I would agree that beer prior to the hike is a marginal idea. The alcohol will definitely have a dehydrating effect, you won't sleep as well, and even a minor hangover will feel unbelievably magnified at altitude. Unless you are SURE that you don't respond this way at altitude, you might want to take some caution on this.
This is a particularly leisurely schedule, with which there is nothing wrong. However, you can certainly push the mileage a bit, and actually make the trip less complicated.
It won't take you that long to climb Cottonwood Pass, and once you've made the ridge above ChickenSpring Lake, it is all downhill to rock creek. Personally, I find the environs of the creek MUCH nicer than Chickenspring. Alternatively, continue on to lower Soldier Lake, also a more tree-laden environment. I've also had much better fishing luck on Rock Creek and Soldier Lake over the years.
If you do the Soldier Lake option, you then have a relatively short day to the Rock Creek Crossing, and you might scramble up the ridge north of the lake to see Miter Basin, one of the most beautiful areas of the Sierra, I think. You can scramble down, and follow the creek, which is Rock creek, down to the trail, and down to the PCT crossing.
I agree with pushing past Crabtree to the tarns, it makes summit day (your toughest, by far), much easier.
This is one of my favorite trips in the Sierra, and however you choose to do it, you will love it.
