Bartender, bring me your girliest drink.
Venue: The Mudlounge
The Scene: Quiet, contemplative happy hour drinkers enjoying one of the few times Mudlounge isn't pulsing with bacchanalian energy. The lofty, dimly lit space with its soft leather couches and cinnamon walls felt like a cozy European cafe on a rainy afternoon. The comforting smell of Mudhouse coffee wafting through the air didn't hurt matters either. One corner of the room held a gaggle of older men, ties loosened from work. Another, a couple of women. And yet another, a man by himself, swirling a large orb of red wine and taking small, deliberate sips. Again, very European.
The Bartender: Friendly, cute, young Jacob.
The Drink: The Tickle Fight
The Contents: Parrrot Bay Passion Fruit Rum, Hpnotiq and pineapple juice
The Verdict: A rum-soaked fruit salad. I felt completely out of place drinking something that tasted as though it was made for a mini paper umbrella on a day that called for the real deal, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Jacob gamely fielded my request for their girliest drink with a chuckle and a, "Oh, that's got to be the Tickle Fight." He perused the extensive drink menu just to make sure and closing it with a decisive air, he confirmed, "Yup. It's a Tickle Fight all right." This drink gets girlie points on the fact that a) it's called a Tickle Fight and b) it contains Hpnotiq -- a beverage I've never seen a man drink (in person). No, wait that's not true. I saw a friend of my brother's take down three-quarters of a bottle on a dare a couple of years ago. As you can imagine, it didn't end well. Once I got over the fact that I was drinking Carmen Miranda's hat, I really started to get into it. The passion fruit flavors (one of my favorites) cut through any strong alcohol taste and the Hpnotiq vaguely reminded me of the blue part of a Bomb Pop frozen treat (also one of my favorites). Of course, pineapple juice never hurt anybody. All in all, quite tasty — and great fun when you can tell someone, "Hey, I just got into a Tickle Fight." Oh, how the imagination runs wild.
The Price: $7.50; $5.50 during happy hour
Would I get it again: Sure thing — as long as I wasn't with anyone who could use that information against me.
