It’s time to take another peek into the Lifestyles of the Rich . . . and Cranky. Most of us rubes have no idea how difficult it is to
be rich. The demands are crushing, because one is always expected to live
up to, well, expectations. Take the simple act of ordering a drink. You and
I would take a stool and say, “Gimme a beer” or, on a special
occasion, “I feel like a nice Chardonnay tonight.” If you are
Mr. Rich E. Rich, however, you must show more discernment, refinement, savoir-faire, and — how
shall I put it? — wealth. Yeah, that’s it: wealth. Luckily, the Reserve Club, a trendy spot in downtown
Chicago, has come up with just the libation for the hoity-toity set to
order: the Ruby Red. It’s a delightful blend of Grey Goose vodka,
Hpnotiq, Pama pomegranate liqueur, a splash of Dom Perignon champagne
— and, to top it off, a 1-carat, grade-A ruby. Yes, a real gem of a
cocktail. You can enjoy a Ruby Red martini for just $950 —
per glass. The club manager, who invented the Ruby Red, says he
was trying to come up with something memorable for his elite clientele.
“Dom Perignon champagne added a certain je
ne sais quoi, while using the Grey Goose
vodka brought a smooth and silky kick,” he twittered. And, of course,
the ruby brought the “wow” factor into play — and brought
the price up. So far, he’s sold three Ruby Reds, including one
to a twentysomething free-spender who was out to impress a first date. The club also offers a ruby-less Ruby Red for only
$120 — but that would be so, so common. He’s sold none of
those.
This article appears in Jun 1-7, 2006.
