They’re claiming it as the “best shucking happy hour in Central”. And if you’re an oyster lover, that may just be true. Oysters Bar and Restaurant (G/F, 9 Wo On Lane, 2877 9773) is offering a dozen oysters and a bottle of 2004 Sauvignon Blanc for $350. You can choose from Kumamoto, Smoky Bay, or Tasmanian oysters prepared by a four-star chef. Now, that’s worth shelling out for.

The Dublin Jack (1/F, 17 Lan Kwai Fong, 2543 0081) has a range of $98 meal-and-drink deals to keep you sustained throughout the week. Drop in on a Monday for a pie and pint, or swing by on Tuesday to choose any tapas from the menu to match with any of DJ’s six pouring wines. In weekends, the Jack becomes a perfect hangover hangout, serving up an all-day Irish breakfast with Bloody Mary or tea/coffee, or, if you’re looking for something a bit meatier, you can tuck into a roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. All for under $100? Can’t go wrong.

Toss the boss at the new Zest bar and restaurant (57 Wyndham St, Central, 2526 7993) to be in to win free drinks from 5pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday. Then, when you’re done drinking on the lower floor, trot upstairs to take advantage of the fine streetside eats and soak up some of the extensive wine list. Nothing like a little zest to add spice to your life.

Meanwhile, wine bar Bacar (2 Shelley St, SoHo, 2521 8322) is going strong after its first three months of business. Fine wines with low mark-ups are the bar’s specialty, but it’s also got a cheerful happy hour from 3pm to 7pm, offering discount beers and spirits, including $38 draughts and $18 half-pints. More wines are on their way, and a new tapas menu has just been introduced for October.

Still swinging around SoHo? Why not stop by Cochrane’s (46 Cochrane St, 2849 4222) during their “very happy hour” – 3pm to 9pm – to take advantage of wines and draught beer for $25. Or, if you’re looking for something a little stronger, you could do worse than a $38 Pusser’s Rum Painkiller. If you wanna drive the costs of getting sozzled down even further, hike up the hill to the Chill Out Sports Bar on Staunton Street, where all standard drinks are going for $22, and German pilsner Veltins and Carlsbergs are two-for-one all night.

Tequila more your style? El Taco Loco (Lower Staunton St, SoHo, 2522 1329) has just the thing for you: tequila cocktails for $35 (plus 10 percent). Try the Mexicana, Moonraker, Red Face, or the alluring Shady Lady. And if you’ve got a big thirst, we suggest you go for the large jugs, only $148.

A $1,000 prize is at stake in poetry’s version of World Wrestling Entertainment at the Vodka Bar (G/F, 13 Old Bailey St, SoHo 2525 1513). Get along on Thursday, October 19 to hear some of HK’s best poets go stanza to stanza in a literary fight to the figurative death in ‘Vodka Slam – A Night of Performance Poetry’. Entry is free and the opening lines will be uttered at 8pm. Wanna put yourself on stage? Contact Alan Jeffries at aljeffries@gmail.com, or simply show up on the night.

Once you’re done drowning yourself in booze round SoHo, you can pop on down to the recently-opened Marouche (G/F, 48 Cochrane St, 2541 8282), where you can find loads of healthy Middle Eastern food to line your stomach, and a shisha pipe to smoke your mind into a fruity headspace. Then again, you could keep drinking – a full bar is on hand and features the potently delicious aniseed spirit Arak. Drink with care.

Of course, once in a while we all need a break from polluting our systems with alcohol, so it’s nice to know Sinvino, the non-alcoholic bubbly, is there for us in our quieter times. As it turns out, Sinvino now has a promotion running where you can win VIP tickets to Mariah Carey’s Tamar concert on October 28. Buy a four-pack of the fruity drink or order a Sinvino at participating restaurants to get your entry forms. There are also fifty Mariah CDs for lucky winners. Gives new meaning to the words ‘soda pop’.

JJ’s music room at the Grand Hyatt (1 Harbour Rd, Wanchai) will host the Italian Chamber of Commerce’s happy hour on Tuesday, October 10. $50 will get you a free drink, unlimited bar snacks, and a chance to win a lucky draw. Call 2521 8837 for more details.

Lotus (37 – 43 Pottinger St, Central, 2543 6290) is encouraging y’all to get out and drink on the street during these cooler months, and it’s chucking in happy hour specials to help you along the way. From 6pm to 9pm, Monday to Friday, mojito cocktails and pints of Carlsberg will be running at $25 each, and from 6pm to 8pm on those same nights, you can try burnt lemon and vanilla margaritas or pink grapefruit-rose mojitos at discounted prices.

Get some class with your glass at Café Costa (Lane Crawford, Level 3, IFC mall, 2118 7600), where you can nab drink two-for-one from 5pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday, or indulge in sumptuous smoothies in flavours ranging from Electric Mango to Spicy Rum and Passionfruit Daiquiri – all $80 (or two for $80 during happy hour).

La Dolce Vita (9 Lan Kwai Fong, 2186 1888) is springing back to life on October 10 after having an extreme makeover that rendered it dormant for a number of days. Meanwhile, Bar 109 (109 Lockhart Rd, 2861 3336), the bar that has promised to gentrify Wanchai, is in full swing, with foam parties every Saturday night. An excellent way to get wet – but dress down.

Also in Wanchai, the Jim Beam party crew – an enticing trio of buxom beauties – will be roaming the streets on Saturday, October 7 and Saturday, October 14 from 10pm to 1am to promote the ‘Spirit of the Next Generation’. Catch them at Bar 109, Joe Bananas, The Bridge, Chinatown, Big Ernie’s Diner, Swindlers, Typhoon, The Wanch, Delaney’s, Devils Advocate, or Xperience.

Popular Irish bar and restaurant McSorley’s has sprouted a new branch in Discovery Bay. The new location will feature a huge al fresco dining area, decent catering for kids, and a menu of Irish favourites, such as Yorkshire pudding and Sunday roasts. On the drinks side of things, a comprehensive whisky range will complement the many ‘real’ ales on tap, and a substantial wine list. Its multiple big screens means it’ll also be a good place to watch your favourite sports, and live music will be piped into your ears on Tuesday nights and weekend afternoons. That’ll save you a ferry ride to Central.

Phew! That’s thirsty work for a barfly. Might just pop off for a drink...

Congratulations to Maria Christina Bayaua, winner of the Stella Artois Draught Masters 2006, Hong Kong.