consider: bartender!Jaskier who is utterly unfazed by odd drink orders but who still flirts with and jokes a little about Eskel's preferred fruity cocktail
Ooooo, this is fun! I wasn’t sure if I should make it Proper Shippy or if they’re just friends, so let’s see where the vibes take me!
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“Geralt? Whiskey. Your photographer friend? Tequila. His boyfriend— well, he likes rum and Cokes but I’ll let that one slide, because if anyone drank rum straight I would be concerned. How come, Eskel, out of all the people you hang out with, you’re the only one who asks me to make you pretentious fruity cocktails?”
Jaskier smacked a hand down on a shaker to seal it and started mixing, still smack-talking Eskel.
“It’s cause I’m—“
“I swear to Melitele, if you’re about to say ‘gay,’ I will bash this shaker into your jaw. On purpose this time.”
Eskel grinned, pleasantly tipsy and on his way to getting comfortably drunk. “They taste good,” Eskel said. “What do you even do with straight spirits? I’m helping you branch out. And making sure you keep stock on hand that doesn’t have fruit flies in it.”
Jaskier scoffed indignantly. “The idea that you think Priscilla would leave her booze unchecked is frankly a little insulting.”
Eskel still caught the subtle glance into the bottle of vodka he’d added into his shaker Jaskier made. Of course, Eskel knew everything was safe. Jaskier’s manager was obsessed with keeping the place spotless— it came from working in a tattoo shop before, she always said. At least the place was cozy still. “I have to have some kind of comeback,” Eskel said, watching Jaskier strain out his drink into a glass already partially full of other ingredients. “And anyway, I think you like making cocktails. Gives you a creative outlet while you’re behind the counter. Not like I make specific requests, anyway.”
Jaskier didn’t respond as he picked up a twist of lemon he’d prepped earlier, sticking his tongue out of his mouth slightly as he positioned it over the rim of the glass. “I suppose so,” he said once he’d gotten it in place, lowering his head down to look around the cup, twisting it. The ice clinked lightly together as he inspected it, and upon his satisfied nod, he stuck a straw in and slid it towards Eskel. “Here you are. Let me know if I went too heavy on the lemon, alright? If I put in too much, next time I make it I’ll add simple syrup and the cube.”
Eskel nodded and took a sip, immediately reeling and making a face. “Holy shit,” he said, his eyes watering. “Ack, that’s sour.”
“Well obviously, you didn’t stir it.”
Once Eskel recovered from Jaskier poisoning him, he shook himself out and focused on the flavors other than the sour. It leveled off after just a few seconds, and the sweetness from the raspberry and sugar came through. He coughed a couple of times and nodded. “It’s nice though.” He stirred it with the straw and the raspberry mixed into the drink, and his next sip was much more pleasant. “Oh, that Is nice. Still got some punch though. I don’t think there’s too much lemon, but it wouldn’t hurt to add more sugar.” Eskel dipped st his drink while Jaskier helped the next customer, who ordered some ridiculous combination for a cocktail, but he made no mention of it, working on it with a smile.
“So you can be nice about weird drinks,” Eskel said once Jaskier was done, sliding back over to chat.
“Of course!” He said. “I’m a professional, after all. But his drink was hardly pretentious, really. He didn’t ask for a fancy garnish, see.” Jaskier was grinning at him, and Eskel laughed as he shook his head. “Anyway, finish your drink. I have another combination I want to try on you.”
Eskel raised his drink in a toast. “You’re the professional.”
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I used what very limited knowledge I have of bartending to make this— I hope you like how it turned out!!