I am a summer associate at a V4 firm, and I have an embarrassing confession to make. I am absolutely obsessed with Shirley Temples.
Not in an ironic way. Not in a "haha, I ordered one once at a wedding" way. I mean I actively look forward to them. I have opinions about the ideal grenadine-to-Sprite ratio. I judge establishments based on whether they use real maraschino cherries. I have, on more than one occasion, asked the waiter if they could make it "a little less sweet this time." I drink eight to ten Shirley Temples a day.
The problem is that it seems like networking in biglaw revolves around bars. Happy hours, client dinners, holiday parties and so on. Everyone else is ordering old fashioneds and Negronis while I'm sitting there with what appears to be the official beverage of an exceptionally sophisticated eight-year-old.
At a firm lunch last week, one of the partners asked what I was drinking. Without thinking, I enthusiastically launched into a brief explanation of why Shirley Temples are underrated and how ginger ale can add "welcome complexity." The silence that followed was chilling, and, I have been spiraling since.
I know the legal profession values professionalism, but is there a point where your beverage choices become career limiting? Should I force myself to acquire a taste for scotch? Should I start ordering club soda and quietly grieving the loss of joy in my life? Am I overthinking this?
Please be honest. I can handle the truth.