Is The Spare Room the best new bar in L.A.? Quite possibly. The latest nightlife destination inside the tricked-out Roosevelt Hotel debuted to the public on Wednesday night after private holiday events last month, and it’s shaping up to be a hit in 2011. The curious mezzanine-level find is an early 20th century-inspired, gaming-themed lounge, far away from the hotel’s other bars (see the new Beacher’s Madhouse, Library Bar, Teddy’s, and the hotel’s Tropicana Bar). “It’s an upscale gaming parlor that recalls the private basement bars people like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers once had in their homes,” Thompson Hotels’ Director of Entertainment Med Abrous explained last year, regarding his latest endeavor inside the Roosevelt.

Chris Morris knows his bourbon. And if you drink Woodford Reserve, he knows yours too. The master distiller for the super-premium small-batch bourbon samples about 150 barrels of it a week. But while the quality of what's in your glass is a distiller's main responsibility, the job has evolved since Brown-Forman, the company that produces Woodford Reserve and a host of other spirits, made America's first bottled bourbon in 1870. For example, ten minutes before the start of the Kentucky Derby, Morris, whose accent confirms his status as a lifelong Kentuckian, was on NBC showing Bob Costas how to make the $1,000 mint julep (the proceeds went to charity) using ingredients like ice from the Arctic Circle, mint from Morocco and sugar from the South Pacific.

Entourage is back for the sixth season, and Vince and his boys do Los Angeles like no one else can. While not as concerned with flaunting their reservations (that's so New York), the LA backdrop plays an integral role in the show, proving that they frequent the newest and hottest joints that La La Land has to offer. Between business lunch bites, and late nights, here are the latest, if not greatest LA hot spots, approved by Vinny, E, Turtle, Drama and the rest of his entourage.

Tough times call for tough measures. Like toughing it out in Los Angeles five o’clock traffic going from the West Side to the East Side. For those of you who live somewhere else, this is a painfully dull, slow-moving slog wherein you lose an hour of your life trying to get 11 miles away. Why suffer? Well, we decided on a whim to try out recessionista happy hour at ultra beautiful retro bar The Edison. From 5 to 7 p.m., "Friday Soup Kitchen" offers a 35-cent cocktail and complimentary grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (25 percent of the proceeds go to local food banks and charities).

Don't Sleep On It: When the new burlesque movement was at its peak, Velvet Hammer creator Michelle Carr reigned supreme. After a two-year stint in Berlin, Carr’s since put her titty tassels away (having just finished working on a Velvet Hammer retrospective book) and reemerged in the City of Angels. She’s about to make a mini-comeback of sorts as the opening act of a newish night called Telekinesis: The Magic Cabaret, a monthly event that runs next Tuesday and Wednesday evening at the Celebrity Theatre.

The native Angeleno and self-made nightlife poobah shares his thoughts on downtown business, celebrity joints, and his movement into the art world.

Our experts take you to school

Over on the Mixology safari brought to you by BlackBook and Grey Goose, today's expedition once again concerns the best in New Year's Eve cocktails at the coolest pads in New York and Los Angeles. Monday's entry from the ranks of The Pros: Aidan at LA's The Edison decants a fine Mistress for your pleasure.