Reality is an illusion created by lack of alcohol. ~N.F. Simpson

Hip Hop Cocktail Menu Comes with a Punchcard

Blackbird bar is offering a punchcard with their newly-released B-Sides cocktail menu, and it's worth keeping in your wallet. Drop in for a cocktail named after songs by some of the greatest rap and hip-hop artists of the 80's and 90's, including Tupac, Beastie Boys, and A Tribe Called Quest. Get your card punched for each beverage purchased, and when you've tried all 12, they'll give you a CD mix tape with all of the featured songs on the cocktail menu. // 2124 Market Street, blackbirdbar.com

Four Fall Beers at Magnolia

Magnolia Brewing Company is easing into the season with four fall beers on tap at Magnolia Pub on Haight Street and at Smokestack in Dogpatch. Barking Pumpkin Ale is their annual expression of the seasonally-appropriate spice, while Rosebud is a style-defying ale that was first brewed for owner Dave McLean's wedding, marrying an English grain bill with a Belgian fermentation program. Two wet hop beers are also available: High Time Harvest with Citra Hops and High Time Harvest with Mosaic Hops are both made with fresh hops from HopUnion in Yakima, Washington. All four beers are $8 per 14 oz. glass and available while supplies last, which will likely be only a week or two. // 1398 Haight Street, magnoliapub.com; 2505 3rd Street, magnoliasmokestack.com

Girl Fight Cocktails Fight Breast Cancer

It's October, which means we're all seeing pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can walk, run, bike, and swim for the cure, or you can join us at MKT Bar this month to drink for the cause. Just order a Girl Fight cocktail, made with Cocchi Rosa, gin and vodka, and MKT Bar will donate $5 to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer San Francisco. // 757 Market Street, Fifth Floor, mktrestaurantandbar.com

Drink for the Cure at Dirty Water

You can also drink for the cure at Dirty Water's Women Wednesdays tonight (October 7), starting at 5pm. The theme is Whiskey & Women, and they'll be offering a special whiskey cocktail for the evening with $1 from the sale of each drink going to support the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund of San Francisco. Purchase a $2 raffle ticket to provide additional support, and you might just win a ticket to Whiskies of the World, a $130 value. // 1355 Market Street, dirtywatersf.com

Nico Hosts Vintner Duo for Wine Pairing Dinner

Two vintners are better than one. At least, that seems to be the thinking behind Thursday night's wine pairing dinner at Nico's featuring Steve Matthiasson and Matt Licklider. Matthiason, SF Chronicle's 2014 Winemaker of the Year, will be pouring his highly acclaimed Matthiasson wines from cool climate sites in Sonoma and Napa Valley. Meanwhile, Matt Licklider, co-owner of LIOCO, will be pouring wines with an emphasis on older vines, sites with tougher soil, and select clones. The seasonal, five-course dinner includes eight paired wines for $150 per person; tickets are available online. // 3228 Sacramento Street, nicosf.com

Send drinking suggestions to renee@grassrootspr.com.