By: Joleen Braasch
Staff Writer

It was a nice, sunny day with a breeze when I walked over to Rookies Sports Pub and asked for a spring-inspired drink. Emily, the bartender and recent criminal justice graduate of Western, mixed me up a mango lemon drop: mango rum, triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter and sweet oranges), lemonade, and lemon juice.

Rachael Jackson, campus life editor, also asked for a spring drink and, after some debate, ended up with a liquid cocaine: triple sec, amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur), Southern Comfort, vodka, and pineapple juice.

We took our drinks outside to a side patio with tables set out for the nice weather. A decorative wine barrel and the neighbor’s backyard fence kept us company. It was a quiet and pleasant atmosphere, absent of other students and perfect for chatting. We could hear the cars zooming by off the highway, but they were merely white noise in the background of our conversation that consisted mainly with love and liquor as the topics.

My lemon drop was shaken and served straight with lemon wedges and a sugared rim, in a thick martini glass without the stem. I couldn’t really taste the alcohol, which would disappoint me on a night out, but was refreshing as an afternoon cocktail. The mango rum was present, but not overpowering. Jackson thought that my drink was sweeter and more syrupy than hers. I agreed and squeezed in the juice from my lemon wedges for some added zest.

The liquid cocaine was served shaken and over ice in a pint glass, with a pink toothpick umbrella and a straw. It had a sweet, warm, nutty flavor, and Jackson said she could really taste the pineapple juice, but would have enjoyed more of an alcohol flavor.

Overall, both drinks were light and sweet, perfect for an afternoon in the sun (though they could have used a tad more liquor). But, between the two, the mango lemon drop won over my taste buds. I would most definitely mix up a boozier batch of this nectar for a daytime patio-party with friends.