Del Pedro knew he was in for it when he was offered a bartending job at the Pegu Club, reports Kim Severson in the New York Times (6/24/09). That's because Del is a recovering alcoholic, who knew he'd never get by mixing drinks there if he couldn't taste them. At his previous jobs, he had managed by relying on his memory, or else asking people he trusted to do his tasting him. But he knew that wouldn't fly "at a bar that is considered the Harvard of mixology." So, he decided he'd go ahead and taste, but not swallow, his concoctions.

Del says he realizes that sipping alcohol, even if he spit it out, means he's not technically sober, at least according to Alcoholics Anonymous. He compares himself to a vegan friend who is a chef but tastes pork sometimes, although admits the comparison isn't exact: "People don't lose everything because they eat too much pork," he says. He also notes that people find it hard to believe that an alcoholic could function in a booze-oriented job. He explains: "They just don't have the experience of having to deal with it ... and knowing what going back to that would mean."

Del isn't the only one, although others deal with their addiction differently. Liz Scott, who used to cook for the Astors and the DuPonts, continues to cook, but has created recipes that don't include alcohol, and has even written a book, Zero-Proof Cocktails. "I believe you can taste things better if you don't deaden all your senses with alcohol and drugs," she says. Good point. Harry Denton, who runs the Starlight Room in San Francisco, simply sticks with soft drinks while he's on the job, although he still struggles "with a few other addictions, food among them." He says, "I'm a raging alcoholic who sells booze for a living, but it works for me ... I love the opposites in my life."