It begins on the holiday known as birthday eve. Make sure you or your friend who is being honored have a nice meal of pasta... with some bread on the side. Then finish all necessary homework due the next couple of days since you will be more or less out of commission for the next 24 hours. Then blast your favorite tunes as you get ready to hit the baaahhhs!

Make the walk downtown or have a roommate drive that has sworn to be a lame-oh, also known as the DD (designated driver for you illegals that may not participate in teen drinking). Don't have all your friends go to your place first. You want people there who know the scene; you won't look as lost and you will have guaranteed free drinks moments after your arrival. 

Your arrival must be at 11:55pm. You have to be there right at midnight for your future profile picture with the digital clock! Your first official seconds as a 21-er are crucial for shots combined with adrenaline. No need to follow the rules of sticking with one type of alcohol because you've only got about 50 minutes left before last call since bars in NH close at 1am. 

-all for me. 

After you stumble home yelling "It's okay! I'm 21!", pass out in your clothes, and wake up confused, you need an omelet from HoCo. Then you can go back to sleep and wake up just in time to shower before you go to a nice dinner. Get a beer or cocktail; contrary to what your head and stomach feel, a bite of the snake that bit you will help.

The in's and out's:

Ballard's - outside seating area; open kitchen until midnight; Sunday is $5 pitchers all day; Monday and Tuesday are $5 pitchers 8pm to close; Wednesday is $2 blind bartender 8pm to close; Thursday is beat the clock (9pm is $1 drafts and liquor well drinks, 10pm is $2 drafts and liquor well drinks; 11pm to close is $3 drafts and liquor well drinks); Friday is $2 drafts; Saturday is another round of beat the clock.

The Knot - Sunday is $3 drafts all day; Monday is $3 burgers until 10pm and trivia starting at 10pm, $4 domestic pitchers and rum buckets; Tuesday is 2 for 1 well drinks, drafts, and rum buckets 8pm to 11pm; Wednesday is $2 well drinks and domestic drafts; Thursday is 25cent wings till midnight, $2 well drinks, domestic drafts, $5 rum buckets 8pm to 11pm; Friday is $2 well drinks, $5 domestic pitchers, and $5 rum buckets 8pm to 11pm; Saturday is 50cent drinks at 8pm and the knotty wheel o' deals is spun ever half hour with different specials.

Libby's - restaurant open 11:30am to 10pm and the bar stays open till 1am; Tuesday is beat the clock; Wednesday is dollar drinks; Thursday is the most fun for dancing and beat the clock; Friday is trivia; Saturday is beat the clock

Scorp's - Monday is 30cent wings from 7pm to 10pm, $5 domestic pitchers and $3 well drinks 7pm to 8pm, $1.50 domestic drafts and well drinks from 8pm to 10pm, $2 domestic drafts and $3 well drinks from 10pm to 12pm; Tuesday at 8pm is $1 pitchers until the keg is kicked then $3 domestic pitchers until 11pm, and $2 well drinks until 11pm; Wednesday is trivia with $6 domestic pitchers, $3 well drinks, and $4 Bacardi drinks; Thursday is $1 domestic drafts and well drinks 8pm to 10pm, $2 well drinks, domestic drafts, and #3 Jager bombs 10pm to 11pm; Friday is beat the clock; Saturday is $2 domestic drafts and well drinks from 8pm to 10pm; $1 domestic drafts and well drinks from 10pm to 11pm.

Welcome to the good life in Durham, NH.