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Also, Pastis w/milk (instead of water) was a favorite after-dinner drink of my "French family" when I studied abroad in college. YUM!

My husband is -- or rather, was -- a huge pastis fan, and would drink it regularly. However, he has now gotten onto absinthe, which is no longer banned (the story of how it was banned is an example of an over-reaction based on no scientific evidence --- the hallucinogenic claims of wormwood are now proven to be poppycock).

The traditional recipes for absinthe survived here in Switzerland (where it originated and never really died out) and in France (Czech Absinthe is a fake, I am afraid -- stick to the beer there).

We did a taste test yesterday of the 2 of them side by side, and the absinthe is far superior to pastis - more refined, elegant and complex (true absinthe is not bitter), so if you are interested in pastis, I urge you to try absinthe. I am pretty sure you can order it b mail order -- in any case, there is no reason it shouldn't be legal.

Really, once you have tasted a good Swiss or French absinthe, you won't be interested in Pastis again...

Here is a good site with lots of information (there are others)

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Both drinks which never taste the same once you are back home.

And, in truth, both probably fairly evil drinks best suited to hard core drinkers...

...unless you are on holiday or in Switzerland...

not true Lesley

mmmm.... evil drinks!

quercus, I also have some Grappa and some Ouzo knocking about somewhere if you want to make a night of it...