It's time for our Eater Atlanta Cocktail Heat Map. You know, the places we think are the absolute hottest spots to get a drink. And, since we are talking sipping, we had to turn to one of Atlanta's preeminent authorities: Brad Kaplan, whom you may recognize from ThirstySouth.com (a blog dedicated to "all things drinking well in the South") and the Cheap Eats columnist for Creative Loafing Atlanta. Take it away, Brad.

Where can a guy (or gal) get a decent drink around here? Well, there are decent drinks to be found all over town, from Sandy Springs to Hartsfield-Jackson. Thanks to places like H&F Bottle Shop, it's now even easier to be making your own better-than-decent cocktails at home. But we know you're not looking for recipes, you want to know where the great cocktails are being stirred and shaken, where the bartenders are mixing up the most masterful mash-ups at this very moment.

Thus, we offer the Eater Drink Map, a plan of attack for a night of potent potables. These are not necessarily the places to see and be seen, rather the places to drink and be drunk. And you're in luck, since you can essentially weave your way from the Westside to Decatur in a wobbly line and hit nine out of ten of our top picks. Even better, most of these joints turn out some mean grub to match their fine cocktails. More than ever, a great kitchen and a great bar go together like gin and tonic. Have a suggestion/omission complaint? Send us an email or holler in the comments! And please take a cab, people. It's cheaper than a D.U.I.