“The Perfect Cocktail”
←	HIMYM episode 6x22 (134)	→
First aired: May 2, 2011
Director: Pamela Fryman
Writer: Joe Kelly
Barney's Blog
Images (12)

When Marshall and Barney argue over the destruction of the Arcadian Hotel, Robin and Lily try to mix the right combination of cocktails that will force them to make up. Meanwhile, Ted plans a romantic weekend away with Zoey.

Contents 1 Recap 2 Continuity 3 Gallery 4 Memorable Quotes 5 Notes and Trivia 5.1 Goofs and Errors 5.2 Allusions and Outside References 5.3 Music 5.4 Other Notes 6 Guests 7 Reception 8 References 9 External Links

RecapEdit

Future Ted narrates that when Marshall left GNB to work for an environmental agency, Arthur Hobbs (his boss at GNB) was very supportive and offered to be a reference. However, none of Marshall's job interviews have been going well because Arthur has been secretly badmouthing him behind his back.

Meanwhile at MacLaren's Pub, Barney hands envelopes to the rest of the gang, inviting them to the destruction of the Arcadian to make way for the new GNB headquarters that Ted is designing. Lily asks Ted if it's tough dating Zoey, considering she's trying to stop the project and save the Arcadian. Ted replies that it was until they decided to just ignore it and never talk about it.

Zoey and Marshall soon enter MacLaren's and Zoey reveals that Marshall has joined her to save the Arcadian in order to get back at GNB for screwing his job interviews over.

Barney reacts badly to this news, seeing it as a betrayal considering he got Marshall his job and he is the head of the new GNB headquarters project. The two fight for weeks, trying to ruin each other's lives; Marshall steps in to ruin the one-night-stands Barney tries to have with different girls in MacLaren's while Barney tries to make Marshall sick by doing continually disgusting things like showing him pictures of what he did to his drink, etc. The fighting gets so bad that the gang is kicked out of MacLaren's and another girl that's been eyeing their booth all night moves in to steal it.

Lily and Robin realize the only way the two of them will make up is if they get drunk enough to apologize to each other. They devise a plan to do just that and decide what would be the best drink to do just that, recounting stories of how the different drinks trigger various affects in the gang (e.g. red wine = self-pity for Barney, gin = violence for Marshall, martini = bisexual tendencies for Lily, absinthe = hallucinations for Robin, daiquiris = narcissistic behavior for Marshall, peppermint schnapps = turning into Richard Dawson for Barney, and bourbon = being a great beatboxer for Ted).

Meanwhile, Ted and Zoey are going away on a romantic weekend away and on their drive to Martha's Vineyard, Ted blurts out that Zoey and her obsession with the Arcadian is ruining his life. Ted argues that it is an old, run down building while Zoey believes it is a beautiful landmark. To settle the argument, the two return to New York to spend their romantic weekend away in a run-down room inside the Arcadian. Ted agrees that if Zoey can spend a full night in the Arcadian and still believe it's beautiful, he will join her side.

Although it's clear how neglected the building is, Zoey still claims the building is magnificent. Ted asks her for the real reason she wants to save the Arcadian, and Zoey reveals that she once lived there with her family and doesn't want to lose all those good memories. When the infamous Cockamouse and its babies make an appearance, they get spooked out of the room, but still share pleasant feelings for the place.

Lily and Robin finally get Marshall and Barney together out at a club and the two began a drinking binge over the course of the night for them and they manage to persuade them to forgive each other after they drink a round of beer. But in the morning at The Apartment, the two can't remember anything of the night before, and go back to fighting each other.

However, Ted and Zoey enter and stop Marshall and Barney's fighting when Ted reveals that he's decided to join Zoey's crusade against the Arcadian.

ContinuityEdit

• Barney calls Ted "Teddy Westside", a nickname Ted previously gave himself in Rabbit or Duck.
• Barney reveals he has slept with 283 women (not 250, like Marshall says). 83 is a recurring number in Barney's exploits and statements. Also, the plot of Right Place, Right Time revolved around Barney sleeping with his 200th girl.
• Barney plays pranks on Marshall, similar to the pranks he plays on Clark Butterfield in Milk.
• Lily's bisexuality is shown again when she gets drunk and tries to make out with Robin.
• Ted reveals that Marshall once spent $300 ordering Sasquatch fur online. Marshall's obsession with mythical creatures is a well established part of his character, seen in Monday Night Football, Miracles, Cleaning House and Oh Honey.
• Lily mentions she finds it fun interfering with people's lives. She has done this on several other occasions, such as breaking up several of Ted's relationships in The Front Porch.
• Ted reveals that his weird-reaction-drink is Bourbon, a drink which he previously professed that he used to hate, but now loves in Return of the Shirt.
• The Cockamouse, first seen in Matchmaker, makes another appearance.
• Robin uses the line "Dance for me puppets, dance!" which was first used by Barney in Columns.
• Marshall is shown smoking a cigarette at MacLaren's while hiding from Carl. Future Ted stated in Last Cigarette Ever, the certain events in their lives which cause them to eventually quit for good.
• Barney says that he is B+, like the grade that Marshall's professor at law gave him when they slept together in Aldrin Justice.

GalleryEdit

For a listing of all images on the wiki tagged as being from this episode, see Category:The Perfect Cocktail images.

Memorable QuotesEdit

Future Ted:

Kids, don't drink tequila.

---

Ted:	Can you get STD's from the ghost of a prostitute?

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Barney:

Show me chicken wings!

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Robin:

We need to get these bitches drunk!

---

Lily:

Excuse me waitress? I'll have a mojito and you'll have a no seat ho!

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Robin:

The stink eye walk by? Oh, hell no! I hope this drink isn't teething because it's about to get nursed.

---

Ted:	It's the cockamouse!
Zoey:	What?
Ted:	Half cockroach, half mouse. It must of moved here after our apartment, oh look. It had babies.
Zoey:	You win, let's get out of here.

---

Notes and TriviaEdit

Goofs and ErrorsEdit

Allusions and Outside ReferencesEdit

• During Robin's absinthe flashback, Marshall can be heard saying they can drink "water, soda, purple stuff." This is a reference to an old Sunny Delight commercial.
• Lily says Barney drinking peppermint schnapps turns him to Richard Dawson, particularly his habit in Family Feud of kissing female contestants on the lips.
• Ted brings up the end of the Oprah Winfrey Show and Lily thinks Marshall and Barney should reconcile "like they do on Oprah."
• On planning the Arcadian's demolition, Barney is thinking whether to train a coyote to press the Acme dynamite plunger or hotwire Eddie Van Halen's guitar as the detonator upon hitting a high note.
• During Lily's martini flashback the gang are all dressed like characters from the AMC television series Mad Men.

MusicEdit

• Shine - Lovefreekz (previously played in Okay Awesome)
• Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie No. 1: Lent Et Douloureux" (during Robin and Lily's absinthe hallucinations)

Other NotesEdit

GuestsEdit

• Jennifer Morrison - Zoey Pierson
• Bob Odenkirk - Arthur Hobbs
• Joe Nieves - Carl
• Thomas Fowler - Ben
• Katierose Donohue - Kristen
• Jeff Braine - Kent
• Chase Stockman - Beat Boxer
• Elizabeth J. Carlisle - Beth

Reception Edit

This episode premiered to 6.765 million viewers.^[1]
Zach Handlen at the A.V. Club gave the episode a B-.^[2]
Angel Cohn at Television Without Pity gave the episode a C-.^[3]
Robert Canning at IGN gave the episode an 8 out of 10.^[4] He felt "the hilarity found in Lily and Robin's quest for the perfect cocktail outweighed the drab and typical storyline delivered by Ted and Zoey. I know their relationship is going to end eventually (this season would be good), but the end isn't coming soon enough. Perhaps I'll have to find my own perfect cocktail to help me get through it."

References Edit

External LinksEdit

• The Perfect Cocktail at the English Wikipedia
• The Perfect Cocktail at CBS Press Express.
• The Perfect Cocktail at the Internet Movie Database
• The Perfect Cocktail at TV.com

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