Ricardo, we hardly knew ye

Ricardo Montalban died yesterday at the age of 88.
He was known to most as Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island and as the voice of the Chrysler Cordoba. Apparently GM had trouble finding a rock song that incorporated a line about soft Corinthian leather.
My Ricardo recollection comes from a broadcasting class I had back in the early 1980's. Our teacher treated us to a videotape of outtakes from various television productions. It was, and still is, fun to see what doesn't make it on the air. It shows that even professionals make mistakes.
One of these outtakes was Montalban, taping a commercial for a brand of European-inspired flavored instant coffee.
Sitting in a high backed chair Montalban recites the attributes of the product, smiles and takes a sip.
Then, in an extremely inelegant way he spits it out and screams "it's too f---ing hot!"
I can't recall a single Fantasy Island episode. I didn't know he was in Star Trek. A Lifetime Achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild? That's news to me.
No, my Montalban memory was created by a cafe au lait outtake.
So the next time I am sitting on a sidewalk in Europe having a cup of instant espresso, I will drink a toast to the Emmy award-winning actor. But first, I'll check the temperature of the water.