IT’S GETTING to that point of the summer where we all need some sort of a break.

Those under the legal drinking age would call it "summer vacation;" those with families and car payments and a mortgage might describe the reprieve as a "staycation," or even just "date night." No matter how far you travel, the point is to decompress and decrease stress.

Luckily for Oahu residents, worldwide vacation destination Waikiki is no more than a short drive away. After revamping its menu in May, longtime favorite Duke’s Waikiki recently executed the latest step in its plan to bring locals back to the bar — buying and installing the proper equipment to lay claim to the title of "Coldest Draft Beer in Honolulu."

"We’ve tried for the last couple of years to get it all right," said Duke’s Waikiki general manager Dylan Ching. "Eventually we realized it was all just a temperature thing."

That’s when California-based Blizzard Beer Systems got involved. Earlier this month, owner Jimmy Cleland completely replaced the beer delivery system at Duke’s with a custom setup that pours beers at temperatures ranging from 27 to 29 degrees Fahrenheit.

The results have been immediate, said Ching. The temperature difference is obvious, and the custom setup also minimizes waste when kegs are changed. He estimated the bar will save enough money to pay for the system’s nearly $500,000 price tag within the next year. For video of the new system, visit tgif.staradvertiser.com/archives/5960 …

SPEAKING OF taking a break — Johnny Depp is now on the rock filming the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, and as it turns out, he likes to kick back and relax just like the rest of us.

Depp, "Pirates" producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Rob Marshall and co-star Geoffrey Rush have all spent time at Apartment3 in the Century Center, according to co-owner Flash Hansen.

"Everybody from the movie loves this place," he said Monday. "This is definitely turning into their hangout."

Hansen, who will celebrate Apartment3’s first year of business tomorrow with co-owners Matty Hazelgrove and Charles "Chip" Jewitt, (see Nightclubs, Page 17), added that the lounge’s back entrance has proven helpful to Depp’s security team.

"They roll right in through the back," he said. "When he came in last Saturday, there were 200 people here and nobody knew.

"You can be sitting right there," he continued, motioning towards the main bar, "and you’d never know."

Last weekend’s visit was Depp’s third this month, so odds are good he’ll be back there again. To see a picture of Depp at Apartment3 with local designers Nikita Batic and Serena Batic, visit tgif.staradvertiser.com/archives/5911 …

In the Mix drops Fridays in TGIF. Contact Jason Genegabus by e-mail at jason@staradvertiser.com or phone at 529-4766. Check out TGIF on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TGIF808.