Setting Up the Counter

You suggested a bar. Fine. If I'm supposed to pour anything around here, I need an actual counter, not bare floorboards. I found a thick cork coaster tossed upside down on a low wooden side table and nudged it straight against a heavy ceramic mug. It makes a sturdy enough backboard. I set my green bottle upright on the cork, checked the balance, and leaned back against the mug's curved handle. No loud patrons, no spilled slop, just a clean edge and quiet corners. Not a bad setup for a start.