Happiest Hours

At Capitol Hill hot spot Tapatinis (711 Eighth St., SE; 202-546-8272; tapatinis.com), the weekend starts early with free cocktails made from the week’s sponsored liquor Thursdays after 10 pm. Past Thursdays have featured Ciroc vodka, Tanqueray gin, and Jim Beam.

The restaurants Bistrot Lepic (1736 Wisconsin Ave., NW; 202-333-0111; bistrotlepic.com) and Vidalia (1990 M St., NW; 202-659-1990; vidaliadc.com) host free winetastings on Tuesdays.

Bistrot Lepic’s tastings are 6 to 8 pm in the wine bar. At least two wines are featured from the 160-bottle, mostly French wine list or from new wines that managing partner Cyrille Brenac tries on customers before adding them to the list. The winery owner or distributor is often on hand to answer questions.

At Vidalia, sommelier Doug Mohr pours three or four wines into one-ounce glasses. From 5:30 to 7, wine-bar patrons sip and discuss the wines with Mohr while enjoying free hors d’oeuvres. Mohr’s wine flights are themed—one week, “Last Trip to the Beach” featured wines from seaside vineyards.