The holiday season means higher-than-usual tourist density in New York City, and naturally, that spike in traffic is due in no small part to your own eager friends and family, who descend on the city for an authentic, fairy-lighted experience of the Big Apple in winter. But after a day at Macy's, an evening at Rockefeller Center, and a dinner somewhere "New York-y," as per their request, where do you, their trusty tour guide by default, take them for a night on the town? Here are a few crowd-pleasers that will still earn you some street cred, whether that crowd involves your boyfriend's distant Uncle Larry, Mom and Dad, long-lost friends who've emerged from the woodwork, hard-to-impress rubberneckers, or your old high school mates. A comprehensive list of the best yuletide boîtes to celebrate the new year - and the best of NYC.

Alphabet City cocktail joint Elsa was a pleasant surprise this past Saturday night, the usual bullshit kept to a minimum while still putting on a bit of a show. People can’t call a place “theirs” unless it has some kind of buzz attached, and I’ll be the first to admit that it’s nice to write home to mom about sitting next to Leonardo Dicaprio from time to time. But isn’t it lovely to alleviate that crick in your neck from all the rubbernecking, pop into a place that doesn’t require lists or ropes, and still feel rather discerning about where you’ve chosen to spend your Saturday night? Elsa wasn't a waste of time or an outfit.

NY's homegrown rock legends show us around town

Name: Alice Urmey Professional Resume: BlackBook intern and NYC newbie.
 One Word to Describe Nightlife in New York City: Fascinating.

● Painkiller (Lower East Side) - Tiki den tagged by the Dutch Kills crew. Nothing's more hardcore than an artisanal umbrella drink on fire. ● Cienfuegos (East Village) - Cuban rum bar from Mayahuel/Death & Co vet seduced by pink couches, sugarcane.

Every day is Cinco de Mayo for tequila expert and California native Jaime Salas. We asked the Milagro tequila ambassador for tips on how to honor Cinco de Mayo like a pro, just as he was rushing out to pick up rhubarb for later on tonight (it was, of course, tequila related).

Here at BlackBook, we pay a lot of attention to where cool customers go out -- bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels, you name it. So why not flip the frame and let you see where we go out? Here's a periodically updated, exhaustive list of hotspots currently favored by everyone at BlackBook, from the mighty bosses down to the humble interns, from the charming local lounges around the corner to the jet-setting temples of luxe living. ● Creative Director - Jason Daniels, The Odeon (NYC) -American Psychos down salmon and steak frites, but the real scene's on the sidewalk. ● Vice President, Content - Chris Mohney, Agua Dulce (NYC) - Festive outpost feels like Miami, F-L-A.

Variety is key when you are testing the waters of love and lust. To some, love is motivated by how fat one's pocketbook is. To others, it's based on where one is able to get a reservation at peak time on a Friday night. Whether your leading lady is a tastemaker with a tiny appetite, or your gent is a sucker for the sauce, there’s a hotspot that’s all the bang for your buck, and a watering hole that may just lead to a bang.

● Mayahuel (East Village) - Cocktail connoisseurs of Death & Co. build a tequila tabernacle to namesake goddess of pulque and agave. Dark, sexy atmo coupled with the smart pours will have you sinning and confessing, alternately. ● La Esquina (Nolita) - Bar scene with authentic Mexican food from über-scenesters Serge and Cordell. Dungeon chic and tacos. Not as stealth as at the start, but still holding its own. ● Los Feliz (Lower East Side) - Fat Baby peeps continue their colonization of Hell Square with South of the Border entry. La Esquina meets Spitzer's over margaritas. Come get feliz.

The beer cocktail is the drink of the season -- a love-child of heat and the bad economy. Mixologists (or "bar chefs," if you must) are taking the beery punch and running with it. There's no better way to soothe cranky, sweaty city dwellers living off less money than last year. Beer 'tails are not new inventions. Our limey friends have enjoyed the shandy (beer and lemonade) for generations. In Mexico the michelada (beer, hot sauce, lime juice, and salt) was popularized in the 1940s. And let's not forget the basest of the beer cocktails, the boilermaker, although it does tend to lead to plenty of forgetting. The beer cocktails of the modern era are more refined than their coarse predecessors. Sexed-up with ingredients like coffee, spices, liquors, and juices, the flavors this summer are sophisticated and palate-pleasing. Mixologist/owner Philip Ward of Mayahuel came up with El Jimador's Shifty, a blend of pineapple mezcal, Negra Modelo, lime, and cayenne pepper. "Like a lot of good beer cocktails it's spicy and refreshing, which is a great combination," says Ward. Skip the Two Buck Chuck for your next dinner party and make up some of these instead. Your guests will be happily buzzed, and you might still save a buck or two.