It’s my birthday today, and in an hour or so I’ll be celebrating with friends and family.

If I could have a drink with my fictional friends, in bars from books, comics and movies, here’s (a partial list of) where I’d love to be today. Pressed for time so links to come later:

Gil’s, Manhattan, from Kenneth Fearing’s The Big Clock. Drink: scotch and soda with George Stroud III.

The Bamboo House of Dolls, Los Angeles, from Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim trilogy. Drink: Aqua Regia with Sandman Slim.

The Bar at the Savoy Hotel in Malmo, from Maj Sjowall’s and Per Wahloo’s Murder at the Savoy. Cold beer with Martin Beck.

The Iceberg Lounge, Gotham City, owned and operated by Oswald Cobblepot in Batman. Ice cold vodka, neat. With Matches Malone.

The Last Shot, Kazakhstan, in Warren Ellis’s Planetary. Ice cold beer with Elijah Snow.

Unnamed local saloon, mountains of Thailand, in Jean Claude Van Damme’s Kickboxer. Rice liquor. Drinking alone and watching the show.

The present day dive bar and the past dance hall bar in Josef Rusnak’s The Thirteenth Floor. Los Angeles. Martini, extra olives with Hannon Fuller.

Grogan’s, from Ken Bruen’s The Jack Taylor Series. Cheap scotch with Jack Taylor.

The Oblivion Bar, somewhere indeterminate in the Vertigo world (DC Comics). Drink, whatever comes my way, whoever comes my way.

BAR, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, in Charlie Huston’s Six Bad Things. Bottle of Bud with Hank Thompson.

Unnamed bar, in Max Frisch’s Gantenbein. Whisky with Gantenbein.

Post to comments if you have a favorite bar and character you’d love to raise a glass with.