The human capacity for crass marketing schemes is equal to our need for ostentatious displays of wealth and status. When the marketing folks take aim at this desire for one-upmanship, watch out. They're bound to come up with something like, oh, the most expensive cocktail in the Czech Republic.

The diamond martini, available at hotel Carlo IV's Cigar Bar or Inn Ox Bar, will set you back about 250,000 Kč ($11,369) — mere pocket change, or so we're told, for five-star hotel guests.

I wouldn't know about that, but the blend of gin, vermouth and a one-carat rock from Carollinum does seem cheap compared to the concoction reportedly offered by Harvey Nichols in Manchester, England — also diamond-studded and brought to the table with a security escort (upscale English restaurants are apparently rife with criminal activity) and a price tag starting at just over £15,000 pounds, or 635,000 Kč.

"It wasn't our priority to be the most expensive drink," claims Carlo IV PR Manager Eva Blumental. "It's fine if we are, but we didn't call Guinness."

Unlike the folks at a hotel in Belfast, who immediately phoned to register their £750 ($1,400/31,740 Kč) waste of good aged rum in a mai tai. All of this shows that there's no shortage of cocktail gimmickry in restaurants from London to Vegas. Many contain diamonds or rubies or cute sterling-silver picks to hold condiments in place. The long-standing record holder for cocktails unadorned by jewelry is the Ritz Sidecar, from the Ritz in Paris, shaken with vintage Cognac from 1830 and bargain-basement priced at 11,381 Kč, depending on current exchange rates.

For now, Carlo IV's marketing ploy — or at least the nonalcoholic portion of it — sits in a hotel safe, a single massive diamond waiting for some tacky millionaire (are you reading this, Ivana?) to come along.

What happens if two people indulge at the same time? Well, Blumental allows, "It could be a problem. But I don't think it will happen."

Cognac-ity yak

The powers that be behind Hennessy threw a bash for the media at Hergetova Cihelna recently. It was a good deal for the lowly press corps, who were served examples of Cognac-based cocktails and mixed drinks from around the world, ranging from a rather nice sidecar to a paltry sweet-and-sour spin on the mint julep.

The Hennessy people are hoping such drinks catch on in the Czech Republic, where fans of the distilled grape tend to sip it neat. Trend-setting young club hoppers, though, are considered susceptible to marketing campaigns.

"Mixed drinks are easier to understand for young people," explains Eva Gruberová of AMI Communications, a local PR firm. "Later, they understand the Cognac better."

Hennessy, by the way, claims the top spot in Czech Cognac sales.

Stumbling toward Bořivojova

Longtime expat and former Jo's Bar owner Glen Emery has teamed up with Martin Streško, well-known bartender at Hapu, on a new cocktail-bar concept named in honor of the hard drinking author Charles Bukowski.

They are currently fitting out a space on Žižkov's sodden Bořivojova street (across from Nad Viktorkou) and hope to open Bukowski's by mid-December.

"We don't want to compete," Emery says, pointing out the number of bars already in place. Instead, they intend to create a cocktail dive, meaning upscale drinks with a hospoda feel (much like Hapu).

No idea what it will look like yet — "Everything's on-site; we just have to put it all together" is the official excuse — but Emery promises to avoid what he calls the "Husa-fication" of Prague pubs.

OK, so why call it Bukowski's? "We were going to call it 'The 13th Step,' but ..."

Hearsay

Hilton's restaurant for insomniacs, the nonstop Café Bistro, features the first wines off Italian presses from Nov. 16–24.

One of the city's best Italian restaurants, Aromi, plans to open a specialty food shop next door. No exact details or date of completion, as yet. Just word that something shoplike is in the works.

All you can eat mussels at Oliva, November 9 (dinner)-11. Stuff yourself for 450 Kč.

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