Riley and McQuirk, who are trying to recreate a miraculous alcoholic blend they accidentally made in Nicaragua. The secret ingredient turns out to be water, which Con mentions after speaking with Katherine. Riley and McQuirk fight in excitement over the discovery, leaving behind a small sample of the golden liquid. Con drinks it, gains sudden courage, and proposes to Katherine.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Romance
Con's bashful love for Katherine and his eventual bold proposal after drinking the lost blend.
Humor and Irony
The irony that the secret to the miraculous drink is plain water, and the comedic fight between Riley and McQuirk.
Ambition and Failure
Riley and McQuirk's relentless but failed attempts to recreate the lost blend, wasting much liquor.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator addresses the reader directly ('You and I stood...'), setting the scene at Kenealy's café.
- Andy Donovan
Con Lantry is the central character, a bartender who is shy around women and in love with Katherine.
- Annie Williams
Katherine Kenealy, the boss's daughter, is the object of Con's affection; she teases him about the weather.
Key passages
“The saloon (whether blessed or cursed) stood in one of those little 'places' which are parallelograms instead of streets, and inhabited by laundries, decayed Knickerbocker families and Bohemians who have nothing to do with either.”
The bar was located in a small, oddly shaped alley that was home to laundries, old wealthy families in decline, and carefree artists.
Describes the setting of Kenealy's café.
“A glorious drink like that to be denied to the world! 'Tis a sorrow and a loss of money. The United States as a nation would welcome a drink of that sort, and pay for it.”
It's a shame that such a wonderful drink can't be shared with everyone; America would love it and spend a lot on it.
Riley laments the inability to recreate the lost blend.
“Con lifted her clear from the floor and held her there. 'The news is,' he said, 'that we're to be married.'”
Con picked Katherine up and announced that they would get married.
Con's bold proposal after drinking the golden liquid.