Eco friendly bars are a slowly growing trend all across the United States and the world. There are many factors to being considered eco friendly, from waste to construction to the actual food and beverage products themselves.

1) Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland, Oregon

Hopworks is the absolute epitome of being environmentally friendly. Everything they do in some shape or form is in an effort to contribute to remaining green. From the basics of organic home brewed beer to energy efficient lighting and piping, their entire building is green. In fact, their tasting bar is made completely out of recycled materials. They have even installed a system to use runoff from their gutters to provide irrigation for their gardens and plants.

2) Standing Stone Brewing Company in Ashland, Oregon

This brewery/restaurant goes the extra mile in every aspect of their company philosophy. From plant based to-go forks and knifes to recycling 100% of their paper used to recycling and composting about 20% of all garbage they encounter. They have their own farming operation for organic goods used on the premises, and this even includes a rooftop garden of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. The company even went as far as to purchase some hybrid bikes to assist their staff on remaining green on their daily commute to work.

3) Raven’s Restaurant at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, California

Situated at an eco resort, this restaurant boasts a purely vegetarian and vegan dinner menu, complemented by completely organic wines. The bar even boasts vodkas infused with completely organic fruits and vegetables and of course, organic beer. You won’t find any well alcohol here, only top shelf brands. All materials are recycled when possible, and the eco-footprint is kept to a minimum.

4) Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, New York

The first ever environmentally friendly bowling alley/bar/concert venue, this extravaganza for the senses does it’s best to use recycled materials. This place boasts the first ever LEED (Leadership in Energy and Efficiency Design) approved alley and it’s concert stage is made purely out of recycled tires. The electricity is 100% wind generated, and they have a posted no bottles or cans policy. Even the sodas are on tap. They’ve also planted over 15 trees all around the property.

5) Ukiah Brewing Company in Ukiah, California

The first ever certified organic bar, they received certification in July 2001. All products used in the restaurant to prepare food or brew their beer must be completely certified organic or they could risk losing their certification. The founder even helped coordinate the county wide ban on genetically altered food, the only such ban in the country.

Whether you call it a bathroom, restroom, washroom, lavatory, or any other of the long list of names for the potty, one thing remains the same; these rooms are evolving to a much larger and greatly wackier state of existence. The bathroom is not a simple toilet, sink, and mirror. It is now a statement, a message, or merely an opportunity to release artistic imagination in a room that is seen by everyone, at one point or another, who visits the establishment. Bars are quickly becoming notorious for these eccentric bathrooms. Here is a list of ten of the largest or strangest restrooms from all corners of the world.

1. Bar 89 – Bar 89 is located in New York City. This is a state-of-the art restroom equipped with clear glass stalls that will frost when the stall door is shut. Customers must trust the stall walls to remain opaque in color and provide them the privacy they need while in the stall; a bathroom for technology lovers and believers.

2. Zeta Bar – Zeta Bar is located at the Hilton in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The urinals in this men’s bathroom are ornamented with beautiful women paying close attention to what is happening around them. The walls are comical, but it is the ego-boost that most men do not mind repeatedly receiving.

3. Monteith’s Brewery – Monteith’s Brewery is located in New Zealand. These restrooms do not offer the typical toilet that most of us are accustomed to; instead bathroom goers will do their business into a keg. Now isn’t that appropriate, a brewery with keg toilets? This bathroom is quite ironic as customers urinate into the very same place that made them need to go to the bathroom to begin with.

4. The Rivershack – The Rivershack is located in New Orleans. The restroom is bizarre, but it does obtain quite a reaction from customers. With a body outline on the floor of the men’s restroom and a trough for a urinal, what is there left to say?

5. Vampire Bar – Vampire Bar is located in Barcelona. This bar’s restroom is home to a large tiger monument that emits water like a fountain. The sculpture is undeniably a work of art that is worth a glance.

6. Safe House – Safe House is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is one of the most amazing spy-themed restaurants that includes passwords, hidden rooms and disappearing ink throughout the restrooms. Just to get into the restroom a patron must make their way through a variety of different mazes and avoid trick doors.

7. Dolce and Gabbana’s Gold Room – Located in Milan, Italy this very vibrant and gold restroom has been the host to such guests as Giselle, Paris Hilton and Kylie Minogue. It’s one of the most luxurious restrooms anyone can ever step into as it has just about everything anyone would ever need while going to the restroom.

8. Columbia Tower – Located in Seattle, Washington this amazing bar restroom really takes things to a higher level by being on the 76th floor. This restroom has it’s own personal view of the Seattle skyline.

9. Haunch of Venison – This spectacular old school pub is located in Salisbury, England. This very unique place has some interesting antiques and all sorts of different items to keep people guessing. They even have an 18th-century mummified hand upstairs.

10. La Kiva – This interesting bit of awesomeness is located just outside the Big Bend National Park in Terlingua, Texas. La Kiva is built into a cave on Terlingua Creek and is decorated all around with random animal bones put together to create some very unique and fantastic animals.

Guys love bars for one reason: women. Well, the hi-def TVs that are permanently tuned to sports channels are also nice. Also, there’s nothing like devouring grease-laden bar food after a few ice cold drafts…okay, okay, guys like bars for many reasons. Women, however, are a top priority. In any bar you will invariably see five types of guys on the prowl for female, ahem, “companionship.”

1. The Alpha Male

The Alpha Male is the most notorious of all guy types. He has studied books that promise to reveal the secrets of picking up women. He can be identified by his confident swagger and superior attitude. He can also be spotted when, inevitably, a woman turns him down. He will show an expression of puzzlement as he realizes that all of those books and websites were a scam designed to suck up his paycheck.

2. The Bro

These guys spend countless hours applying hair gel and the cloud of cologne that hangs around them, if ignited, could level a city block. Bros are most often found in noisy bars. The loud noise will prevent a woman from realizing that she is talking to a man who spends more time primping in front of the mirror than she does.

3. The Pseudo-Intellectual Hipster

The Hipster is more common now than ever before. They constantly smoke hand-rolled cigarettes, wear glasses without lenses and sport mustaches that haven’t been in style since the Civil War. They aren’t likely to pick up any women because they refuse to drink anything other than cheap beer. Women are not impressed when a Hipster offers to buy them watered-down swill.

4. The Big Shot

This guy has it all. He shows up in a sports car and flashes cash. He will be quite successful with the ladies. He will buy them expensive cocktails and offer them a ride in his flashy car. However, as soon as he brings a lady home, she will quickly discover that he’s got the money, but all of it is spent to compensate for other, ahem, shortcomings.

5. The First Timer

You’ve got to give this guy some credit. He is trying, after all. When he approaches a woman, one of two outcomes are possible. She will either quickly brush him off or be charmed by his effort. Upon his first romantic success, his shyness will disappear and he will rapidly transform into one of the above categories. It’s a vicious cycle.

So, there you have it. The next time you’re at a bar, keep an eye out for these fellows. Odds are that you can size them up quickly. What you do with this information is, of course, up to you.

Many people have tight budgets and strict schedules, but everyone should put that aside at least once in their lifetime and splurge. Here at BarWhiz we’ve decided to turn to those who want to accomplish this, and love a good cocktail.

These are the five most expensive bar drinks in the world, for someone who appreciates his drinks, this just might be what he needs to enjoy at least once in his lifetime (or perhaps more if you can afford it):

1. Ritz-Paris Sidecar – $1,670

This beverage is served in the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel located in Ritz-Paris, France.
The ingredients are Cointreau orange liqueur, lemon juice, and cognac made between the years 1830 and 1870. The grapes used were right before grape vines were infested by the plant lice known as phylloxera. The original sidecar was first created in 1922 at Buck’s Club in London, England before it was introduced to Paris patrons.

2. Platinum Passion – $1,500

This drink is sold at the Duvet Lounge in New York where patrons are served on actual beds instead of bar stools or booths. This consists of L’Esprit de Courvoisier cognac which is $6,000 per bottle and was enjoyed by Napoleon in the 1800s, passion fruit syrup, wildflower honey, sugar, wild berries, lemon juice and brown sugar. The glass is decorated with an actual blooming orchid flower.

3. Merchant Hotel Mai Tai – $1,480

This treat is available at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
This contains lime, orange culacao liqueur from Holland, rock candy syrup, French Orgeat almond flavoring, mint leaves and a special seventeen year old Jamaican rum of which only six bottles were produced. Ninety percent of the rum sales in Jamaica are J. Wray Nephew rum. This company started as a tavern in 1825, and their award winning rum accounts for ninety percent of the rum sales in Jamaica. The original mai tai was created in the United States in 1944 at the Polynesian themed bar Trader Vic’s in Oakland, California.

4. Kentucky Derby Mint Julep – $1,000

Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, United States
This has been the favorite beverage served at at the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky since 1938. Also known as the Early Times Mint Julep Ready to Serve Cocktail, the ingredients include bourbon, sugar, water, ice and mint leaf and is served in a special collectible glass.

5. Bentley Sidecar – $550

This less expensive version of the Ritz-Paris Sidecar is available in various establishments in New York. This alternative consists of Australian Hennessy Ellipse cognac which provides 43.5 percent alcohol in one glass. This strong brandy provides a unique taste sensation that some drinkers say lasts up to 24 hours.