“Is a spritz a girlie drink?” I asked Sydney, by far Registry Tampa Bay’s youngest team member, hoping (assuming) she would pick up on the mischief in my voice. Sydney paused, considered, and replied, “Yes,” with a smile.

It was Sydney’s idea to feature spritzes in this edition of Friday Booze Fight. We needed her on hand for expertise. I drink Bud Light — and while Bud Light is arguably the spritz of beers, I had no experience with spritzes themselves.

We scheduled a group girlie-drink excursion for Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Sorsi Waterfront Lounge, a spritz-centric bar on Harbour Island in Tampa. Then things got complicated. Sorsi was closed — something to do with a massive military convention downtown. Sydney saved the day by pivoting to Buchette Spritz Bar on Davis Islands. We arrived at 4:30, just as the place was opening. My plan: Sample a few spritzes and rank them.

A HOLE IN THE WALL (IN THE NICEST POSSIBLE WAY)

Buchette, derived from the Italian “buchetta,” roughly translates to “little hole.” This serving window on Davis Boulevard is a side hustle of Oggi Italian Restaurant, which sits next door. Our group of six mingled out front as I decided which spritzes to try.

Buchette has a fundamental difference from many other spritz bars: Because it only has a beer-and-wine license, it cannot serve liqueurs, which meant no Aperol, which meant no Aperol Spritz, which sparked the current spritz craze in the first place.

Buchette offers a simulacrum called the Amaro, which subs in a more wine-based alternative for Aperol. Along with the Amoro, I selected the Lavender Haze and the Lychee. Our bartender, Sarah, informed us that it was Happy Hour, so each of them cost $6, half-price.

The rest of our group ordered their own spritzes. We got a lot.

PUTTIN’ ON THE SPRITZ — OR DOING OUR BEST

Raindrops began to fall, so we adjourned to a large table under a roof in a breezeway to the side. The rain intensified and a series of brief downpours caused quite a racket above us.

We didn’t mind. The temp was in the mid-80s. The scene had a Europe-meets-Florida vibe, and proved a charming stage-setter for our drinks.

Buchette delivers its libations by placing them in a small window in the breezeway. A cute touch. It didn’t take long for Sarah to call out my name. I gathered my trio of spritzes and took photos.

The ice was melting — fast. I sampled my spritzes amid a torrent of amiable jabbering. It was hard to keep track. With each passing minute they became more diluted.

FINALLY, A TASTE TEST

More than an hour after we first sat down — with Bonnie, Sydney and me the only ones remaining — we decided it was best to get another round. That would allow me (we) to more closely concentrate on the flavors. It was 5:45, still Happy Hour.

Time to rank them. Don’t expect much in the way of flavor descriptions.

1 — Lavender Haze (wine-based “vodka,” lemonade, lavender, soda)

With an overall floral vibe, a hint of alcoholic punch and a lemon wedge, this one elegantly blended sweet and tart.

2 — Lychee (Prosecco, sweet vermouth, lychee syrup, soda)

Had a nice tropical flavor; a lychee bulb floating in the liquid added an exotic touch.

3 — Amaro (Prosecco, Amaro, soda)

It tasted … vague. I detected a general sourness. The orange slice helped some. Sydney summed it up: “That’s not an Aperol spritz.”

Overall Takeaways

I’m not sure how much my spritz excursion was compromised by the absence of liquor from Buchette’s menu. I found the drinks refreshing, ideal for summer, especially outdoors.

But overall, they didn’t have near the alcoholic bite that I like. Which makes sense — a spritz being a girlie drink and all. (When I’m not drinking Bud Light, I’m inclined toward brown liquor with a tiny bit of ice.) I didn’t keep track of how much spritz I consumed; it seemed quite a lot. I ended up with a light, pleasant buzz. (Bonnie drove.) I opened a Bud Light as soon as we got home.

One thing is indisputable: We had a terrific time.

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I am not identifying the people in the photo below in order to protect their anonymity. It’s not out of the question that one or two of them is in the witness protection program.