Cocktail hour: Pinewood Social

33 Peabody St, Nashville

The view: Lazing back on a lounger sipping a very boozy slushie under a sun umbrella, my view mainly consisted of people doing likewise.

It was a stinking hot day in Nashville and more than a few of the hip clientele had left their cocktails on the little tables beside their loungers while they cooled off in one of the patio’s dipping pools.

With its sun umbrellas and bright green astroturf there’s a definite resort vibe to the garden areas. If I’d wanted to hide from the sun, there was plenty of space inside the cavernous, industrial-looking, restaurant/bar areas.

But I was out of luck when it came to activities as all Pinewood Social’s bowling alleys — yes, bowling alleys — were in use when I visited.

The vibe: You may be thinking that it all sounds a bit of a novelty with its bowling alley and pools. And, I guess, it is. But it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

Its 50s retro hipster style is on-trend and the food and booze all craft-orientated. This makes Pinewood Social a very cool place to hang out.

The chat: Was mixed. When I arrived I had no idea what was going on or where to go but the very nice maitre d’ pointed out the various bars and areas. However, the hipster bartender mixing drinks from the garden’s retro caravan bar was clearly in no mood to chat. It was a herculean effort just to find out what the house specialty cocktail was.

The menu: I arrived after lunch, a state of affairs I regretted almost immediately. The food looked and smelled amazing. With speciality menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and a dedicated poolside menu, you really don’t want to eat before arriving.

But I was here for their famed craft cocktails and it was hard to choose. Ultimately, however the Vanilla Mule, Spiced Mojito and Whiskey Smash all lost out to the house specialty; a Frosé.

The expectation: I really didn’t know what to expect. The ingredients listed rosé, grapefruit, pisco and strawberry and the barkeep had told me it was a frozen cocktail.

As mentioned it was a crazy hot day so a boozy slushie sounded pretty good to me. The reality: Fortunately, the Frosé was super-delicious and far stronger than those humble ingredients suggest. I had a definite buzz on by the time I slurped up the last bit of melted icy goodness from my chilled mug. Pinewood Social’s slogan is “A place to be morning, noon or night” and it truly has all the bases covered.