Tastings Wine Bar (B/F, Yuen Yick Building, 27 and 29 Wellington Street, Central, 2523 6282), newly opened in July, is a wine-lover’s haven, with a vast selection of 160 fine wines, 40 of which
can be rotated for tasting in an Italian-designed wine-serving system. Surrounded by fridges displaying over 900 bottles of wine, guests can choose a quick taste, a half glass or a full glass, at the press of a button. To complement the wine, Tastings also offers a snack menu of cold cuts, cheeses, and olives. Santé!

Newly renovated, C3 (15/F, Henry House, 42 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, 2838 2414) is a modern whisky and cigar lounge. Apart from the extensive whisky selection, the bar serves signature cocktails that include the Green Phantom ($74) – gin, melon, sake, 7Up, soda, and cucumber – the Pink Crystal ($74) which is made up of rum, sake, rose, syrup, and soda and the Glen Amoka ($78), a whisky cocktail with peach liqueur, grenadine, pineapple juice and Glenmorangie. And if you think yourself a bit of a whisky connoisseur, feel free to discuss your tipple with the friendly in-house sommelier. Meanwhile, four floors above, Census (19/F, Henry House, 42 Yun Ping Road, Causeway Bay, 3110 2290), a contemporary champagne bar, has also recently taken on a new face. The drinks menu concentrates on bubbly champagne and posh champagne cocktails such as the strawberry bellini ($105) and James Bond ($105) – a shake-up of Belvedere, a sugar cube, and Angostura bitters topped with champagne and not stirred; and signature cocktails like Kimura Taknya ($96), a mix of vanilla vodka, vanilla ice cream and milk with Wasabi powder.

You might have to think twice about The Mark Six or the lottery but there couldn’t be a safer bet than Sky Lounge’s (15/F, Hotel Nikko, 72 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, 2313 4245) new summer promotion lasting till the end of August. The last digit of your HKID card number is the exact percentage of discount you will get on your drinks, so, whether your number is 1 or 9, you’ll still be getting slightly cheaper drinks. Now, that’s another reason to be a proud HKID card holder! Unless, of course, you have a 0, in which case you should maybe stick to the Mark Six.

The Globe (39 Hollywood Road, Central, 2543 1941) is hosting the 3rd Pub Olympics throughout this month. Customers have the chance to compete in several adrenaline-pumping pub sports, like the Marathon, in which competitors down three litres of beer, or the Relay, where they have to drink a shot, a half pint followed by a pint, or even the Eat-A-Bag-Of-Crisps-The-Fastest race. Break The Globe’s Olympic records to make it to the infamous Wall of Shame and win prizes the bar has on offer. There is no entry fee – simply pay for all the drinks you down!

The Wonderful Worlds Whampoa, with its big concrete ship and identical buildings, has gotten a splash wetter with the opening of the new bar V King Lounge (Hung Hom ferry pier, Hung Hom, 2330 6226) three months ago. A small place in a surreal world it’s located on the Hung Hom ferry pier with a view of the harbour. The bar serves all the normal drinks from draught beer to Piña Colada, as well as international snacks, such as fish and chips ($48) or pan-fried dumplings ($38). Decks of cards are on hand for game addicts and happy hours runs till 9pm.

In the Luxury Reborn Exhibition (Gallery Three, 3 Upper Station Street, Central, 2517 8787), Belvedere showcases world-renowned photographer Wing Shya’s Mumbai photography series this month. The exhibition features shots of Belvedere’s Jagger Dagger, an ice pick designed by Jade Jagger which was first launched in Mumbai, pictures of some of Mumbai’s most glamorous Bollywood stars and shots of the city’s scenic beauty. During the exhibition, visitors are welcome to sample some of Belvedere’s unique cocktail creations for free at a Belvedere Bar open from 6-8pm.

Go red, white, pink or sparkling this summer with Berry Bros. And Rudd’s (307-308, L3, Lee Gardens, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, 2907 2112) new fruit-based wines and champagnes collection that claims to be perfect for the hot and humid months. Their new range of white wines consist of a 2004 Chardonnay, Alana Estate ($279/bottle), which is a mixture of peach, almond and citrus blossom aromas, and the 2003 Van Blauem Schiefer Dry ($224/bottle), a Mosel mix combining hints of melon and pear. Their new red wines are the 2006 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir ($224/bottle), which has plum and strawberry aromas and cherry flavours, and the 2005 Yarra Yering Dry Red No 1 ($469/bottle). The latest Rosé is a 2004 Le Rosé du Ch Haut-Bailly with aromas of berries, citrus and grapefruit and flavours of strawberry. Finally, the Berry’s UKC champagne ($271/bottle) blends Chardonnay with Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru villages in the Montagne De Reims.