The PERFECT BAR

Penguin Cafe' was my home away from home
for most of the first half of the 1990s.



I wooed women
and
got mind-numbingly wasted
there so often

that I eventually became the only regular
who got invited to
the serving staff's Christmas parties.

It was THE BAR of my reckless youth,
and to this day,
no other 'gin mill' has come close
to replacing my affection for it.




Well,
until I wandered into
COPA's.



COPA's Tapas/Cigar Bar
at Holiday Inn Mimosa in Clark,
an old-school drinking joint
fully infused with the spirits of Old Havana.

It's definitely worth the hour long drive up
to the Dau exit of the NLEX,

since it's hands down,
absolutely the most authentic bar I've been to in the Philippines
since ......

I guess,
my all-time favorites,
where I learned to befriend bartenders and flirt with the waitresses,


four of the Great Bars of MMLA:

the quaint Penguin on Remedios Circle,
the debauched Firehouse on Mabini,
the original incarnation of Cable Car on Pasay Road circa 1992,
and the demolished Larry's Bar in the old Greenbelt.



Copa's compares very favorably with those stalwarts
of my alcoholic days of yore,
since it fulfills my three criteria for a great bar :

1. reasonably priced alcohol, and ice-cold beer
2. an expansive bar with a hardwood finish, complete with barstools

and most important of all,

3. you should be able to enjoy drinking there, even alone;
specially when it's raining.


With it's
circular bar, fully stocked with rums from the Caribbean,

cigar and cognac cabinets,
which lead to the additional privacy
in the alcoves,

and dim lighting, cozy chairs,
and a verdant view of the Mimosa gardens,


Copa's is definitely HEMINGWay-esque!!



Truly,
the perfect place
to read this book,
and to listen to this CD!!!