Transcript 2/24/2012 - Fred Kinney (1Q Contestant)

[BBTranscriptTeam]

1Q Contestant

Fred Kinney
New York City, NY
Bartender

Fred originally lived in Ohio. He's an unemployed bartender. His signature drink is an "amazing martini". He uses both gin and vodka and a "whisper" of vermouth. Meredith asks him what a "whisper" is, and Fred replies, "a drop". The drink also has to be as cold as one can get it. "Do you put an olive in it?" Meredith asks. "Anything you want," Fred answers. Neither Meredith nor Fred can figure out why he's unemployed. If he wins the money he wants to spend it on martinis.

Question:
In the 2010 remake "True Grit," Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, a role originated by what screen legend?
A - Clint Eastwood
B - John Wayne
C - Steve McQueen
D - Henry Fonda

Spoiler

Answer: B (John Wayne)
Value: $1,000

THE END OF GAME "NOISE"

[earendel]

1Q Contestant

Fred Kinney
New York City, NY
Bartender

Fred originally lived in Ohio. He's an unemployed bartender. His signature drink is an "amazing martini". He uses both gin and vodka and a "whisper" of vermouth. Meredith asks him what a "whisper" is, and Fred replies, "a drop". The drink also has to be as cold as one can get it. "Do you put an olive in it?" Meredith asks. "Anything you want," Fred answers. Neither Meredith nor Fred can figure out why he's unemployed. If he wins the money he wants to spend it on martinis.

If his signature drink is the martini, why would he buy martinis?

Question:
In the 2010 remake "True Grit," Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, a role originated by what screen legend?
A - Clint Eastwood
B - John Wayne
C - Steve McQueen
D - Henry Fonda

Spoiler

Answer: B (John Wayne)
Value: $1,000

"That's mighty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man."

[tanstaafl2]

Fred originally lived in Ohio. He's an unemployed bartender. His signature drink is an "amazing martini". He uses both gin and vodka and a "whisper" of vermouth. Meredith asks him what a "whisper" is, and Fred replies, "a drop". The drink also has to be as cold as one can get it. "Do you put an olive in it?" Meredith asks. "Anything you want," Fred answers. Neither Meredith nor Fred can figure out why he's unemployed. If he wins the money he wants to spend it on martinis.

Mixing gin and vodka isn't really a Martini anyway, now is it? IMLTHO anyway. You would hope a bartender might know better. Then again neither is a vodka "Martini" a Martini. If its got vodka it ain't a Martini. Might be a perfectly fine drink but it should have it's own name!

Throw a splash of Kina Lillet (Which is hard to do because you can't get it anymore. The new version, now called Lillet Blanc, isn't as bitter so Cocchi Americano has generally become the substitute of choice) in there instead of the "drop" of vermouth and it is probably closer to James Bonds one documented drink creation, the Vesper.

Sounds more like he was making a cold glass of gin and vodka than anything resembling a true Martini anyway...

[plasticene]

Fred originally lived in Ohio. He's an unemployed bartender. His signature drink is an "amazing martini". He uses both gin and vodka and a "whisper" of vermouth. Meredith asks him what a "whisper" is, and Fred replies, "a drop". The drink also has to be as cold as one can get it. "Do you put an olive in it?" Meredith asks. "Anything you want," Fred answers. Neither Meredith nor Fred can figure out why he's unemployed. If he wins the money he wants to spend it on martinis.

Mixing gin and vodka isn't really a Martini anyway, now is it? IMLTHO anyway. You would hope a bartender might know better. Then again neither is a vodka "Martini" a Martini. If its got vodka it ain't a Martini. Might be a perfectly fine drink but it should have it's own name!

Throw a splash of Kina Lillet (Which is hard to do because you can't get it anymore. The new version, now called Lillet Blanc, isn't as bitter so Cocchi Americano has generally become the substitute of choice) in there instead of the "drop" of vermouth and it is probably closer to James Bonds one documented drink creation, the Vesper.

Sounds more like he was making a cold glass of gin and vodka than anything resembling a true Martini anyway...

I don't think he actually uses both gin and vodka in the same martini. The conversation went more like:

Meredith: What's your signature drink?
Fred: Uh... an amazing martini!
Meredith: Gin or vodka?
Fred: Both!

I took the exchange to mean that he doesn't really have a signature drink, but had to say something, and that he makes both gin martinis and vodka martinis.

[MarleysGh0st]

Why not just drink straight gin or vodka? Does the one drop of vermouth really enhance the drink, whereas any more will ruin it?

I remember one time I was having dinner when a customer at another table went through those "one drop" instructions to his waiter, then left in a huff when he pronounced his martini terrible. I wondered how often he pulled that power trip garbage on the waitstaff.

[Estonut]

I remember one time I was having dinner when a customer at another table went through those "one drop" instructions to his waiter, then left in a huff when he pronounced his martini terrible. I wondered how often he pulled that power trip garbage on the waitstaff.

One would think he'd be accustomed to the taste of spit...