In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the Pernod, bourbon and anise seed. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the nuts. Sift the dry ingredients together. Gently stir in the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about three hours. Preheat the oven to 190ºC . Butter two cookie sheets. Shape the dough on cookie sheets into three loaves, well spaced. Each loaf should be about two inches wide and 1 cm thick. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the loaves puff up and brown. When the loaves are cool enough to touch, cut each loaf into diagonal slices about 1 cm thick. Lay the slices on their cut sides and toast them at 190ºC . for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Dip biscotti in chocolate the day they are to be served. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips with the shortening, stirring frequently. (If you're *really* ambitious, add a little chocolate wax to get a good do on it.) Remove from heat and stir until a candy thermometer read 30ºC . Holding each cookie by its bottom, gently dip the tops into chocolate. Turn immediately and allow to dry, uncoated side down, on wax paper. Repeat until all are done. ---*The Cereal Murders* Diane Mott Davidson