NOLA.com Whiskey Week, Tales of the Toddy, Kebab's New Liquor License, and more

If the impending holiday stress is getting you down, there are several opportunities to put the spirit back in holiday spirit.

NOLA.com is on the case, somehow gleaning that this, the darkest week of the year, is the perfect time to pay homage to the whiskey scene in the city with a weeklong series called "Through the Whiskey Glass." As Todd Price says in setting up the week's stories, "Whiskey is darling of the drinking class. And while New Orleans has always had an affinity for brown liquor, New Orleans bars are increasingly responding to a national trend. We're seeing more whiskey-savvy bars and bartenders, more labels, and more cocktail variations to go along with more interest - and a more educated clientele."

Tales of the Toddy is coming up quickly, featuring 48 bartenders, 14 restaurants, 27 spirit brands, and holiday funky blues from John Lisi and Delta Funk at the House of Blues New Orleans. Check it out this Thursday (12/18), from 6:00-8:30pm.

Courtyard Brewery is celebrating the solstice's dark days with cheering and warming dark beer. "Dark Hours" will take place all weekend, from Friday, December 19 through Sunday, December 21. Owners Scott Wood and Lindsay Hellwig will be offering rare and special stouts, porters, doppelbocks, and Belgian beer, served in a specially designed 9oz glass with the Dark Hours logo engraved on it.

Kebab has received its liquor license, so enjoy beer, wine and cocktails for low prices, with happy hour for even lower prices: $4.50 cocktails, and $1.50-3.00 beers from 10 p.m. until midnight and 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Sarah Baird with the Gambit says of the restaurant's original cocktails, "Adding gin to the soda of the day (which was a tart lemon, beet, ginger concoction on Saturday night) or a splash of rum to the restaurant's young coconut juice served in-husk elevates an already stellar, wallet-friendly dining experience to the next level."