Drink of the Week

Everyone knows you can't ring in the new year without popping the tops off several magnums of champagne. But if you prefer your bubbly mixed with a little hard stuff, Rhino serves up champagne cocktails that should add buzz to your big night. La Playa ($9), made with Bacardi O, Bacardi Tropico, champagne and cranberry juice and garnished with a cherry, is a hot-pink drink with tropical aspirations that will put some groove in your dance-floor moves. A close contender is the Le Francais martini ($9), a bright-blue mix of champagne, Bombay Sapphire, Blue Curaao and Grand Marnier. (Warning: If you want to remember the ball dropping, steer clear of this gin-soaked party treat.)

With its cosmic stardust murals, DJs spinning hip tunes, noisemakers and confetti galore, Rhino will be celebrating New Year's Eve with style -- and getting 2003 off to a hell of a good start. Ten, nine, eight....