Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label, called Red Hook Rye, and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

Absinthe drip and sugar cube. Photo: Alex Van Buren.

So we've been all about Bastille Day for the last 24 hours, from petanque to moules frites, brioche burger buns to a gorgeous vegetable tian and even a Francophile-friendly absinthe-spiked cocktail.

We're not the only ones itching to get out the door and toast our friends in the Old Country (or the wonderful eats and drinks they've sent our way). For those who will celebrating the occasion at home, Chow has recipes for three lovely terrines; Serious Eats discovers the tapenades of Provence; and one of Slashfood's own beer columnists breaks down Saison style beer at Gourmet while his colleague tackles eight great aperitifs, several of which are French.

Perhaps the triumph of the online articles, however, is France Magazine's enormous feature on aperitifs. From Lillet to Suze to Noilly Prat, it's all there, and we'll be printing it out and tucking it into our bag. (They've just unlocked the online files especially for Slashfood.) Happy celebrating!

Starry Night Cooler. Photo: LeNell Smothers.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

Absinthe has been blamed for a lot of rowdy behavior, but I don't think any French folks could blame it for the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. Absinthe actually had its peak in France in the late 1800s, but the trend lasted into the early 1900s. Although it originated in Switzerland, most production during the heyday of the Green Fairy took place in southern France.

The idea for Van Gogh's magnum opus, "Starry Night," is also said to have originated in southern France. Although it was created a full 100 years after the Bastille showdown, I figured I'd celebrate le quatorze juillet with a tribute to beautiful night skies (black currant syrup), a bit of revolution (gin) and a touch of madness (absinthe). I call this my Starry Night Cooler. Oh, yeah, and to beat off the summer heat, I threw in some seltzer and a bit of family-recipe lemonade.

The recipe for LeNell's Starry Night Cooler is after the jump.

• Be still our anise-loving hearts -- the newfound love for now-legal absinthe, and just what to do with the divine beverage.
• Uh ... would you consider Lays potato chips to be local food?
• Last weekend's Tofu Takedown -- one in a long line of new competitions -- Risotto Challenge, Chowder Slam, Cassoulet Cook-Off. ...
• Sea urchins get trendy and gourmet.
• We never thought swine could be so powerful -- pigs transform Eastern Europe.
• The French speak out on the art of rosés and the possibility of laxer wine rules.
• Two-Minute Squid: a recipe for Spicy Calamari with Tomato, Caperberries and Pine Nuts.
• You could praise the 50th anniversary of Manhattan's Four Seasons restaurant, or you can roast 'em.
• Should we be worrying as much as we do about food safety and food-related scares?
• Crespelle -- Italy's version of a crepe.
• The Minimalist explores asparagus and the flavor of Spring.
• Reviews: Fatty Crab is good for the giddy, maybe not for the rest. The mediocre markets of Bouley and Get Fresh Table.
• Food Stuff: Hydroponic Greens, Funky Truffles, Chicken Nuggets.
• New restaurant openings and the dining calendar.

Today is a special day for me. It is a special day for all spirit and cocktail enthusiasts throughout the state of Washington. For in a few hours, several of the nations premier absinthe producers and our own resident experts will gather downtown in a small artists loft for the first event produced by the Washington State Bartender's Guild.

This event will be the exclamation point on a long process that began last summer when I cornered Andrew Friedman, owner of a wonderful local bar named Liberty, and we began discussing how to form a collective of bartenders into a guild, similar to what the bartenders in Oregon had recently done. We recruited several talented bartenders and began laying the groundwork.

We started with a Mission Statement:

The WSBG exists as an organization of professionals and enthusiasts with an enduring mission to elevate the standard of bartending as a craft. The key to this goal is simple: we are a state- wide collaborative community dedicated to a heightened expectation of quality cocktails, spirits, wine and beer, the promotion and recognition of an excellence in service and an ongoing education of our membership.

As you've likely been reminded during the last month, mint is unavoidable during the holidays. Everyone thinks you want a candy cane (and to be fair, many people do, and God bless them ev'ryone). If people think you're a southern cook (even when you're not), they are anxious for you to try their handcrafted julep, which makes you anxious to avoid having your face freeze in the chic grimace with which Rosalind Russell greeted those honey-based daiquiris in Auntie Mame. Some will even corrupt the holiest of holies -- chocolate cake -- by whirling peppermint oil into the ganache.

Therefore, today's moral quandry: you love Absinthe (though you are somewhat disappointed that it is now legal) but you don't like mint. Can you, who have heretofore avoided everything minty except Girl Scout cookies and toothpaste, now embrace a breath mint that combines oil of anise with a pungent hit of wintergreen? If they're these absinthe mints, yes, you can.

I've always been a pretty big fan of absinthe: I've had the sweet, fruity liquor that's served in Amsterdam's Absinthe bar and the Windex-tasting stuff that the Czechs sell by the case. I used to order bottles from Portugal and Spain, back before it was officially legal, and I remember opening many an unmarked paper packages with bated breath, hoping that their precious cargo made it across the ocean without breaking.

I even made my own absinthe a few times. Not having the necessary equipment for distilling, I was unable to remove some of the bitter alkaloids from my concoction, which meant that I drank it ice cold, heavily sugared, and quickly. Ultimately, given the obsessive nature of many absinthistes, I can't claim to be an expert on the spirit, and have been accused by more than a few people of heresy for the various ways I've tried it. Still, I will admit to being a well-educated novice and an enthusiastic student.

With that in mind, I was incredibly excited when I learned that Trillium, Integrity Spirits' new domestically-produced absinthe, was going to be served at an event that I recently attended. Only the second company in the U.S. to produce the magical spirit, Integrity uses grande wormwood, or artemesia absinthum, the classic absinthe secret ingredient. This choice differentiates it from other brands, including Absente, that use southern wormwood, or artemesia abrotanum. While grande wormwood imparts a slightly bitter flavor, it also contains a larger quantity of thujone, the best-known psychoactive ingredient in the liquor.

I found Trillium to be slightly more bitter than most imported absinthes, although far smoother than the Czech tipples that I've tried. It had a pale green color that louched beautifully, turning a cloudy peridot when I diluted it with water. The 120-proof packed a decent kick, yet was still fairly smooth and pretty delicious. Moreover, as the spirit worked its magic, I felt the lessened anxiety and general relaxation that I've come to associate with the best absinthes.

Unfortunately, Trillium is unavailable outside Oregon, as Integrity is trying to find a distributor that will effectively market their product. While I'm waiting for it to make its way to this coast, I think I'm going to try to convince my mother-in-law to send me a bottle. Supporting domestic absinthe is now, officially, my patriotic duty!

The Louisiana legislature (don't they have better things to do?) yesterday named the Sazerac - a mix of bitters, rye whiskey, and absinthe - as the city's official cocktail.

As NPR reports, the drink is found in bars across the city, and its bitters are what makes it unique and deeply beloved by brown drink lovers all across the country.

Want a taste of New Orleans, but don't feel like hopping on a plane? Whip up your own, slightly modernized version of Sazerac.

And now, to continue with the absinthe trend...

Coconut and Lime author Rachel Rappaport's recipe for her cupcakes caught my eye right away. They're really simple - flour, sugar, milk, butter, and the most important part - 1/4 cup of absinthe.

Rachel recommends Kübler Absinthe Superieure absinthe, which is what she chose for the cupcakes, but feel free to substitute another brand if you so choose.

She tops the cakes with her green fairy frosting, which also contains a drop of absinthe, as well as a few drops of green food coloring to give it that light, fresh look, and tops it off with - what else? - a sugar cube. Perfection.

It's hard to resist a drink that's emerald green, slightly illegal, and known for making 19th century Parisian artists go insane.

Absinthe has always been a hit with a certain, artsy, Bo-Ho crowd. And it's lately been making a comeback, since being legalized in this country for the first time since 1912.

But until recently, finding the good stuff has always been hard. Too much of what's been smuggled into the country tastes like radiator fluid. Indeed, for a long time now, absinthe has been more a party favor than the edgy beverage of sophisticates it's supposed to be.

No longer. A small candy company in (where else?) San Francisco has created absinthe lollipops. According to its website, the inspiration for these grown-up treats came around Halloween last year, "When we found ourselves with a lot of absinthe and no candy."

If you are Marilyn Manson and you decide to launch a line of absinthe, what do you call it?

Why, Mansinthe, of course.

The drink is made in Switzerland, and, despite the U.S.'s recent lift on the absinthe ban that has been in place for 80 years, is not yet legal in America.

Epicurious recently conducted a taste test of the drink, and the results were less than desirable. Several tasters described Mansinthe as "oily," one called its color "pale and green in color, like the fourth horse of the Apocalypse."

Some eloquently compared the aroma to "sewage" or "swamp mud." And the overall responses in the test's "flavor" category were so hilarious, I had to print them here, word for word:

"Main flavor is just plain."
"Yuck. Sour + bitter"
"If you don't smell it, the taste is good. A little woodsy, but not too much"
"Holy sh*t, is this poison?"

So, there you have it, folks. Everyone thought it reeked of bathroom waste and three out of the four tasters thought it tasted like crap. Drink at your own risk...preferably while brooding and listening to "The Dope Show" at full volume.

• Make your next party a little more fancy with these gougeres (French cheese puffs).
• The oldest game supper in Vermont.
• Frank Zappa has inspired a Boston restaurant to change its name.
• Everyone likes to hang out at Bickford's.
• The world of contraband foodstuffs.
• Absinthe is available in Boston.
• The Brookline restaurant Lineage makes Kobe Meatballs.
• Rachael Ray is everywhere.
• More recipes: Southern-Style Shepherd's Pie, Italian Pork and Beans, Creamy Mushroom Soup, and Cardamom-Infused Dark Chocolate Truffles.