courtesy of xtremefetishparty.com

​​What do we know of the first new year's party? We're talking party: booze, babes, the whole nine. There's evidence that there was some sort of celebration in Mesopotamia, circa 2000 B.C. in mid-March. That could've been wild.

And an epic party might've been thrown by the Romans in 153 B.C. -- when the New Year was moved to January 1. Romans are wild.

But we're going with Pope Gregory XIII in 1583. The previous year he created the calendar as we know it -- the Gregorian calendar, AKA the Western calendar, AKA the "Christian" calendar. So we thank the Pope -- but we do not thank the Pope.

Because of this man, the human race has been desperately trying to make this night as special as the birth of their unborn child  -- through immaculate conception (that would be special, but not necessarily fun). This has been going on for at least 429 years.

So, this year -- for 2012 -- let's stretch our noggins, and not just do something special -- and fun. Let's add something alternative, something crazy to the mix. We offer you the most erotic way to spend this night: Attend the Fetish Factory's New Year's Eve Xtreme Fetish Party.

More >>

​Remember when MTV played actual music, feathered bangs were sexy, and scrunchies were the hottest fashion craze?

Neither do we.

Thankfully Respectable Street is hosting a party to remind people of a time when Jersey Shore was only an area and pop stars didn't need vocal synthesizers to sound good.

The "Totally Tuesdays '80s Music Video Party" is a weekly party that Respectable Street has added to its repertoire of popular parties, like Flaunt Thursdays and Vinyl Fridays.

We got in touch with Kendall Courtney, one of tonight's DJs, and found out what videos they plan to play for the intimate crowd. Check it out after the jump.

More >>

​Brewzzi
2222 Glades Road, Boca Raton.
Call 561-392-2739, or visit here.

Brewzzi sounds like the second name of a rapper. You know, about the time his ego has grown to epic proportions and sometime after said rapper has enjoyed moderate success with his first name. Snide remarks aside, I cracked open the bright-orange menu and was whisked away into a decadent world of enticingly titled drinks (Irish Trash Can Punch? Yes, please). In addition to the brews that keep Brewzzi legit, the place vends a mean Planter's Punch, plenty of margaritas, spicy bloody marys, and something called a Palm Beach Mojito, which is less overpriced than the name implies. In addition, Brewzzi boasts the usual dining-room fare: burgers and salads and pizzas and sandwiches and nothing worth more than a dismissive hand wave. After all, we came for the beer.

More >>

​Bash of Boca
5970 SW 18th St., Boca Raton.
Call 561-447-7171, or visit here.

"What's a 'Brazilian'?" a woman to my left asked.

"It's when they do all of it," her brunet friend replied.

She recoiled. "Ooh, I had that once -- never again. From now on, I just keep things neat down there."

I was seated in the "sports bar" area of Bash: a large, high-ceilinged room at the front of the establishment that is composed of dining tables, a big ol' blocky bar, and flashing flat screens in every direction. I was studying a drink menu.

More >>

​It might be that cocktails are easy to come by. Or it might be that South Florida is difficult terrain to safely navigate while sober. But it's probably just that we fucking love to drink. Because we all love to drink, and because there are so many venues in which to do it, the despots heading up New Times decided we ought to make things easy for our readers.

So we compiled a list of ten good cocktails, some with secret and complicated recipes, some simple and straightforward, all tasty and drunk-inducing. If you derive any pleasure whatsoever from Night Watch, our regularly appearing nightlife column, you should read this now. Consider it your guide to South Florida cocktail-culture. More >>

​Rok:Brgr Burger Bar & Gastropub
208 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale.
Call 954-525-7656, or visit here.

Rok:Brgr is revitalizing the stretch of Himmarshee Village that's home to otherwise boring boozeholes and tired dives. This gastropub vends excellence in the form of sundry beers, potions, bacon-flavored bourbon, and of course, the highly moonshine-shot-soaked cherries. (Backwoods drinking never felt so classy.)

More >>

​Wild Olives by Todd English
5050 Town Center Circle, Ste. 245, Boca Raton.
Call 561-544-8000, or visit here.

Wild Olives by Todd English: The best of Boca's booze-slogging crowd comes out to sip wine, sample flatbread, and shoot the shit. Possibly, they also come to peek at the epic cleavage that belongs to the blond bartender who came limping in shortly after I'd taken a seat at the big wooden bar to stare pensively at the cocktail menu.

"What happened to you?" a regular slouched over his drink asked her immediately.

"They're rough on me here!" The bartender, Anne, laughed and put her crutches down. She was slender with a magnificent rack and the kind of face you can stare at for awkward lengths of time. "I think it's time to quit your part-time wrestling gig," he joked.

More >>

​Absinthe Lounge
5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton.
Call 561-392-4600, or visit here.

"People come in here all the time asking questions about absinthe," said Mike, the dark-haired, black-clad bartender.

"They want to know -- 'Is it legal?' 'Does it really make you go crazy?' "

"Wait, it makes you go crazy?" I asked. (Besides, after a certain amount, doesn't all liquor?)

"People think that drinking absinthe caused Vincent van Gogh to cut off his own ear, but that's all myth," Mike said exasperatedly.

More >>

​Nan's Hideaway Lounge
803 SE Eighth Ave., Deerfield Beach.
Call 954-426-0590.

Nan's Hideaway took me far too long to find. That's because it's located just off Federal Highway in a plaza in which the establishments encircle the parking lot; this hideaway is a modest little building with reddish-orange cursive letters that spell out the name. Inside was a long, narrow room: a jam-packed wooden bar running along one side, a few tables pressed against the wall on the other. Pam, the bartender, sported dark curly hair and a shirt that said "Life Is Good" in sparkly letters.

More >>

​The Rustic Cellar
409 SE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton.
Call 561-392-5237, or visit here.

Dark mauve curtains hung from the huge windows of the Rustic Cellar, and through them I could make out a few couples, seated on circular yellow chairs, talking intimately. Inside smelled like a clean hotel; the room had a long, curving black bar, behind which stood a gargantuan wall unit lined with dozens and dozens of wine bottles. High shelves holding prized wine bottles lined the clay- colored walls; artistic black-and-white photographs covered them. One wall even displayed a pair of artistic, high-res close-ups of a pink flamingo. Orange sconces glowed wanly from the walls, and Rihanna's "What's My Name" played softly in the background.

More >>