The Beantown Bloggery is reporting that in a mere month, absinthe will be available in the Hub! The green liquor has been banned in the United States since 1912, as the wormwood (and the chemical thujone contained within) are believed to cause everything from hallucinations to psychosis. While most countries have relaxed their bans on absinthe, the United States continues to enforce it (absinthe: the inverse death penalty). So how, exactly, is it coming to Boston?

It turns out that a New York based company has figured out a way to make absinthe that involves only a trace of thujone. This absinthe, Lucid, has been on the market for a few months in New York where, the New York Times reports, it has made its way onto cocktail menus across the city. Lucid is currently only available in New York, New Jersey and Illinois, but on November 2, certain Boston retailers will start stocking Lucid.

Personally, we're not that pumped for the return of absinthe, as we don't like liquids that taste like licorice. But if you enjoy ritualistic drink preparations, neon colors, and/or pretending you're Oscar Wilde, you should probably start getting pumped for November 2.

Absinthe Coming to Boston [Beantown Bloggery]
Lucid Absinthe [Official Site]
A Fond Hello [New York Times]

[Photo: Eric Litton]

Recently, we've noticed an odd trend in the greater Boston dining scene: restaurants holding "Sinatra nights", evenings that feature a Frank Sinatra impersonator covering Old Blue Eyes' songs, drinks, dancing and dinner. Now, we enjoy Sinatra as much as the next girl (we're especially partial to anything off Swing Easy!), but we're a little confused as to why there are so many Sinatra nights. After all, Sinatra was a Jersey boy, so it's not like it's a hometown connection as there would be if we were suddenly seeing a proliferation of, say, James Taylor nights or Jonathan Richman nights (we would totally go to the latter, by the by). And, while the Chairman's music is ideal for dinner and dancing, so are the songs of countless other artists. So why Sinatra?

The answer, it would appear, lies with Michael Dutra. Dutra is a New England based Sinatra impersonator who performs more than 300 nights out of the year. He is at LTK once a week (next Monday and then every Tuesday in October) and Red Sky every Wednesday. He makes a multitude of appearances throughout the suburbs and as far away as Providence. It seems that Dutra has built a career off of founding Sinatra nights at Boston restaurants, so, we suppose, the real question is not why there are so many Sinatra nights in Boston restaurants. The real question is why the monthly Sinatra night at Vinalia doesn't involve Michael Dutra. Will there be a Sinatra impersonator showdown in the Hub's future? Because that would be awesome.

Michael Dutra [Official Site]
LTK [Official Site]
Red Sky [Official Site]
Vinalia [Official Site]

So, Forbes, in their infinite wisdom, has ruled that our fair city is the fourth drunkest in the nation. If you've ever taken the B Line on a weekend night, walked down Hemenway, or tried to grab a taco from La Verdad, it's hard to disagree with that assertion. Although Boston is a haven for the boozily inclined, it's also a fine place for those who opt for alcohol-free fun. In the spirit of inclusion, here are a few excellent places for both.

For The Drunkards
•B Side has some of the city's best cocktails. Even the most standard (and dare we say boring?) drinks are delicious here. We swear they make the world's best vodka tonic. As excellent as B Side is for a grownup night on the town, it's even better for a hungover brunch. Soothe your stomach with brioche french toast and indulge in a high-class hair of the dog with a bellini.
•We're completely and totally obsessed with the sandwiches at Parish Cafe, but the cocktails are, truthfully, just as good. The BX's Lime Rickey is insane: Stoli Razberry, lime juice, and Chambord. Be warned: they might taste like lemonade, but they pack a punch.

For the Teetotalers
•Ever since Curious Liquids shut its doors, we've considered 1369 Coffee House to be the Hub's premier coffee destination. They brew the best cup in town, and the muffins are supremely delicious.
•Let's face it. After 11pm, there is a dearth of coffeeshops open in the city. If you're a night owl but also a nondrinker, it's time to make Caffe Vittoria your best friend. It's open until 1am, the espresso is awesome, and you can have a cannoli. Mmm. Cannoli.

America's Drunkest Cities [Forbes]
B Side [Official Site]
Parish Cafe [Official Site]
1369 Coffee House [Official Site]
Caffe Vittoria [MenuPages]

[Photo: Wilson's Almanac]

Ohhh, Boston Fashion Week. We're not exactly sure why or how it got scheduled at the exact same time as the much bigger deal that is New York Fashion Week, but it doesn't really seem like that was the best decision. If Boston had taken an unoccupied week for its fashion festival, it could have gotten a lot more attention, but we fear that next week, the fashionistas of the world will all be pondering which New York collections are best (we're partial to Marchesa and Rachel Comey so far). Sigh.

Although BFW is not operating at full steam, there's still a good deal of fun and excitement to be had at the week's events. Most pertinently to our purposes, there seem to be after parties each and every night of the week, most of which seem to be free if you email rsvp@stuffatnight.com. Our picks for the best include the shindig at Great Bay on Friday the 14 (it follows a ModelBoston event, so pretty people will be in attendance) and the do at 33 Restaurant & Lounge on Thursday the 13, which will feature both a fashion show by Kater Hall and the DJ stylings of Enrique Florendo. The full schedule may be found on the Boston Fashion Week website. Get excited!

Boston Fashion Week [Official Site]
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week [Official Site]
Great Bay [Official Site]
33 Restaurant & Lounge [Official Site]

The Globe had a great piece yesterday about the differences between shaken and stirred martinis. Scientists at the University of Western Ontario published an article in the British Medical Journal claiming that shaken martinis are twice as effective as their stirred counterparts at deactivating hydrogen peroxide, making them chock-full of antioxidants. Why? Science! Okay, so the science is ambiguous at best, but when someone is telling us that drinking alcohol can protect against heart disease and cataracts, we choose not to ask questions and just accept the fact as a gift from a benevolent higher power.

Our favorite part of the piece comes from one Eben Klemm, who claims that the taste of a stirred martini is superior to that of a shaken one. This is basically a run of the mill assertion, notable only for Klemm's background information. It seems that Mr. Klemm is "a former researcher at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Sciences in Cambridge (and now a bartender in Manhattan)." That, dear friends, is a career path.

I know James Bond has a preference, but is there a big difference between a shaken martini and a stirred one? [Boston Globe]

This morning's Daily Candy brings news of a truly exciting development. The owners of Dorchester restaurant Venezia have opened Boston Winery, an interactive winery where the customer may produce his or her own wine.

Here's how it works. You order the variety of grapes you fancy (we'd go for the Sauvignon Blanc) and then start the winemaking process in September, with de-stemming and crushing the grapes. Boston Winery's fleet of experts is there to guide you each step of the way, so there's no need to be intimidated. After fermentation, you press your crush. This sounds to us like something from high school, but apparently, it just refers to the process of filling your barrel(s). In January, you remove sediment, clean your barrel and top it off. Finally, in August, you get to fill and cork your bottles and label them. You then have 240 bottles of your own custom-made wine. 240 bottles! That's your Christmas gifts taken care of right there. The cost (between $2650-6000) seems steep, but given the amount of wine you get and the sheer awesomeness of having your own personal wine, we think it sounds pretty worth it for those who have that kind of disposable income.

Spin the Bottle [Daily Candy]
Venezia [Official Site]
Boston Winery [Official Site]

The Boston City Council recently made news for a proposal that would ask local bars to offer plastic covers for cocktails. Councilor Stephen Murphy proposed that bars hand out specialty coasters with covers that can be peeled off and stuck to the top of a glass to prevent drinks from being drugged with roofies or other date rape drugs. Users could drink their beverages by sticking a straw through the cover. The video of the meeting where Murphy presented his proposal is very much worth watching (the cocktail cover discussion starts around minute 35). Murphy, who admits that he got the idea from Dateline (next up, Councilor Murphy Catches a Predator), can hardly keep from giggling as he gives his idea. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the proposal has been met with plenty of mockery from folks ranging from Murphy's fellow Councilor John Tobin, who jokingly suggested giving everyone fanny packs in which to store their drinks, to Bostonist, who derided the measure as "late-night talk-show-host fodder."

While we don't see the harm in, say, offering incentives for bars to give out the special cover-coasters instead of regular coasters, it seems highly doubtful that anyone would actually use them. Drink-tampering is a very serious issue, but no one likes to look like they're drinking a mojito out of a sippy cup. We suggest keeping your eyes and hands on your drink at all times. What do you think?

Boston City Council [Official Site]
Lids for Cocktails Inspire Critics [Boston Globe]
Cocktail Condoms? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Cocktail Condoms! [Bostonist]
Imagine sippy cups with little paper umbrellas in them [Universal Hub]

The ever-enjoyable Gridskipper posted a roundup of Boston's best happy hours yesterday. They highlighted some great bargains (we're definitely going to try the special at Noir, which was also mentioned in this week's Dig), but left out one big piece of information: to the great dismay of those Bay Staters who enjoy a cheap tipple, happy hours are technically illegal in the great state of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts abolished happy hours in 1984 in an attempt to limit drunk driving. Although the vast majority of Massachusetts residents know that it's illegal to offer specials on drinks, many are not familiar with the more arcane provisions of the law. The happy hour law not only prevents bars and restaurants from offering discounted drinks during certain days or hours, but it also prohibits open bars at anything except private events (yet another reason that New Year's Eve is difficult in the Hub), giving any patron more than two drinks at one time, and (in what is clearly the law's most sensible provision) serving pitchers of beer or mixed drinks to individuals. Interestingly, although the law's stated purpose was to reduce drunk driving, the number of fatalities involving alcohol and cars didn't drop dramatically until 1991, seven years after the law passed. As a fan of both cheap drinking and responsible alcohol consumption, we'll pine for a day when Massachusetts allows us to do both at the same time. Until that day (which, we're willing to admit is most likely the neverteenth of Nevuary, two thousand and nevern), we can at least take comfort in the fact that our liquor laws are less weird than those of Pennsylvania.

Boston's Best Happy Hours [Gridskipper]
"Happy Hour" Ban Starts In Massachusetts [New York Times]
Notice to All Local Licensing Authorities [Mass.gov]
Massachusetts Drunk Driving Statistics [Alcohol Alert!]
Pennsylvania Liquor Laws Explained [MenuPages Philadelphia]

[Photo: Neon Boston]

We love our job. We read about food and we write about food and really, who gets paid to do this? Apparently us and we're very happy about it. We want you to be similarly happy in your job, so we scour the food/beverage/hospitality section on Craigslist to see if there's anything you might be interested in and that's how we came across this gem. BuyYourFriendADrink.com is expanding into the Boston area and they're seeking a City Development Manager.

We'll be honest here: as interested as we are in finding you The Job Of Your Dreams, we're maybe more fascinated by the BuyYourFriendADrink.com concept. The theory seems to be that if you had a friend who was celebrating something and you could not be there for said celebration, you could log onto the site and "buy" her or him a drink. Your friend would then get an email which they could print out and bring to one of the dozens of participating bars, where they could redeem it for a free drink (or several free drinks, depending on the size of the gift). Basically, it's just gussied up gift certificates for bars, which is nowhere near as cool as what we thought it was, namely a service that allows you to send a drink over to your friend when he or she is out at a particular bar. We'll be interested to see if this catches on in the Hub. It's not something we would use (we prefer the low-tech "rain check" method when we can't attend a celebration), but we could certainly see it catching on with college kids and becoming to turning 21 what gift certificates to Newbury Comics were to turning thirteen. Who knows? Maybe this is a golden opportunity.

City Development Manager: BuyYourFriendADrink.com [Craigslist]
BuyYourFriendADrink.com [Official Site]

We were all set to make fun of the new $1,000 martini at The Capital Grille, but then we realized that it's for charity and we felt more than a little bit mean. The "martini" is made of Ciroc vodka, creme de mure (blackberry liqueur) and fresh berries. It comes garnished with a piece of jewelery, which, presumably, is yours to keep. 100% of the profits go to Share Our Strength. Here's our question: we're used to tipping a dollar per drink (sometimes a little more on something absurdly annoying to make), but somehow, that doesn't seem quite right on a thousand dollar drink. What would you leave?

For those of you without the means to donate a grand to a charity martini, here's how to make your own version at home:
1) Go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of creme de cassis and the cheapest possible bottle of bubbly.
2) Fill a champagne glass about an eighth of the way with creme de cassis.
3) Fill the rest with cheap champagne.
4) Garnish with a plastic ring. May we suggest this super-chic little guy?
5) Feel very swank.

What Makes A Martini Worth $1000? Serving It With A Very Special Twist [Capital Grille: News]
The Capital Grille [MenuPages]
Share Our Strength [Official Site]

Saturday's Globe reports that Patrick Lyons, owner of Avalon, Axis, and assorted other restaurant and nightlife properties throughout the city, has plans to tear down Avalon and Axis and build a larger club in their place. This club, tentatively called the Lansdowne Street Music Hall, will host performers (BTW: best/most depressing sentence of the article: "Artists including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and Carly Simon have played there, and more recently Taylor Hicks and Fall Out Boy.") and more intriguingly for our purposes, feature two restaurants, one fine dining and one with "popular prices". If Lyons' plan is approved, this would constitute a huge leap in the number of serious dining options on Lansdowne from one (the excellent new La Verdad) to three. The article got us thinking - who would be the right chefs for these (as yet) hypothetical restaurants?

The challenge for the Music Hall's restaurants would be to balance the wants and needs of Boston's serious foodies (particularly at the fine dining restaurant) with those of drunken clubbers and post-game Sox fans. While that's a heady challenge, it's not by any means impossible. Look at Las Vegas, which was a culinary no-mans-land a mere decade ago and now boasts many excellent restaurants that we could definitely not afford sitting right next to the all-you-can-eat shrimp buffets. We think that Frank McClelland would be a great choice for the fine dining spot. His food is elegant and endlessly interesting, but as the chef at L'Espalier and partner at Sel De La Terre, he's shown a consistent sense of humor and a distinct lack of stuffiness - ideal qualities for a restaurateur in the shadow of Fenway. As for the restaurant we'll actually be able to afford, we'd love to see something that's a slight cut above the current late night options (i.e. Little Stevie's), but still affordable. We can't help but think that this might be a better location for Todd English's forthcoming burger joint than Post Office Square.

What about you? What would you like to see on Lansdowne Street? Besides less fistfights. Leave a comment and let us know.

Club Owner Has New Vision For Lansdowne Street [Boston.com]
L'Espalier [Official Site]
Sel De La Terre [Official Site]
Little Stevie's House of Pizza [MenuPages]
Todd English To Add Burgers To His Empire? [MenuPages Boston Blog]

[Photo: Hostels.com]

In college, we, along with a friend, had the phenomenally brilliant (if not necessarily stone-cold sober) idea to open a bar called TGIF. No, it wouldn't be a knockoff T.G.I. Friday's. No, our TGIF would be a bar with a mission, a bar with a purpose, a bar with a theme. That theme, dear reader, would be the 1990s ABC Friday night programming block of the same name. Picture it. You mosey up to the bar and ask the bartender (who would be dressed as either DJ or Uncle Jesse from Full House, depending on their gender) for a Step By Step (a shot of whiskey and a bottle of Milwaukee's Best) and a Boy Meets World (a beverage that bears a striking resemblance to an "Irish car bomb") for your gentleman friend. It would be great.

Sadly, the TGIF planning process never really made it past the door of our dorm room, but in the spirit of Friday nights and themed cocktails, here's a roundup of some of Boston's most intriguing drink concepts.

•We're not really sure that the Pilgrims would have appreciated a cocktail named for the rock they made famous, but if you're into gin, you can shore yourself up with the Plymouth Rock at Croma. Plymouth gin, Cointreau, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and a lime sounds like a very grown up version of a bag of Sour Patch Kids.
•We're not 100% sure which spirit represents which archetype, but Eastern Standard combines vermouth and pastis to create the Half Sinner Half Saint. We're willing to bet that after you've had a few of them, you'll be well more than half of the former and very little of the latter.
•Pay a somewhat vague tribute to a classical Italian combination with the Prosciutto and Melon cocktail at 28 Degrees, which is made with melon vodka and garnished with melon. While that sounds tasty, we must wonder: where's the pork?

T.G.I. Friday [Official Site]
Croma [Official Site]
Eastern Standard [Official Site]
28 Degrees [Official Site]
TGIF (ABC) [Wikipedia]

Boston continues its slow but steady domination of the New York Times today with a piece on Bostonites Todd and Jason Ahlström, Weekly Dig contributors and creators of the Beer Advocate website and magazine. Times booze guru Eric Asimov met the Brothers Ahlström at The Publick House to talk about fighting beer's association with white hats and drinking games. The most notable revelation? Todd and Jason hope to eventually open a Boston-area brewery. We love Sam Adams and Harpoon as much as the next girl, but another brewery (or, you know, a dozen) could be pretty excellent as well.

Overcoming a Frat Party Reputation [The New York Times]
Beer Advocate [Official Site]
The Publick House [MenuPages]