Market Research
Taste-Testers Wanted
Try Opal Fire for free
and let me know what you think!
That's what the sign on my table said. I had a few shot glasses and a flagon of the stuff with me. Since Earth was a Type 4 civilization (primitive, one small spaceport for the whole planet), the makers of Opal Fire didn't think it was worth selling to - not in the usual way. But I was talking to them about distributing the liquor on Earth myself - not just serving it to the Draco Tavern, but shipping and selling it elsewhere. If I could get a distributor's license, I'd have myself a fairly profitable little sideline venture.
Assuming that people liked the stuff, that is. I'd have to sell Opal Fire at a markup to make it worth the manufacturer's while, and I wanted to make sure that humans would be willing to pay for it. I liked it myself, but I needed to do a little market research to make sure it appealed to other people's tastes.
Since there are never that many humans at the Draco Tavern and I was pressed for time, I got the idea of taking it to Milliways. Plenty of humans and willing taste-testers there.
[OOC: Opal Fire is not alcoholic, although it has similar effects. It has a complex, tart taste, dissolves and creates a tingling sensation in the mouth, and leaves a slight high for several seconds. You can't actually get drunk on it, although it would be a bad idea to drink too much in one go.]