ALCOBLOWS: The art of Toasting

I have always been fascinated by people who take alcoholic drinks. Well, the drunkards in this category, are often a spectacle and this could either be entertaining or plain obnoxious depending on the individual. However, what I like most about imbibers of all drinks alcoholic is the toasts they make. This is a compelling reason for me not to go ahead and advocate strongly for the banning of all drinks alcoholic much the same way that hard drugs are. It goes more than saying cheers or a votre sante or salude or l'chayim. Its an artform. On second thoughts I think people came up with toasts so as to play down the usual bitter taste that many alcoholic drinks have. Anyway here are a few toasts I came across, so next time you are poping that bottle of bubbly, you have no excuse whatsoever but to propose a toast.

May friendship, like wine, improve as time advances,
And may we always have old wine, old friends, and young cares.

To my friends:
Friends we are today,
And friends we'll always be —
For I am wise to you,
And you can see through me

May bad fortune follow you all your days
And never catch up with you.

To get the full value of joy,
you must have someone to divide it with.
— Mark Twain

I drink to your charm,
your beauty and your brains —
Which gives you a rough idea of how hard up I am
for a drink.
— Groucho Marx

Don't make love by the garden gate -
Love is blind - but the neighbors ain't !

Here's to you, as good as you are and as bad as I am,
I'm as good as you are, as bad as I am

May the people who dance on your grave get cramps in their legs.
from the book, The Joys of Yiddish

However, the one that captured me most was this by Alex Hitchens (Will Smith) in the movie Hitch:

Here is to never cheating, stealing or drinking.
If you must cheat - cheat death
If you must steal - steal away from bad company
If you must drink - drink in the moments that take your breath away

Have a breath taking day!!!