No Idea fronts a straightforward, working-class approach to getting you trashed after the nine-to-five has run its course. It's a neighborhood bar that feels more like an Alcohol Opportunity Space or an open canvas; there's a pool table, there's a couple of TVs and there's a back room - kill your brain with draught beer ($4-6) or mixed drinks in pint glasses ($7) and work out the rest for yourself. If you're hungry, you've got to bring your own, but they're completely cool with it.

They have one gimmick: their website (and front door) offers up a monthly calendar of names - one per day - and showing up on 'your' night with a friend or two guarantees you free drinks for the duration. If you're like me and could never turn up one of those miniature license plates with your tag on it during the childhood trip to Disneyworld, there's still hope: the more you get to know the bartenders, the better the chances of your name showing up on next month's list.

Lucky for you, the bartenders are the type who like to get known. I dropped in here for a game industry social hour in the middle of a negative forty-something wind chill. I had no idea of what the fuck I wanted to drink, and called the bartender over to work something out. The guidelines: [1] It had to use that unopened bottle of Malibu, over there and [2] It had to taste like the opposite of outside's frozen misery

She worked with me - gliding back and forth amongst the bottles, one finger extended in search of the perfect mixer - holding my hand as if I were on the assembly line at Dell. And when she had shaken it all together, I had a shot to confirm that Yes, this [was] what I had in mind. (The first drink was brilliant; the second, I told her to leave in the mixer - no charge - and the third one soared).

I'll be back to get my name on that calendar.

• after-work
• free drink nights
• dark
• spacious