“ ‘She said: “Yes. I’d like to have a different kind of liqueur with my coffee. Something I’ve never heard of. Any suggestions?”
    ‘So I described Verveine; I thought of it because it is the identical green of her eyes. It’s made out of a million-odd mountain herbs; I’ve never found it anywhere outside France and damn few places here. Delicious; but with a kick like bad moonshine. So we had a couple of Verveines, and Kate said: “Yes, indeed. That certainly is different.” ’ ”

—Truman Capote, “Unspoiled Monsters”, Answered Prayers, 1987.