SantaCon 2012: The Bar Crawl to End All Bar Crawls

This past Saturday SantaCon hit NYC by storm. Thousands of Santas roamed all over Manhattan hitting up as many of the 60 participating bars as they could. Though most of the participants wore the standard santa suit, there were also tons of elves, presents, trees and toy soldiers.  I personally love to see the hand made originals, like this awesome tree.

And although you may think santacon is just an excuse for twenty somethings to wake up and drink all day (I mean yes, this is a large part of it) almost 7,000 lbs of canned foods were collected for local food banks and $45,000 was donated to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.


SantaCon is not limited to New York.  Hoboken will be having its SantaCon this coming weekend on Saturday Decemeber 22.  See this website for more info. http://santacon.info/Hoboken-NJ/
We will already be out of town for Christmas but if you're around and participate in the festivities, tweet  us @drinkingitallin or tag us in your instagram @5oclockinhoboken and show us your costume!

Pilsener Haus & Biergarten Hoboken

    The Pilsener Haus & Biergarten, at 1422 Grand Street, is a fairly new Hoboken bar establishment, but definitely one that's here to stay.  Sit outdoors in the summer, or inside the huge hall at long wooden tables with other bar goers and get to know someone new!  With over 20 imported German drafts, in 1/2 L, Liter and Pitcher sizes (I recommend going big with the Liter) and 50 European and American craft beers to choose from, you won't be disappointed. I've enjoyed the Palm for those who like something a little darker but not too heavy,  the Spaten Dunkel which is dark, rich and nutty and the Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen, a lighter fruity flavor.  Or if you really can't decide, you won't go wrong with the Pilsener Haus Original! (They do offer tastings of the draft beers free of charge). The menu has a lot to choose from, whether you order from the waitress or hit up the grill. They have everything from Bavarian pretzels to bratwurst, and it all tastes deliciously authentic.  
      
   And most importantly, Prost to 1/2 off Tuesdays! (That's Cheers in German).  Tuesday night is 1/2 off all drinks and food, so we decided to check it out.  I got a liter of the Palm for 6.50, and the Weisswurst (veal sausage) which came with sauerkraut and fries for 5.  It could not have been a better way to spend a Tuesday night; in the company of friends drinking beer and eating great food in the cozy atmosphere of the beer garden.

http://www.pilsenerhaus.com/

A Marty O'Brien's Kind of Weekend

Marty O'Brien's (94 Bloomfield) has quickly become one of our favorite bars to go to on Friday and Saturday nights, and one of the main reasons is because we can't get enough of DJ Watts. If you haven't heard him spin, you're missing out on his mix of Avicii, Ingrosso, Rihanna and an ongoing list of the most popular house and rap music out now.  In addition to some great beats, MOB's has a friendly staff of bartenders and bouncers as well as a crowd that likes to have fun.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marty-OBriens/251523251546463

Maxwell's Martini Thursday

Thursday night included a venture out and down the street to Maxwell's on the corner of 11th and Washington. It's a cozy spot that regularly features new art from local artists on its walls and is a popular music venue.  You can check their website out for upcoming shows. http://www.maxwellsnj.com/shows.html

As for the $5 martini Thursday, we especially enjoyed the Mojito, which had a nice kick of lime, the Flirtini and the Pretzel, great for chocolate lovers.