Dixie’s Tavern isn’t my usual scene, but with a friend guest-bartending and a crowd of out-of-towners in for the ACC Championship Game, chances were I’d have a lot more fun than I’d had in the past.

Surrounded by a pro-Virginia Tech crowd, the drink specials were on point. All of my ballin’-on-a-budget friends racing to get as many as possible down before the 11 p.m. cutoff, it got to the point where I was just handing my bartender friend cash and saying, “I don’t care, get me drunk!” He responded with two double vodka cranberries. My man.

The music at Dixie’s was its usually schizophrenic mix of old hip-hop, current top 40 and pro-America anthems, (in other words, more hit than miss) but when you’re getting drinks down at record pace, it’s all palatable to you.

Less than an hour in, we were standing on chairs, singing along and making it rain napkins. To blank stares by some and encouragement from others.

When the “DJ” dropped Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” we started a “USA” chant that seemed to hit right at home with Hokie and Armed Forces sensibilities.

With our drink mission accomplished, the move was Elizabeth Billiards, but before I could even get to my car, I underestimated the wall outside of Dixie’s, tried to jump over and failed. I got up and high-fived the people who saw it like I was a daredevil and not embarrassed ... then jogged to the whip.

I swear EB’s is quickly becoming my very own Cheers. All was good: We were singing along to Toto’s “Africa” and having a good time. Then I asked a girl walking by why she was drinking Natty Ice. She said a dude bought it for her, to which I laughed, “That’s a shitty dude.”

She scoffed, telling me that dude was her boyfriend. My response? "Let’s go talk to him.”

We walk up to bruh and he was one of the people who’d migrated from Dixie’s with us. He laughed, saying it was the cheapest thing, to which other eavesdroppers replied, “What about High Life or PBR?”

He was stuck. She still defended his honor but once she walked away, he laughed and confessed, “I don’t care, that’s not my girlfriend!” to which we all laughed.

Before I left, I got my eyes on a drinks wheel spec the guys behind the bar have in the works. Can’t wait to see how that turns out.