Candy Cane Cocktail

A holiday season concoction from Valentine Vodka in Ferndale.

Last Call

It's closing time for the Fifth Quarter nightclub in downtown Ann Arbor. The troubled establishment at 210 S. Fifth Ave. officially has shuttered its doors after a string of problems. Fights, assaults by staff and incidents of over-serving customers prompted Ann Arbor officials to ask owners and management to stem the problems last year. With calls for police service as of late October running at twice the number recorded in all of 2009, Ann Arbor officials filed a lawsuit in November against the business and the owners of the building that houses it. A college student from Livonia also recently filed a lawsuit saying that at least two bouncers at the club severely beat and choked him last year, then threw him out on the street while he was unconscious. The owner of the building today confirmed he's throwing in the towel and closing the nightclub and selling it to a new owner. Read the story here.

Say Goodbye

Sending off AnnArbor.com superstars Amalie Nash, Stefanie Murray and David Jesse in style at Conor O'Neils Irish Pub on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor Friday night. The highlight of the night was Geoff Larcom's roast of Amalie and Stefanie. Watch it here.

One Night In Gainesville

A casual birthday night out with the good folks of Gainesville, Fla., is punctuated by a high-stakes game of Jenga, a contest requiring superior mental power as well as the ability to maintain basic motor skills while intoxicated.

Lady Blah Blah

Vinal

Stein Haus

Bar Louie

Bartender, Please

I rang in the New Year in style this year with friends at the BlackFinn Restaurant & Saloon in downtown Royal Oak, Mich. Somewhere between drinking IPAs and hitching a ride home in the back seat of a complete stranger's car, I took lots of pictures to document the night, including this one of the bartender pouring some brew for a thirsty patron.

Happy Hour

Note to self: When going out for drinks with co-workers for the first time (people you just met two or three weeks beforehand) don't bring your new camera and use them as guinea pigs while you try to practice shooting without flash in low light. Especially try to avoid this when drinking beers with extremely high alcohol content. Unless you like getting middle fingers and mean glares.