Scott Smith paired wines relating to the Zodiac with the Pink Palace event.

Development director Jeni Stephens is the whiz behind the
food and beverage fund-raisers for the Memphis Pink Palace family of
museums.

She’s orchestrated a tasting of varietals at the Residences at the
Greenstone (architect Hubert T. McGhee designed the Greenstone and the
Pink Palace), staged a cocktail lounge for “Pinots at the Palace,” and
threw a barbecue with bourbon and beer at the Lichterman Nature
Center.

Now it’s time for “Astronomical Wines and Firefly Sweet Tea
Vodka” on August 27th, starting at 5:30 p.m. A ticket will get you
12 pours (six wine, six vodka), dinner catered by Wade and Co. (stuffed
mushrooms, pork tenderloin, and crab cakes) and a 25-minute show at the
Pink Palace planetarium. Tickets are $30 for members and $40 for
nonmembers.

“The evening will even include a talk on Bacchus, the Roman god of
wine,” Stephens says. “It’s a two-hour event, so there will be plenty
of time to taste, eat, and mingle.”

Wines for the tasting have been selected by Scott Smith,
owner of the Wine Market in East Memphis. Finding wines with a
heavenly tie-in took a little time, Smith admits. Eventually, he
settled on wines with a name or label relating to the Zodiac. The
selections combine cute packaging with taste and value (prices range
from $11 to $18). “I love the Folie A Deux Zinfandel [Amador, 2005],”
Smith says about his Gemini pick. “It’s one of my favorite Zins in the
store.”

In addition to wines, participants can sample Firefly Sweet Tea
Vodka in such flavors as mint, peach, and raspberry. The vodka is
hand-crafted on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, where it is distilled
four times, blended with Louisiana sugar cane, and diffused with
locally grown tea from the only tea plantation in America.

Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central, memphismuseums.org (320-6424)

Aldo Demartino has a straightforward approach for filling up
his Bardog Tavern on weekday evenings. “If women come in, men
will follow,” he says.

To entice the ladies, Demartino is offering $3 drinks Monday through
Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. “It’s $3 drinks no matter what they order,”
Demartino says. “We’re hoping women will stop by after work.”

Demartino describes his cocktails as “consistent, classic, and
tasty” and says Bardog’s mojito (a traditional highball from Cuba) is
the best in downtown Memphis. “We skip the club soda and use crushed
ice instead of cubed,” he says.

Next up on Bardog’s entertainment menu is a one-year anniversary
party on September 20th from noon to 6 p.m. The event will spill into
the bar’s adjoining alley with a band, beer, and outdoor grill. There
also will be a dunking booth (remember those?) and servers in
bikinis.

Bardog Tavern, 73 Monroe, bardogtavern.com (275-8752)

The Madison Hotel’s rooftop parties, a downtown staple for Thursday
nights in the summer, are continuing into the fall with a new cigar
series called “Smoking Up High: High-Class, Low-Key.” The series
kicked off Monday, and the next event is set for September 8th.

Although smoking is prohibited inside the Madison, the hotel’s
rooftop offers a scenic, open-air venue to enjoy cigars, drinks, and
food, says managing partner Mohamad Hakimian. Smokers can
complement a cigar and single-malt scotch with small plates like
scallop fritters, proscuitto and Manchego grilled cheese, and meatballs
in spicy tomatillo sauce. They also can learn a little something from
Robb Hunter, owner of Havana Mix Cigar Emporium, a new
smoke shop on South Second Street that sells tobacco and more than
10,000 cigars.

“Cigars are a reflection of character, charisma, and a spirit of
inclusion,” says Hunter, who offers his cigars for sale and his
expertise for free at the rooftop events.

Hunter opened his store in July and already has plans for a Havana
club at the location by the end of the year. “We’ll have fine wine and
martinis and authentic food,” he said, citing as examples pressed
sandwiches, fried plantains, and boliche, a type of Cuban pot roast
stuffed with chorizo sausage.