Disco Absolut

Now here’s some American ingenuity I can get behind. L.A.’s Edison lounge is among those whose happy hours feature drinks with names that, rather than make you forget your sad financial condition, help you deal with it, including:

• Bourbon Bailout
• 401K (served with a reply card to check whether your retirement account is half-empty or half-full)
• Rejected Resume
• Battered Bull
• Welfare Punch

Absolut Vodka is going the other way, offering a special holiday bottle that looks like a disco ball. Hey, can’t shop. Let’s dance! And drink!

People are reportedly opting for stronger slugs these days, returning to good old fashioned Old Fashions.

Julian Cohen, head of the consumer insights team at Fortune Brands Inc’s beverage division, said those “heritage cocktails,” traditionally made with heavier-flavored spirits like bourbon and cognac, mirror a wider preference.

“You’re seeing a lot of darker flavors — honeys, blackberries and raspberries, versus things like pomegranate and papaya,” Cohen said. “When times are tough we want to go to things that are comfortable … that are part of our history.”

With most offices either nixing the holiday party or at least omitting the free alcohol (which, after all, is the only reason to go), more of us have to tend to our own vices, and we’re making it count. Bartender, none of that sissy stuff! Give me a “Made-Off Martini!”