Basic Steps in Serving a Drink

The basic steps in a serve....

1) Acknowledge the order, so They know you heard, then rise to your feet, whether from the serving furs, in a lap, or kneeling before a Master/Mistress, wherever you are, unless already standing.

2) depending on where you are, Take three steps back out of respect for the Free People present.

3) If a drinking vessel is required and/or the drink ordered is a cold drink {included but not limited to: white kalana, red kalana, fruit juice, bosk milk, water, ta-wine, and gorean ale}, go to the servery. If no drinking vessel is needed, and the drink ordered is one served warm or hot {included but not limited to: red kalana, paga, sul-paga, kalda, mulled kalana, bazi tea, pot 'o chocolate or cho, and blackwyne}, go to the firepit. In Victoria, the firepit is in the servery.

4) Get the drinking vessel, be it a blackwyne cup (coffee cup), footed bowl, or goblet, if serving more than one drink or serving blackyne and it is not "second slave" get a serving tray and all drinking vessels needed.

5) Polish any and all drinking vessels {can use a rep cloth, your hair, or your silks}, if more than one set them on the tray, if none needed, then skip over this step.

6) If serving blackwyne, not "second slave" or bazi tea, gather the saucers or white and yellow sugar and bosk cream, taste the contents of the saucers to be sure they are fresh, if serving another drink, skip this step.

7) Get the drink, if cold it is found in the cold room or chillery, which is in the servery, red and white kalana, bosk milk, fruit juice, and water, are usually in pitchers, botas or bottles in the cold room; kalana is usually in a bota or bottle, the juice, milk, and water can be in either; ta-wine is kept room temperature in the servery; and water drawn from a well or spring, is kept in supply and usually is stored in a pitcher in the cold room; if the drink is served warm or hot it is at the firepit; paga, sul-paga and red kalana in camps are found in botas hanging on a rack, in Victoria they are in bottles on a heated rack, warming before the fire; kalda, mulled kalana, pot o' chocolate or cho, blackwyne, and the water for bazi tea are found in large kettles warming on the fire. In the City, W/we use bottles not botas.

8) Return to the person you are serving, kneel before Them {white silks in "tower" and red silks in "nadu"; white silks set the tray or the drinking vessel if there is one, down in front of your knees, red silks normally set it down between their knees or thighs; red silks also kneel in "tower" when serving a Mistress not their own, unless told otherwise}

9) If the drink you are serving is in a bota or bottle, bring it to your lips, remove the cork with your teeth, and if a drinking vessel was required, fill it, then recork the bota or bottle and set it aside, if not, lower the bota or bottle to the floor, then go to the next step; if the drink was in a pitcher, then fill the drinking vessel; if the drink was ladled to a footed bowl from a kettle at the firepit, then just skip to the next step, unless it is blackwyne, and not "second slave" then ask how they want it sweetened, and add what they want, and stir it, then go to the next step.

10) this next step also depends on the Master/Mistress... Take the filled goblet, blackwyne cup, footed bowl, or bota/bottle in your hands, draw it close to your body, and slowly lift it upward, pause at your heart {some hold it to their chest, some don't} hold it there for three beats, and speak three words: love, honor, and devotion {sometimes when serving a Master or Mistress, especially one outside the House, some say "love to Master/Mistress and their name, honor to House, and the name of the House, and devotion to serving"; Ex: love to Mistress McKenna, honor to City of Victoria, and devotion to serving}

11) another step that depends on the Master.... Sweetening.... there are two ways to sweeten a drink, one is to kiss it, the other is to sweeten it by using a girls heat. To sweeten by a kiss - Bring the drinking vessel or bota/bottle to your lips, softly kiss the rim or just below the rim, and you should take a small sip of the drink or pour some in your palm, depending on who you are testing it for, that way if it is poisoned, you will get sick or die instead of the Master/Mistress, it is a duty of being a slave; you may wish to ask the Master/Mistress you are serving if they wish the rim sweetened with a kiss or heat and/or tested for poison if you do not know them, as there are some who would be offended by it. Heat sweetened drinks will be taught while in yellow silks in the City.

12) If you have sweetened the rim of the drinking vessel with a kiss, then turn it in your hands, so that the sweetened side of the rim is facing out towards the Master or Mistress that you are serving.

13) Extend your arms, with the drink in hand, and lower your head between your arms.

14) State to the Master/Mistress what it is you bring them {Ex. "Master/Mistress, this girl brings you .........."}

15) Use your own words to tell Them that you hope They find the drink, as well as your serve pleasing.

16) Wait for Them to take the drink, and to be dismissed.

17) the last step is to thank Them for allowing you to serve Them, as it is an honor and a privilege to serve a Master/Mistress in any way.


Its not as hard as it sounds... practice makes it easier

In the beginning, just learn the basic steps in the serve and then the description will come after.