Does anything taste as sweet as a free drink?
What pricks up the ears more than mentions of “open bar” and “free beer?” Oh, sure, there’s certainly something fine and noble about drinking booze bought by the sweat of one’s own brow, though you may detect a slight salty aftertaste when the tab arrives to plunder your wallet. The free drink, on the other hand, goes down with no aftertaste whatsoever. It gives all and takes nothing, and is particularly toothsome when your brow hasn’t perspired for a while and your wallet has forgotten what money tastes like. Of course, anything so universally beloved and in demand will naturally be difficult to come by. At any given time there are only a certain number of free drinks loose in the ether, and they don’t necessarily find their way into the clutches of those who need them the most. Ironic as it may seem, it’s when you’re least able to buy your own that the free drink is the most elusive — it’s hard to earn a buyback when you’re not buying. There are ways, however, to overcome that cruel
