Between the holidays, the election, the war in Iraq and the other stories that are constantly hogging the media spotlight, you may have missed it when absinthe--a distilled, extremely alcoholic, anise-flavored booze--was legalized in the United States last month after a near century-long ban.

For those of you who aren't familiar with absinthe, think of it as the mother of all liquor; the closest thing we have to a drinkable psychotropic drug.

In fact, it may even be quantified in terms of doses rather than servings--i.e., "Waiter, may I please have a dose of Absinthe and some Xanax with my tea and crumpets?"

Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for a variety of New York bars to begin capitalizing on the drink's new legal status, adding absinthe-based concoctions to their specialty cocktail repertoires.

We sent one of our crack reporters on what is arguably the best mission anyone in history has ever been paid to carry out: Find out what bars are serving the best absinthe cocktails, go to those bars and drink those absinthe cocktails, try not to die in the process.

Lucky for her (and our legal department), she survived. To find out where you, too, can try to cheat death, or at least get really, really hammered off absinthe, go read the complete article, Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder.

(Photo credits: Above, left: The step-by-step process by which absinthe is prepared, courtesy of Wikipedia; above, right: an absinthe cocktail at PDT)

After their stunning victory in Green Bay last week, the New York Giants will be facing off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, just four days from now.

Now, to be fair, I wholeheartedly support the Super Bowl--or any event that promotes the excessive consumption of beer and chicken wings. But believe it or not, there are some people who simply couldn't care less about football, much less Super Bowl Sunday.

Unlike your friends and family, we understand that just because you may be un-American, doesn't mean you don't want to get drunk on Sunday like every other self-respecting member of society. And that's why we put together a little something called "Just Say No to the Super Bowl," our official list of spots where you can spend Super Bowl Sunday boozing and schmoozing without any Super Bowl-related nonsense coming between you and your weird football-hating friends.

But back on planet Earth, the rest of us will be watching the game, most likely at one of these sports bars. 

Today someone was good enough to draw my attention to this feature on Barstool Sports. I really don't know what to say, except ... wow. And whoever is responsible for the indoctrination of New Jersey's youth, and planting in them the idea that this hairstyle is EVER, under any circumstances, even remotely acceptable, should be charged with a capital crime.

Last week, Steelo' president and designer Matt Levine celebrated his new fall line with an invite-only party at Upstairs, the grimy cafe-turned-celeb hangout on the corner of Spring and Broadway. Matt tells us the bash was quite a success, with "Ford Models casually previewing the collection while mingling the scene, and Cisco Adler jumping on the turntables (and couches) ... while Aubrey O'Day, Jason Preston (Marc Jacobs' boyfriend), Lydia Hearst, Miss Teen USA Hilary Cruz, Theodora Richards, and Trevor Rains of Heatherette admired the sneak-peak preview of the much anticipated collection."

Next time, maybe Cisco--whose musical career has been less widely publicized than his now-defunct relationship with actress Mischa Barton--will take off more than just his shirt. Oh, that's right, he already did that.

(Photos courtesy of Matt Levine)

A few weeks ago we warned NYU kids to stay the hell away from 124 MacDougal Street, the site of new speakeasy-style beer bar, 124 Old Rabbit Club. Now that we've actually had a chance to visit the new spot (which once housed the Bourgeois Pig wine bar's West Village location), we're even more convinced that it's the only reason why we would ever go to MacDougal Street on a weekend--or at least the only place that might provide us with suitable shelter from the storm that is Fraternity Row.

Read our full review of 124 Old Rabbit Club, then peruse other New and Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you wasted).

(Photo courtesy of Randy Reddig, ydnar.com)

Last week, Eater reported that popular Bowery bar Mannahatta had closed, and would in a matter of weeks, be relocating a few doors down to the space currently occupied by neighborhood watering hole, Crime Scene (the bar with the dancing girl in the window and the handcuffs on the bar). Well, apparently there's a little more to it than that...

It's true that Mannahatta is closed, but it's not taking over Crime Scene, per se. Rather, Crime Scene is taking over Manahatta--not the space, but the scene, crowd, staff and even the phone number. The owner of Crime Scene (who preferred not be named, but who remains the same) has done some basic cosmetic renovations, and has brought Mannahatta's Bill Fresco on board to help her recreate (and hopefully improve upon) the look and feel of the now-shuttered bar next door.

From the resident DJs, to the mild-mannered bartenders and waitresses, to the sweet-baddass doorman, Terry, the whole experience has moved a hop, skip, and a jump away. We decided to hire Bill as the Event Coordinator and all-around pied piper. The plan was to take the elements that have made both spots successful over the years and combine them into a more upscale venue for the Bowery... We are incorporating the entire "Mannahatta party" vibe, just in a more polished and exclusive environment.

So what does that mean, specifically? Well, Eater was correct to warn Crime Scene regulars that their "Primo buyback days are numbered." The "new" Crime Scene will be, well, a bona fide scene. Expect all your favorite New York hot spot policies to be in full effect: List-only access, table reservations and bottle service highly recommended (if not straight-up required), and--just in case you didn't get the memo about the Bowery becoming the new Meatpacking District--groups of dudes arriving without a good ratio of hot girls need not apply.

Crime Scene, take two, officially soft-opens tonight, and is supposedly 100 percent booked through the weekend, so don't bother trying to convince the doorman that you're a Crime Scene regular. In fact, that's probably the fastest way to alert everyone to the fact that you're no longer cool enough to get in.

Image borrowed from Laputan

It may be frigid outside, but Malibu wants to warm you up at their Winter Beach Bash event, tonight at Terminal 5. Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead drinking Malibu anywhere that isn't poolside, preferably in the tropics--unless of course it's free, in which case there's nothing I wouldn't drink. And the complimentary Malibu cocktails are just one reason to hit up T5 tonight--the fact that Dim Mak founder Steve Aoki will be holding court in the DJ booth is another. And if all else fails, there's always the free hors d'oeuvres.

Don't forget to RSVP.

By now you've probably heard about the multiple stabbing that took place outside mammoth karaoke bar Spotlive Live early Monday morning. Granted, karaoke makes me want to stab people, too, but I wouldn't actually do it. Then again, karaoke in Times Square makes the situation that much more volatile. NY Daily News...

My drinking problem may be on the mend thanks to some positive news with respect to the Writers Guild of America strike, which may soon be resolved, FINALLY. Bloomberg...

Ironically, Graydon Carter's Waverly Inn is submerged by water. Get it? Waverly Inn, flooded? NY Post...

Guest of a Guest reports that Cordell Lochin, part owner of La Equina and The Box, has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and fined $39,000 after he was found guilty of involvement in a "cross-border drug-smuggling ring." More...

Williamsburg's new shabby-chic cocktail den, Hotel Delmano, is neither hotel nor delmano (whatever that is). Discuss.

The only thing better than booze is cheap booze, and the only thing better than cheap booze is free booze--even if you have to spend money to get it. Check out my cleverly entitled Free Booze roundup for the scoop on spots where you can get, um, free booze--from cosmos with every manicure to a bottomless glass of Franzia with every meal.

(Photo by Melissa J. McDaniel, via Flickr)

As we reported several weeks ago, there's a new rock bar called National Underground now open in the space formerly known as Martignetti Liquors. As a former bartender at Martignetti's, I was compelled to check this one out for myself. Read my full review or peruse other New and Notable bar reviews on Citysearch.