You Must Remember This (Scene 2, Take 1)

(Yesterday this blog began reviewing the history of the various cocktails and other alcoholic drinks poured―though seldom consumed―in the movie Casablanca. Today, both the decadence and the Good Guys proliferate.)

After Louis abandons his expensive cognac untasted, another Bad Person takes the stage: Major Heinrich Strasser (Conrad Veidt) of the Third Reich. Major Strasser shows how decadent he is by ordering an entire bottle of Veuve Cliquot '26 and an entire (large) tin of caviar. Just for himself. What's more, we actually see him eat the caviar (it looks wonderful, and he actually scarfs down big clumps of it with a fork)―though we don't get to see him drink any of the champagne. (There's a continuity gaffe in this scene: Strasser picks up his fork for the first time twice.)

The purest of the Good Guys is also the most profligate of the whole cast in terms of wasting good booze (and bad, for that matter). Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) starts off by ordering Cointreau for himself and Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). No sooner are these delivered than they are sent away, untouched, by Louis, who makes a gift of a bottle of the bar's best champagne. Though we don't actually see the champagne delivered, there are soon three full glasses on Victor's table. Whereupon first Louis and then Victor leave the table without touching a drop.

Champagne cocktail
(Wikipedia)

Victor goes to the bar and orders a champagne cocktail. He doesn't drink any of this either, though he touches the drink to his closed lips twice―at which point Louis reappears and orders him a second champagne cocktail. We don't see what happens to this drink, because the scene shifts to Ilsa and Sam (Dooley Wilson) serenading each other with "As Time Goes By." (A second bottle of champagne has been delivered to the Victor-Ilsa table, but the waiter stops halfway through opening it.)

When Rick and Ilsa finally meet, darned if Louis doesn't appear and order yet another round of drinks―more champagne, as if there isn't enough at the table already. No sooner are the drinks delivered than Louis (remember, he ordered them) announces that it's curfew time, and everybody gets up and leaves.

The big drinking scene―the one that inspired our fantasy portrait―comes next. When the scene opens Rick has already knocked off about half of a bottle of bourbon. He's holding a ten-ounce tumbler that's a third full of straight bourbon, and as the scene progresses we actually see him drink most of the contents of the glass. This scene contains some of my favourite dialogue in the movie. Which I will write more about tomorrow.