Albert Trummer is the Austrian bar chef and brains behind Chinatown operation Apothéke. With business-minded partner Heather Tierney, Trummer serves his liquid medicine from behind the bar to an eager clientele night after night at the booming corner spot on Doyers Street. While growing up in his family's restaurant in Austria, Trummer learned his way around the bar and turned his father's private club into a booming hotspot at the age of 15. He's since worked for the likes of David Bouley, the Chambers Hotel, Home Bar on Shelter Island, and 60 Thompson. The master mixologist speaks about who does nightlife best, the apothecary premise and his plans for the future. And for a special video clip, he even mixes up his famous flaming inferno beverage for BlackBook's Cayte Grieve and Eiseley Tauginas.

Where do the dancing girls of publicly traded flesh palace Rick's Cabaret like to hang when they aren't putting themselves through school? Sure, you saw the stripper interviews yesterday, but wouldn't you rather get intimate with the source material? After the jump, the Rick's lovelies page throuh our "notes" regarding where the ladies kick it when they're not working the pole. Can you get a Pulitzer for blue balls?

Everyone's got an office. For Mario Batali, it's the kitchen; for LeBron James, the court. And for BlackBook staffers, it's an actual office. But for the girls who work at Rick's Cabaret and Steakhouse, the office is something entirely different. It's the stage-to-ceiling brass pole, or the giddy lap of an Asian salaryman. But when daily tasks include gyrating your hips to a T-Pain banger or sipping bubbly with VIPs in the champagne room, what space does that leave for a regular nightlife? Last week, after a long day at our office (be sure to check out the raw source material), we decided to visit theirs to fulfill our journalistic duty by asking them the essential question: Where do you like to go out in New York?

Over a year ago, the first legal absinthe since before Prohibition made its way to New York. Now, its omnipresence -- whether of the variety that’s true to the original or not -- has inspired plenty of noteworthy concoctions. As to the supposed hallucinogenic properties of the liquor, those remain a hotly debated topic, but head to any of these spots and, at the very least, you can try and blame any unruly behavior on your legal drug use.

10. Bookmarks in the Library Hotel (Midtown East) - An absinthe cocktail named after famed author and absinthe-lover Oscar Wilde is great. Blitzes of Midtowners looking for their after-work alcohol fix? Not so much. With that in mind, head to Bookmarks on the later side for some cozy digs and a fireside Oscar Wilde.
9. Employees Only (West Village) - Party like it’s 1920 as you sip on your Martinez -- made with gin, maraschino liqueur, bianco vermouth, and dashes of absinthe bitters -- at the perpetually packed Prohibition era-inspired spot.
8. The Eldridge (Lower East Side) - Who needs Rose Armand de Brignac Champagne when you can have tableside absinthe service? All you need now is a way in and someone to foot the exorbitant bill.

Over on our Mixology site in the Pros section, we asked the hottest bartenders in New York and Los Angeles to whip up a specialty cocktail while describing their perfect New Year's Eve. Check out Darryl Robinson -- a.k.a. "Dr. Mixologist" -- as he creates the Hudson Pear at his home base of NYC's Hudson Bar. Here he tells us about cruising the NYC bar scene and his preference for beautiful people, clothes, and cocktails in combination.

What do you do? What do you drink? I’m a bartender and also the in-house mixologist, so I helped create the cocktail list that you’ll see at the Hudson Bar. I also entertain the guests at the bar with my wonderful bartending skills. I am by nature a vodka drinker. I realized earlier on that it was probably one of those things that didn’t give me a hangover. Vodka is simple, it’s easy, and it’s clean. I like vodka martinis and vodka on the rocks with a squeeze of lemon, vodka on the rocks with a splash of cranberry. I don’t really like to put too much in there, so anything I add is usually a splash. I never want to cover up the taste of vodka too much.

Heather Tierney, apothecary-at-large for Chinatown destination Apothéke on comparisons to Amy Sacco, being the bad twin, and dealing with Chinese landlords.

Have people compared you to Amy Sacco? Admittedly yes, and I am honored. She is giant in this business. I might know 1% of the people she knows, so it is flattering for someone to say I am like her.

Where have you been going out? I like small places that have an identity. I like La Esquina ... I think that place is brilliant. It's completely original, and it still holds up. It will be there a long time and the food is excellent. I like this place in Williamsburg called Moto. It's in this old check-cashing shop. It’s a random location in the middle of nowhere. They made a great Parisian bistro/bar with great details. It's just so charming. Sometimes they have a band, and you have to walk through the band to enter.

In an ocean of end-of-year lists, I’ll put my three cents in:

Best Clubs: I don’t think you can compare Mr. Black at Rebel to Rose Bar, so I’ll list them both as the best. So it’s Rose Bar, Mr. Black at Rebel, Cielo, 1Oak, Santos’ Party House, Lit, Apothéke, and that Korean joint named Circle. Maybe some people go to more than one or two of these, but I feel comfortable at them all and think these are the joints. Not only are they all committed to excellence, but they also achieve it very often.

Chris Santos of the Stanton Social on his love of dives, Apothéke owner Heather Tierney, and why thinking too much detracts from dining.

Where do you go out? Well, I’m kind of a dive bar kinda guy both in drinking and for eating. I mean, I obviously enjoy a good Jean Georges or Per Se as much as the next guy, but I like sort of the hole in the wall-y kind of places. One I really love a lot is in Brooklyn. It’s called Franny's. It’s on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. A really simple rustic Italian, you know, wood-coal pizza and great appetizers and a beautiful garden in the back. On the outskirts of Park Slope basically, near the Manhattan Bridge. I’m a big fan of Back Forty, which is a small little bistro on 12th Street and Avenue B that does just a really outrageous burger and great roast chicken, and you know, simple crispy nuggets and simple, simple rustic comfort food. I’m a sucker for Strip House on 12th and University. It’s like my favorite steakhouse in the city. There’s a lot of crushed red velvet, bordello-y kind of vibe. And they’ve got great wine, and their steaks are, bam! They do a great job with their steak sauce. I go there monthly.

A sultry blonde in a slinky black dress propositions me. The penthouse at the Gild Hall in Manhattan's financial district is teeming with young, symmetrical men and women who have gathered for The New York Society's "Town & Country" party, but for some reason, this one singles me out. For a Canadian, the idea of meeting a mysterious Manhattanite in a boutique hotel-cum-house party, dashing away from the festivities, and finding a secret alcove for Marlboro smoking is about as exotic as it gets. The cigarettes will eventually lead to exposed skin, an exchange of cards, and a blurry train ride home. Unfortunately, all she wants is the cigarette. I unwittingly oblige, and find comfort in the dirtiest martinis this side of the East River.

It's the weekend eve. Thursday night hotspots, just for thee.

1. 1Oak (Chelsea) - Cool rules the door at this lavish new hot spot.
2. The Eldridge (Lower East Side) - Most popular bookstore on the block is a hit for the kids who don't read and write so good.
3. BEast (Chinatown) - Santos peeps take over the stealth joint beneath Broadway East.