Sometimes, after a long work week, a night out in town is exactly what we need to unwind. Whether that entails having a stiff drink, dancing to the latest hits, engaging in some friendly competition, or even a combination thereof, the metro has enough locally owned businesses to provide.

The Apothecary at Brent’s Drugs, which opened in 2013, draws inspiration from the pre-Prohibition craft cocktail movement and pays tribute to the original purpose of soda fountains in the '50s, when pharmacists used carbonated water sweetened with syrups to conceal the taste of bitter medicine. Voted Best Bar, the Apothecary serves beer, wine, bar food, and a number of fancifully named cocktails, some made with locally produced Cathead vodka.

Downtown Jackson’s 4th Avenue Lounge doubles as both an event venue and a cocktail lounge. To pair with its signature cocktails, which are popular enough to mark this year as 4th Avenue Lounge’s third-consecutive win in the Best Place for Cocktails category, the menu includes dishes such as chicken cones, red velvet waffles, “banging” shrimp and crawfish, and more.

Bars don’t monopolize the adult-beverage titles, though, as The Manship sweeps the 2022 Best Happy Hour award. Chef Alex Eaton and sommelier Steven O’Neill, who directs the Belhaven restaurant’s craft-cocktail program, founded The Manship in 2013 to present Mediterranean dishes with southern flair. Happy Hour is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 p.m. until closing on Saturday nights. Happy Hour deals include half-price pizzas, $5 glasses of house wine, $5 barrel picks, $2 off all craft and imported beers, and 25% off large format bombers.

Drink prices can be a determining factor when choosing a business to frequent, and Jacksonians have decided that Sam’s Lounge serves drinks that offer a great bang for their bucks. In addition, patrons can shoot billiards at the bar’s pool tables. Those looking for additional activities can turn toward The Bulldog to cheer on their favorite sports teams, Fenian’s Pub to sing karaoke with friends and coworkers, or Ole Tavern on George Street to dance the night away.

Best Pub Quiz/Trivia Night is often a category that bounces around among the many deserving candidates that call the metro home. Dogmud Tavern—a gaming bar outfitted with arcade machines, gaming retro consoles hooked up to television sets, shelves stacked with free-to-play board games, and decorations that take inspiration from games that Ridgeland’s own Certified Studios developed—runs weekly trivia nights on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. Players can form teams of up to eight people. Entry fees are $5 per person, and the competitions begin at 6 p.m.

Browse the complete list of winners and finalists for our Nightlife category below.

Best Place to Drink Cheap, Best Place to Play Pool: Sam’s Lounge

Best Place to Drink Cheap Finalists

Kathryn's / Martin's Downtown / Names & Faces Lounge / Ole Tavern on George Street / Saltine Restaurant / Shucker's Oyster Bar

Best Place to Play Pool Finalists

Dockery Grill / The Green Room / Last Call Sports Grill / Shucker's Oyster Bar

Best Bar: The Apothecary at Brent's Drugs

Finalists: 4th Avenue Lounge / Last Call Sports Grill / M-Bar Sports Grill / Martin's Downtown / Shucker's Oyster Bar

Best Happy Hour: The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen

Finalists: The Apothecary at Brent's Drugs / Elvie’s / Last Call Sports Grill / M-Bar Sports Grill / Saltine Restaurant

Best Place for Cocktails: 4th Avenue Lounge

Finalists: The Apothecary at Brent's Drugs / Elvie’s / Library Lounge at Fairview Inn / The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen / Saltine Restaurant

Best Place for Karaoke: Fenian’s Pub

Finalists: Bar 3911 / Kemistry Sports Bar & Lounge / Last Call Sports Grill / McB's Bar & Grill / Shucker's Oyster Bar

Best Place to Dance: Ole Tavern on George Street

Finalists: Bar 3911 / BB’s Live ~ Bonny Blair’s / Kathryn's / Martin's Downtown / Shucker's Oyster Bar

Best Place to Watch the Game: The Bulldog

Finalists: Capitol Grill / Fondren Public / Last Call Sports Grill / Martin's Downtown / McB's Bar & Grill

Best Pub Quiz/Trivia Night: Dogmud Tavern

Finalists: Barrelhouse / Fenian's Pub / Hal and Mal's / Library Lounge at Fairview Inn

For a full list of winners and finalists for all sections, visit 2022.bestofjackson.com.