me, like martini, thank-you...

It’s a French-speaking role. Did you speak the language beforehand?

…Now it’s a bit better, but still I understand and I speak like Indians in cowboy films. Like:” Me, water, thank-you…”

Gael Garcia Bernal
Uncut, August 06.

I had a, “me, water, thank-you,” kinda day. A day when you wished you could do the civilised thing and sip a martini whilst you endeavour to make some sensible decisions.

After four hours of interviews, that could have been concluded in 10 minutes but for due diligence and corporate protocol, and since we are in big-bad-oil-and-gas and not pop Idols it took the whole four hours to complete.

Once that was achieved I was then promptly asked about what I was planning to deliver in 2007. “Honestly? Shouldn’t I do this after a couple of drinks; you do want it to sound plausible,” I replied.

A good martini goes a long way to cheering me up, and it’s imperative that you are able to make one of these fine drinks if you are going to survive in this industry.

I prefer gin, but since most people enjoy vodka martinis thanks to 007, I shall share my favourite recipe. Put some good Polish vodka (Belvedere or Pravda); a few drops of cocktail onion brine together with some ice blocks and a lemon peel or two into a stainless steel shaker. Find a good bossa nova and while it is playing shake up the ingredients over the subtle, sweet, sounds of Brazil. Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a cocktail onion and some wubbadub-a-dub-a-dub.

Off home to see if the player recorded the ‘Shadow of the Thin Man’ and to fix myself one of those bad boys – 'me, martini, thank-you.’