“I felt tears sting into my eyes, and took a deep swallow of the first champagne I had ever tasted, remembering that I had read somewhere that the monk who invented it said, on first tasting it, 'It is like drinking stars'.”

“What did Dom Perignon say to fellow monks after he invented champagne? ... Come quickly, I am tasting the stars.”

“Champagne was discovered by a Catholic monk," said Bernard. "Took one swallow and burst out of his cellar yelling, 'I'm drinking stars, I'm drinking stars!' Tequila was invented by a bunch of brooding Indians. Into human sacrifice and pyramids. Somewhere between champagne and tequila is the secret history of Mexico, just as somewhere between beef jerky and Hostess Twinkies is the secret history of America. Or aren't you in the mood for epigrams?”

“Do you know what Dom Pérignon said after inventing champagne? He called out to his fellow monks, 'Come quickly: I am tasting the stars.”

“Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned.”

“This is the deal, Angel. You… ran… away from me. And I tasted regret for the first time in my life. And that didn’t sting, it fuckin’ killed.”