BY VICTOR FIORILLO

Tonight is Save The Daiquiri Night at Rum Bar (2005 Walnut Street), which just happens to coincide with my second-ever Weekender Happy Hour, meaning that you can enjoy half-priced (starting at $4) daiquiris, $3 beers, yummy $1 jerk wings, and some extra special stuff for Weekender readers. I’m convinced that this place has some of the best daiquiris and other rum drinks (mojitos, etc) in the city, so come join me and see for yourself. Also, make sure you fill out an entry to win a free pair of tickets (valued at $150) to this weekend’s Hair O’ the Dog party at the Loews Hotel. At 7 p.m., the bartender will pick a winner. See you there!

BY VICTOR FIORILLO

For some reason, at this time of year, people start heating up their alcohol, drinking things like hot toddies. Not me. I prefer to sit back with a nice rummy cocktail and imagine myself on some far-off beach with some Brazilian gal whose name I can’t quite remember. And last week, I found my new favorite place for said rum drinks: the appropriately named Rum Bar.

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BY VICTOR FIORILLO

In case you missed it, Michael Schulson’s much talked-about new project, Sampan, opened on Friday. I strolled in with a friend last night to check out the drink list and was confronted by this ghastly-looking beverage called the Scorpion Bowl (pictured). I can only imagine what Fergie (as in the owner of Fergie’s Pub, Monk’s, etc. — a real man’s man) thought when he glanced over from his nearby seat to see me leaning over the table to suck something that looked like Kool-Aid through a giant pink novelty straw.

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BY VICTOR FIORILLO

Get yourself to Fairmount’s London Grill tonight at 6 p.m. if you want to be one of the first people in Philadelphia to taste Life & Limb, a new beer that results from a collaboration between Delaware’s beloved Dogfish Head Brewery and Sierra Nevada, a true legend in the craft brewing world. (Interesting trivia: the London was one of the first bars in the city to have a Sierra tap, which they’ve had now for 20 years.)

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This Sunday, you have not one but two chances to consume more than your fair share (not that I would ever advocate that, of course). First up is Dirty Frank’s Picnic. In case you’ve been in a hole as dark as Dirty Frank’s for the plast few decades, you should know that DF’s is one of the city’s, er, premier dive bars. It’s windowless, cheap as dirt, and filled with some truly interesting characters. On Sunday morning, said characters (and you, should you be so inclined) will head out on shuttle buses to Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill (pictured to prove we’re not kidding) for lots of food, beer, and general debauchery (an “adult piñata”?). $20 gets you eight hours of activities that will make Monday morning all that much harder. I’d provide a website but there doesn’t seem to be one of any use, so you’ll have to go old school: 215-732-5010.

Meanwhile, up there in Northern Liberties, a neighborhood that many Dirty Frankers roll their eyes when mentioning, the 2009 Best of Philly Local Band (Black Landlord) teams up with the 2009 Best of Philly New Venue (941 Theater) to present the Black Landlord BBQ. $25 gets you tons of locally brewed beer, platefuls of locally prepared food (Standard Tap, Abbaye, and Bar Ferdinand, to name a few), and performances by local bands (including, of course, Black Landlord). Drink up!

Photo by Eric Vath, Fairmount Park Conservancy.

After a few false starts, I finally made it into The Franklin Mortgage & Investment Company. No, it’s not a embattled financial institution, as the name would suggest, but a drinking den in the former Bar Noir space on 18th Street. There’s no sign on the basement-level door, no markings of any kind. And if you try calling the phone number listed on their website, you’ll find that it doesn’t work.

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What to Drink: $6 ginger mojito, half-priced sakes, and $3 Tsingtao

What to Eat: We’ll take Foo’s pork pot stickers or crispy curry chicken dumplings over sliders and wings any day. The bar also does well with sushi — try the unagi maki or veggie rolls.

When to Go: Here’s where it gets just slightly confusing. Dumplings and appetizers are half-price on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; sushi on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and sake on Monday and Wednesday. I say skip the sake and start the weekend off right with a couple of crisp Asian beers, a plate of pot stickers, and an order of sushi, for a grand total of $12 plus gratuity.

Bonus Tip: The Gourmet Kitchen is BYOB on Sundays.

Susanna Foo Gourmet Kitchen, 555 East Lancaster Avenue, Radnor; 610-688-8808.

What to Drink: A $5 white, red, or rosé from their small but well-rounded wine list.

What to Eat: Any of the $5 apps, especially the sizzling mussels if they’re available (and they usually are).

When to Go: Mémé went a bit too literal with this happy “hour” — it’s really only 60 minutes long, from 5:30 to 6:30 Monday through Friday. If you’re smart, you’ll show up on the early side and snag one of the outdoor tables.

Mémé, 2201 Spruce Street; 215-735-4900.

What to Drink: Any of the $7 cocktails, like the simple Sake Lemonade (sake,
lemon, and club soda) or the refreshing Cucumber Cocktail (gin, yuzu, shiso, and cucumber), or $3.50 Kirin Ichiban beer. Yeah, we know these don’t exactly seem like your typical happy hour prices, but this is the Borgata.

What to Eat: Izakaya has one of A.C.’s most consistently good menus, so it’s hard to go wrong, but we have a strong affinity for the pork rib robatayaki, unagi sushi, and mushroom and shiso goat cheese pizza, all $7.

When to Go: The only bad thing about happy hour at Izakaya is that it’s only
on Mondays — perfect if you’re spending a long weekend at the beach.

Izakaya, 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City; 609-317-1000.

What to Drink: $3 Kenzinger drafts or any of the $5 ’80s-themed cocktails

What to Eat: The brand-new (and delicious!) $3 frozen vodka-oyster shooters

When to Go: We like a happy hour that runs seven days a week. The party is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, but show up early, because this bar fills up fast.

Alfa, 1709 Walnut Street; 215-751-0201.