A diverse array of drinkers stops by for a cold one every night at the Anodyne. No matter what social clique you belong to or what your beverage of choice is, the staff at the Anodyne makes sure you get it fast. It only takes a few visits before the bartenders know what you want before you even ask for it.2) O’Niell’s Pub, 3) Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Bob: The High Life Best Dive Bar
Technically speaking, a dive bar indicates an establishment of ill repute. Furthermore, while we’re being technical, Burt’s Tiki Lounge is a tiki bar. In any case, however rough around the edges it may be, we think Burt’s is one of the city’s finest places to wet one’s whistle, and so do you. Plus, the bartenders make an excellent Mai Tai.2)Atomic Cantina, 3) Anodyne Pool Hall and Cocktails
Bob: The High Life Best Gay Bar
For first place this year, Alibi readers selected two great, gay flavors of great, gay bars; ASC is a private club with a primo stage for lip-synching drag royalty, while Sidewinders lets it all hang out with legroom for boot-scootin’ leather daddies. Choose your adventure, Albuqueerque.2) Exhale Bar & Grill, 3) Ralli’s 4 th Street Pub
Bob: The High Life Best Lesbian Bar
Exhale has live entertainment, a smokin’ dance floor, naughty drinks and jalapeño poppers. Outside of a planet with pink clouds and rivers of chocolate, populated solely by lovely lesbian ladies, what more could a girl ask for?2) Ralli’s 4 th Street Pub, 3) Albuquerque Social Club
Bob: The High Life Best Rock Bar
In Albuquerque there are a handful of rocking places to rock, but when it comes to really rocking out to some sweet rocking rock, be it shredding, noodling, head banging or self-conscious toe-tapping, the Launchpad is where the magic happens. And Burqueños seem to think so every single year. Long live Launchpad!2) Atomic Cantina, 3) Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Bob: The High Life Best Wine Bar
Classy and comfortable, Zinc’s freshly remodeled Cellar Bar is as balanced and bargain-priced as the wines that are poured there.2) St. Clair Winery & Bistro, 3) Slate Street Café
Bob: The High Life Best Sports Bar
It has the requisite enormous-screen TVs, but what puts Coaches ahead of the pack in the sports bar category are its food and drink specials. After all, without an order of fiery hot wings, enough ranch dressing to drown the Miami Dolphins and a cold beer, no game is worth watching. Whether it’s Monday Night Football, the World Series or the World Cup, you can catch the athletic event du jour at Coaches.2) Uptown Sports Bar and Grill, 3) Fox and Hound Pub & Grill
Bob: The High Life Best Bar For Dancing
You can hear the beat thumping from a mile away. Even on a crowded, noisy night Downtown, Sauce and Raw’s bass still jangles your pelvis. Inside, a packed dance floor stays in constant motion while outside, clubgoers stand in line, waiting for their chance to shake it. Sauce and Raw has all the strobe lights and high-intensity jams required to keep you popping and locking until night’s end.2) Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 3) Graham Central Station
Bob: The High Life Best Happy Hour
Apparently, you can’t make up your mind where to drink after work. And why should you? In Burque, there are two top spots to drink in the afternoon: Seasons and Zinc. It’s the Rooftop Patio and Bar at Seasons that does it for you, isn’t it? Top-shelf Margaritas, appetizers and a priceless view of Old Town. Does it for us, too. Meanwhile in Nob Hill, a nice Zinfandel by the glass at Zinc is civilized now and again, but there’s just something about hanging out in the dimly lit Cellar Bar, knocking back a French 75 and listening to Le Chat Lunatique play live that feels … conspiratorial. We like conspiratorial.2) Garduño’s, 3) Gecko’s Bar & Tapas
Bob: The High Life Best Karaoke
It’s Tuesday night and you’ve got the urge to eat popcorn, drink Miller Lite and sing a Bonnie Tyler song, possibly between games of ten-pin. There’s only one place you go to satiate this rather specific and marginally confusing urge: Ed’s Pub at Leisure Bowl. Decked out with wood paneling and blue pleather seats, Ed’s is a paean to drinking, singing and bowling, and you wouldn’t want it any other way.2) Retro’s Bar (specifically "The Greg"), 3) Coaches Sports Grill
Bob: The High Life Best Bar Decor/Theme/Atmosphere
The fish tank. We’ve been going to this place for years, and we just noticed the fish tank. It’s beautiful, a serene blue in the eye of a swirling Friday night. But that’s just the start of what makes Burt’s gnarly. There are so many tiki-themed classics on the walls, stuff that got nail-gunned to other stuff. A veneer of band stickers coats everything else. Plus, no matter how many nights you spend in there, you’ll usually spot something new, so it’s always fresh.2) Anodyne Pool Hall and Cocktails, 3) Imbibe
Bob: The High Life Best Bar In Which To Lay Low
This upstairs home-away-from-home noir bar is full of dark corners and pockets of mood lighting, perfect for remaining unseen. Slip in, drape your trench coat over the back of a barstool and ask the friendly, low-key bar staff for your usual.2) Copper Lounge, 3) Tie: Gecko’s Bar & Tapas, Zinc Wine Bar & Bistro
Bob: The High Life Best Bar In Which To Be Seen
Partying is easy, but feeling like a somebody when you’re doing it is tough. Imbibe combines a celebratory atmosphere with an L.A. club vibe. It’s a place where you won’t be embarrassed to tell your parents you went to, and you might even see them there. After a few drinks at the bar, climb up to the rooftop patio for a view of Nob Hill that’s difficult to beat. When you leave, don’t be surprised if there’s a little extra swagger in your step.2) Anodyne Pool Hall and Cocktails, 3) Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Bob: The High Life Best Weekly Or Monthly Bar Event
Look at the people you surround yourself with. Can your friends shoot an Irish Car Bomb, then turn around and tell you what has the thickest fur in the animal kingdom? If the answer is yes, you’re clearly at O’Niell’s hanging with the Geeks Who Drink. (And it’s sea otters.)2) The Universal (Thursday nights at Burt’s Tiki Lounge), 3) Tie: Fire Womyn (multiple dates and locations), KGB (Thursdays at Albuquerque Press Club)
