The Alma Lounge 

The grand entrance and Collins Avenue address might intimidate you during the day, but step into the Raleigh Hotel during the wee hours of the night and you’ll find a saccharine-sweet staff and the best croque-monsieur this side of the Seine. And guess what? You don’t even have to drop a couple hundred bucks on one of the über-luxe hotel rooms. This Thursday night your excuse for entry is the return of The Alma Lounge, a supersexy cocktail mixer hosted by poetess Deborah Magdalena and DJ The Brass King. Don’t fret — this fete isn’t all about canned sound. Live music reigns supreme.

Each Thursday the Raleigh’s lounge area morphs into a Nuyorican Poets Café with a touch of Club Tropicana style and a splash of the Cotton Club. Singers, musicians, and poets will take you on a journey through vintage Latin jazz, all for the economical price of gratis. Yeah, valet will set you back 20 bucks, but you’ll be rewarded with a free cocktail. Clearly, The Alma Lounge gets it, and if you drop by 1775 Collins Ave. in Miami Beach beginning at 8 p.m., you’ll get it too. — By BY RAINA MCLEOD

Website: http://www.myspace.com/thealmalounge