Last week I received a present from the "wine fairy," a.k.a. a friend of mine who works and has stake in a fledling vineyard in Haymarket, Virginia. That's the kind of mail I really like getting from the delivery guy - the kind you have to be 21 years old to sign for!

Midnight Sun's hosting a fun fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity on Monday, so "Celebrate Summer with Midnight Sun" for a good cause. Tickets are $75 and there aren't many left, so call 907-272-0800 if you want one. More details can be found online here. Cheers!

Today is a good day - primarily because everyone had a nice dose of sushine yesterday, but also because tonight kick's off a weekend of fun festivities for party people in Anchorage.

Rain, rain, go away...

Um, wow. Thanks to a friend I just found out about the best summertime idea ever. Heck, possibly the best idea for any season! Just think -- Aces games, roller derby, your nephew's eighth grade production of "Oliver Twist" -- it's all about to get much more entertaining for the ladies....

Check out the full story on how to, ahem, enhance your nightlife and your figure at the same time with the Wine Rack.

Happy Bastille Day, Anchorage! Although I'm not French, I love the culture (especially the wine) and have a very special place in my heart for this summertime celebration, primarily because it's toasted in such style at one of my favorite wine haunts, Jens' Restaurant.

The French national holiday is celebrated on 14 July each year.
So enjoy this le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July) and raise a glass to wine, fine dining, and a great rest of the week. A votre sante!

DBC
This weekend the Talkeetna-based brewery, the Denali Brewing Company, hosts a 1st Anniversary Celebration on Saturday. If you're in the area, it's an event not to be missed! Starting at noon, music by locals like Caleb Aronson and the Denali Cooks keep the party going late into the night - plus, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alaska Red Cross. Win win!

Hi all, just a few updates for the week (and soon-to-be weekend!). First, the potent email newsletter Ardent Spirits has created a new website highlighting the best bartenders around -- in every corner of the globe.

Red, White and Blue, Wahoo!
Happy impending three-day weekend as well for those of you who get Monday off. It's also Canada Day today, so what better way to celebrate our northern neighbors (well, northeastern anyway) than to start off the weekend with some fun new cocktail recipes?

Karaoke Yeah!Attention nightlifers - this just in! Last week I got to judge the weekly karaoke contest at The Woodshed Lounge, and I discovered that it was more than your usual Wednesday night competition.

Today's blog is a response to a reader's question and some additional tips on summertime "green" nightlife. TashaVallejo wrote: "what about communities like Dutch [Harbor] that have no recycle ability what do they do? who can they talk to?" as a comment to my Recycling story a few weeks ago.

Museum time
Hi nightlifers, today's the first Friday in June and since (crossing fingers) it's going to be nice out, the local galleries and restuarants should be hopping. There are several neat nightlife-oriented events as part of tonight's celebration, and I've listed a few of my personal suggestions below. Cheers!

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Sleeping Lady Brewing "First Flight"

Where: The Snow Goose (upstairs), 737 W. Third Ave.

SATC Fans, Start Your Shakers....

In anticipation of the release of Sex and the City 2 Somer Perez of The Empire Lobby Bar in New York City created this fabulous cocktail as a part of a specialty cocktail menu. And.... it includes a Pinot Noir topper. Which is why it's named after my favorite character. (Because, let's face it.... Aidan again? Really, Carrie? Really?)

The Miranda

Ingredients:
2 oz Bluecoat Gin
1 oz Lemon Puree
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 oz Lillet Blanc
2 oz Pinot Noir

Preparation:

I've been obsessed with trying some of the headier, lunch-in-a-glass brews at the Spenard Roadhouse lately after one of my acquaintances said the Oatmeal Stout tasted to good to share (darn him). Anyway, perusing the Internet I found a great cocktail recipe (with a similarly great name) that I thought would be perfect to use with any of the darker brown ales serves at the Roadhouse, Moose's Tooth or Glacier Brewhouse. Let me know how it works out for you!

DJ JamesOn Saturday after a friend's birthday party we stood in a group contemplating where to head next for some downtown nightlife fun. One friend suggested Rumrunners, and while it wasn't the most popular suggestion, it was eventually agreed upon.

WCW DesignMay 13 marks the official "World Cocktail Day," kicking off World Cocktail Week (WCW) and celebrating the original definition of the cocktail in The Balance and Columbian Repository on this date in 1806.

Celebrate however you like, but here are some interesting factoids and places to garner some more spirited information. Salud!

The next few weeks include a bevy of beverage-related events from the Kentucky Derby to Cinco de Mayo to the official World Cocktail Week -- and as luck would have it, I'm going on vacation! To help you out and hopefully tide you over until I return (with a ton of most likely annoying posts about awesome nightlife and cocktails I found in the Bahamas), I've posted some pertinent resources below for your informational pleasure.

Salud!

The Queens Country Farm Museum has begun its first wine crop -- highlighting the New York borough's first official winery. Find out more at the Queens NYC About.com site, or on ABC News.

FB Baby

Er, at least I hope you do. ;) On Facebook, that is! Lush Life has officially created its own fan page. Check it out and tell your friends: facebook.com/play.lushlife.

Green options for beer, wine and liquor at greenoptions.com.

Check out this wikiHow article on ways to recycle wine bottles.

Big on boxed wine? Check out these tips on recycling the bladders from RecycleThis.co.uk.