It's Always Happy Hour at Mahuffer's

“Everyone leaves something.”

Kristina, the bartender, explained the scribbled-on dollar bills, bras, business cards and the extensive variety of memorabilia lining the walls of Mahuffer's with that simple phrase.

The bar, otherwise known as Sloppy Johns (switched to Mahuffer's after being unsuccessfully sued for the name by Sloppy Joes), is easily the most interesting watering hole I’ve been to. On my recent visit, there were two cats, a bird and a palmetto bug that called the bar home.

Don’t let the palmetto bug frighten you. It was in the outdoor patio area and Florida’s the only one to blame. The bird and one cat relaxed inside near the entrance, as if to welcome guests. The second cat scaled the ceilings and generally played trapeze artist.

A row of large red and white coolers sat on one side of the main bar. Mahuffer's doesn’t have refrigerators—they keep all the beer in these coolers. While unconventional in the 21st century, it seemed to work for them as every beer ordered was served ice cold.

Unfortunately, this system means Mahuffer's doesn’t sell draft beers, or for that matter, any food other than bags of chips.

The drinks are served with a lot of ice and a lot of liquor. This combination works well. The bottom shelf standard fair, such as a screwdriver or a rum and coke is priced affordable at $2.50 each, but the specialty drinks tested will run you about $6.50.

The specialty Kool-Aid was a standard mixed juice drink. It was undoubtedly tasty, but nothing special and for the price. I would have preferred two screwdrivers and a tip.

The Give Me Wings on the other hand, was the best vodka/redbull combination I’ve had and worth every penny.  If mixing caffeine and alcohol is your thing, this drink will be too.

So where's the bathroom?

“Follow the yellow brick road,” the bartender said.

This 40-year-old yellow strip of paint leads customers passed a large fireplace and a drum set. The drums are used for live music nights on Friday, Saturday and Sunday's. A different band performs every Friday, while on Saturday the "Humpabillies" play and on Sunday they host an Open Blues Jam.

Pearls of wisdom too vulgar to repeat line the bathroom’s walls, but many of them have a certain charm that sets these one-liners apart from your average stall.

While the bar doesn’t serve food, both Beach Pizza and Mike’s Pizza deliver there and the bartender said Salt Rock Grill, Friendly Tavern and Crabby Bill’s are popular among hungry customers.

The most popular orders at this bar are rum-runners and PBR's. There are no drink specials at Mahuffer's because “it’s always happy hour here.”

Mahuffer is located at  19201 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach. They are open Monday through Friday 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.