1. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Edinburgh Cocktail week: various venues

This year sees the introduction of a new Cocktail Village at Festival Square, which is free to enter with a wristband. Enclosed within a marquee, the Cocktail Village will act as the social hub of the week-long cocktail celebrations, with more than 15 pop-up bars and a very special “Golden Ticket” themed bar from The Pop-Up Geeks. As well as lots of cocktails to try, there will also be live music, DJs and drop-in style masterclasses and tastings to keep revellers entertained. Brilliant fun. I’m still recovering from last year (hic).

2. A hidden gem discovered. Rossini’s, Hyndland Road, Partick

Patrick really is becoming the new Finnieston, with loads of brilliant cafés, bars and restaurants opening. A new addition to the scene is Rossini’s. It’s independently owned, and staffed with some of the nicest teams in town. Angela the waitress is worth the cost of the meal alone. The food is authentic and warming and more than reasonable. Book. You wont regret it. Pop in to Bag O’ Nails for a pre or post meal drink.

3. Wester Rum are celebrating the launch of their new Glasgow distillery with a party at Nonya

Joining up with the effortlessly cool Allan and Zandar of Wester Rum is the talented and brilliant owner of Nonya, Andy Kelly, and his head chef Gina Hopkins (a genius in the kitchen and a good laugh too). The event is on October 19 at 7pm, £25. There will be dancing, carousing and merry making. I’ll certainly be there. More info on Nonya fb page. https://www.facebook.com/pg/nonyaglasgow/events

4. The Russian National Ballet at Stirling

If you believe the ballet has always seemed a wee bit hoity toity and middle class, let’s steal it back for the proletariat . For just £15 you can see the best ballet of all (says me), Swan Lake, on Thursday, October 18, at the Albert Halls.

5. Jinkx Monsoon, Church, Dundee

A treat for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Jinkx Monsoon is the stage name of Jerick Hoffer, a drag performer, actor and the winner of the fifth season of the show. Jinkx Monsoon is Cursed is a new full-length, one-woman show created and performed by the artist exclusively for this tour. It’ll be on at Church, Dundee on October 20. Tickets from £20 from www.seetickets.com.

6. Punktoberfest weekend at Dundee, October 19 and 20

For the bargain price of £18, you can enjoy two stages, more than 20 bands and some of the best new music the country has to offer. The venue will be Beat Generator Live! in Dundee.

7. Bier is good: Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival, is back in Scotland

You can enjoy events in Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen in October and November. We’ll be keeping you up to date with what’s happening, and this week let’s focus on Bier and Bratwurst at Queen’s Park, Glasgow. A true smorgasbord of beer, music, bands, DJs, market stalls and all things German. Tickets available via glasgow-oktoberfest.co.uk and range from basic entry at £6 all the way up to VIP level packages. Bratwurst, schnitzel and pretzel abound. Smashing fun.