By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Feb 17, 2010 at 5:38 AM

"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs -- including guides, the latest trends, rapid bar reviews and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

The votes are in and the winners have been selected for OnMilwaukee's Best: Bars & Clubs, 2010. Find readers' results in 50 categories, including an editors' pick, in this series of articles that run daily in the Bars and Clubs section of OnMilwaukee.com.

Now that state lawmakers have reached a deal to prohibit smoking in virtually all workplaces -- including restaurants and taverns -- this Best of Bars category will soon become moot.

But since Wisconsin's state-wide smoking band doesn't go into effect until this July, Milwaukeeans can still debate and discuss their favorites among the select few bars in this city that have opted to go smoke-free without government intervention.

Although more than a handful have axed the ashtrays before it, Whiskey Bar, a relative newcomer to Jefferson Street, won over Milwaukeeans' lungs with its clean air environment.

Whiskey Bar opened in July 2009 (and hosted OnMilwaukee.com's Mad Men-themed party in October). Owner Mike Vitucci says his high-end decor -- he uses warm, diffused lighting and wide leather chairs, sectionals and sofas to create an intimate setting good for lounging and conversation -- played a part in his decision to be smoke-free from day one.

"When you see the leather furniture and the light shades, you're not going to want to trash that (with smoke)," he says.

For smokers, there is an adjacent outdoor patio space facing Jackson Street that seats 60.

OnMilwaukee.com editors' choice: City Lounge

Runners up:
2. Sugar Maple
3. AJ Bombers
4. Palm Tavern
5. Von Trier
6. Water Buffalo
7. Cuvee
8. Village Pub
9. City Lounge
10. Horny Goat Hideaway
11. Sullivan's
12. Cafe Brucke
13. House of Guinness
14. Oakcrest Tavern
15. Taylor's People Place
16. Two
17. Red Accordion