BARS: Free booze deal: Click now, drink later

Free drinks? Okey doke. The new site that's giving them away is called Click Links for Free Drinks (a dumb yet dummy-proof name if ever there was one), and its sole purpose is to get you and your friends endless open-bar parties, whenever you want. Seriously. Currently there's only four venues to choose among (the Village Pourhouse Uptown and Downtown, SideBAR and Southern Hospitality), but a bunch more are scheduled to be included in the coming weeks. After you drink for free, the only thing you have to do in return (and it's not even required) is to use some kind of electronic communication device—your blog, your Twitter, your GChat, your cell phone, your item of futuristic technology we don't even know about yet—to pass the word on to your friends. And since their launch last week, they've already booked hundreds of open bar parties for more than 2,500 thirsty New Yorkers. Jump on it, drinkers. We emailed with Scott Gerber and Michael Sinensky, the site's creators, about this drunken marriage of booze and typing.

So, run us through the process of setting up your own personal open-bar party.
One: Choose a venue—you can host unlimited open bar parties at each venue, and new venues will be added frequently. Two: Pick a date and time—we'll add new dates and times every week. (They fill up fast, so book ASAP!) Three: Invite 10 friends who've never been to a free open bar at the venue. Four: Have a good time! Drink one (or a few) for us. Then Tweet, text, share, IM or blog about us!

Is the blogging and the Tweeting required? Is there a penalty for people who don't post about it somehow?
We use the honor system :) No penalties, but we strongly encourage it. Who wouldn't want to spread the word about free booze? We've gotten thousands of hits from Facebook and Twitter, so we know people are definitely spreading the word.

And the parties are one hour long, right?
Yes... but most parties stay for one or two hours past the free open bar.

What kind of booze is available?
Right now, it's well drinks, Bud and Bud Light. In mid-July, when we launch phase two of the site and add more venues, we'll be adding more options. Until then, we'll add a few new venues each week.

What happens if you don't have 10 friends to invite—or you expect 10 friends but only, say, six show up?
Venues are usually pretty cool and will still hold up their end of the deal, but we always suggest bringing the people you said you would. Or simply reschedule.

What are you guys getting out of the deal?
Venues get new crowds of people to check them out and people get to try new places risk-free. If they like the new place, we want them to stick around for a while and tell their friends about the venue—and Click Links for Free Drinks. It's win-win. We don't sell people's info to spammers and never will—we hate spammers too.

Even though the booze is free, it's still encouraged to tip your bartender, yes?
Always tip! Free booze doesn't mean free service. If bartenders are good to you, be good to them.

Parting words?
We plan on launching a lot of new add-ons and features to the site in July, so stay tuned—the best is yet to come. And enjoy your drinks on the house.