Edinburgh - Things to Do, places to Drink

I will admit, I'm a terrible tourist. There are two things people generally do when in Edinburgh - The Castle, and Arthurs Seat. I once went half way up Arthurs Seat (we had a picnic and I couldnt be bothered going the rest of the way) but never even got close to doing the castle.

If there is one thing Edinburgh isnt short of, its places to drink, and this was responsible for much of my time in the city.

Grassmarket
Area right behind the castle with several pubs generally aimed at tourists, including the huge stag and hens night trade. Bar Salsa was among the first places I went to in this area as most of the staff lived at the Castle Rock. It looked dingey and nasty and was always far too hot, but the drinks were cheap (3 quid for a double JD and coke) just dont drink the beer!

Just up the street was a club we visited too many times, Espionage. The reason for this was that there were five floors, it was open till 3 and there was no cover, but this never seemed to make up for the fact the drinks are over priced and its a sausage fest. Not a place I would recomend.

Whistle Binkies was a semi decent place, but only on weekends when the 4 quid cover doesnt apply. We had SOME good nights there, but mostly bad ones. Can really depend on what the live music is like. Open mike nights can be good, but again, on the whole it was overpriced.

The Cowgate
A little further along from the Grassmarket is the Cowgate with more pubs and clubs, but tend to be even seadier. The Three Sisters is possibly the most fanous place in town, and when a good crowd is in it provides good atmostphere with its large beer garden, but again the drinks are a little much.
Siglo is another peice of fools gold. Open late with no cover but just plain wrong! Friends of mine (not naming names!) have had incidents there involving one girl with dark brown teeth, while another chatted to one lass for a long time thinking he was going well until it was pointed out to him (by yours truly) that the lady in question was at least 6-7 months pregnant. That place was since blacklisted. Do not go there.
Dropkick Murphys - not a bad Irish Bar behind the Cowgate which we frequented for a few months. Reasonable drink prices and a good crowd sort of helped overcome the bad music.

Rose Street
In the new town, Rose street is a strip of 3 blocks which has no less than 18 places to get a drink. On one night in my final week we decided to do the "Rose Street Challenge" and attempt to drink at least one drink in each pub....we failed miserably and many of us - including myself had to work the next day. Points for trying though hey?

Others
The Globe - Backpacker Bar that had plenty of cheap drinks and some good weeknight fun. A quality Quiz on Monday nights, Team drinking challenge Tuesday nights and Karaoke Thursday Nights. This was probably our most frequented establishment in my time, but really not for weekends.
Walkabout - Like any other "Aussie" bar, we tended to try and stay clear, but on some occassions, like Aussie day and Anzac Day it was the place to be.
Tron - Overheated and crowded but on a Wednesday night its drinks for 1 pound.