The Most Expensive Smoothie Ever

So we went out on Saturday night to explore the famed Lan Kwai Fong district of Hong Kong, which is known for its bars and night clubs. Good idea, bad execution.

Our evening started at a place called the Hong Kong Brew House, an American-style bar, if you use the term loosely. I'm looking at the drinks menu, and I decide to order a mango daiquiri. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, here's the recipe:

ingredients
3 oz (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) amber rum
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubes of firm-ripe mango (from two 1-lb mangoes), frozen
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 oz (2 tablespoons) triple sec
4 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar
2 cups ice cubes

preparation
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

The problem? I took one sip of it and it felt strange, so I took another and then I had a friend try it to confirm my suspicions. There was NO alcohol in the drink whatsoever. I ordered a mango daiquiri and I got a mango smoothie.

The kicker? When it came time to pay the tab, I find out it cost me about HK$60 (that's between $7-8 in the United States). Compare that to Natasha, who got her drink with alcohol in it for about HK$40 and the fact that the cab ride to Lan Kwai Fong cost me about HK$30. I got ripped off - badly.

On our way out, there was a group of about a dozen or so middle-aged women wearing cowboy hats who sounded like they were from Australia. They ambushed Joe and me as we were walking out after hearing us talk and asked if we were Americans. I denied it, and Joe said he was Canadian. As I recall, they wanted us to either sing the U.S. national anthem for them or lead them in singing it. Either way - we were not up for it and got the hell out of there as fast as we could.

For those of you who might ever find yourselves in Hong Kong, avoid this bar like the plague.