Leave it to a beverage director to figure out a way to get drinkers more involved at the bar.

Evan Faber, the beverage director at SALT in Boulder and Colterra in Niwot, is letting “guests" design their own cocktail recipes, using a “make-your-own" menu, by circling a spirit/base, flavor element, style and size. They also have the opportunity to name their creation.

There are more than 100 possible combinations, Faber said. Some of the cocktail ingredients (such as cilantro) are grown in-house either at SALT or in the gardens at Colterra. The “flavor elements," or simple syrups, are also made in-house, from scratch.

“The Cocktail Element is all about simplifying the process," Faber said. “We really just wanted to make cocktails fun again."

Real Goods Solar is running a Free Solar Sweepstakes for a chance to win a home solar-electric system estimated at a retail value of $30,000. Qualifying homeowners can enter to win at www.realgoods.com or call 1-800-760-9700. The sweepstakes expires at 5 p.m. Sept. 15.

Based on average electricity usage, homeowners are likely to spend $100,000 on electricity bills over a 25-year period. The sweepstakes brings attention to rising utility costs and renewable energy solutions to mitigate these increases. One lucky homeowner will have the ability to save thousands of dollars on electricity over the lifetime of their system.

Donna Pocci, owner of Boulder-based Design Group, just completed an extensive remodel of an English cottage in Boulder. The project was selected among hundreds to be featured in the Summer 2010 Issue of Renovation Style Magazine.