Bonjour Booklady! Well, as you can see, all I have to do is spit and polish my crystal ball, and voom, I see then hear it from you, that you are indeed an 'anis étoilé'. Now ... I'd love to know what are the proportions in the anis/chamomille elixir that takes you on a Turkish rug to the land of the Mille et une nuits?

Now a note for Carole Chiaro: It's not just about drinking anis, but how to drink it, and where to drink it. Menton, on the French border with Italy is one place to start, then you can work your way from one Mediterranean town to the next, trying each local variation until you reach Jérez, and then switch to Sherry. To be enjoyed very slowly.

I will, of course, be starting in Chinchon on this trip.