Fun served in a Mug

Imagine you’re bar hopping one night. You order your favorite beer or whatever drink you like and at one gulp, you suddenly realize that you’re tired of the usual. Do you have some place in mind where your excitement will level up, somewhere new and unique that you’ll love instantly?

Well, I do and have experienced it myself. Owned and managed by Rose Quizon and her daughter, Ren, Mug Shotz Sports Bar is now making a name and building up a new sense of excitement in the bar and restaurant industry in Calasiao, just a 10-minute drive at most from Dagupan City.

My interest about the new kid in town came up when I watched Miss Dagupan 2012 where in the bar was a sponsor. Thanks to 1Digitech Philippines where I’m currently working as one of the hosts of TalkTV Global, I was able to try it out on December 18.

As you enter Mug Shotz, a queue of lounge chairs greets you on the right side and straight ahead stands the bar counter where the bar tenders mix their concoctions.

Two posts are hard to miss. Attached on the first post, just a stride to the left, are balls used in different kinds of sports. The other post situated on the other side carries rackets and other tools in sports.

Between these posts lie cozy couches where you can enjoy your drinks with a group. The interior design obviously complements the theme of the bar.

And of course, being a sports bar, Mug Shotz offers different games that you and your family or friends can play together. Inside the bar, you may play Beer Pong where in glasses of beer are arranged in front of you and on your opponent’s side. The aim is to shoot the ping pong ball in any of the glasses in front of your opponent which he must drink as a consequence. Your opponent will then try to get back on you by doing the same.

Customers enjoying Beer Pong with the acoustic band singing onstage.

Preparing the Beer Pong table for another round of the game.

Another game you will enjoy inside is foosball. The aim is to hit the goal guarded by your opponent. We tried it and I lost. You really have to muster enough speed and focus to win.

On the smoking area, you’ll get to enjoy a game or two of billiards and darts. I’m not really good at billiards and I only get to enjoy it on the computer, so I did not try playing lest I fall under embarrassment. A dart game, on the other hand, is not as simple as it looks. It’s hard to throw darts on the dead center of the board which will give you 3 points. Most people will have a problem not in aiming but in throwing.

Now, if you just want to chill out, just sit back, relax and listen to the songs sung by the live acoustic band.

Of course, let’s not brush aside the beverages. Mug Shotz sells beers we usually find in bars, but we tried one of their mixes—Mug Shotz Car Bomb which will come out in January. Glad to be the first to try it. It has a smooth feeling down the throat and some kind of a bubblegum flavor. But if you’re not a hard drinker, you’ll need to back off, or you’ll never finish even just a mug. I won’t discuss further how they prepare it—you’ll prefer seeing that for yourself.

The food is great. We ate three recipes that complement their beverages. Chicken fillet laid on crispy noodles and parsley leaves with spicy ketchup as dip; potato fries with white sauce; and boneless pork leg ham with hot and spicy Sambal dip. Yummy flavorful servings! <burp>

Chicken Fillet

Potato Fries

Boneless Pork Leg Ham

The unique environment of Mug Shotz Sports Bar gives a whole new meaning to your bar experience. It definitely sends the fun to a higher degree. And yes, I’ll be back there soon.

16 days to 21.

[Photo credits to 1Digitech Philippines.]

Mug Shotz Sports Bar and Restaurant
McArthur Highway, Calasiao, Pangasinan