My friends and I gathered at my apartment to sample the cocktail-of-the-moment.

Forget the martini. Nix the appletini.

Enter the nicotini.

The nicotini is a drink made from tobacco-infused vodka, popular at nightspots in states with smoking bans, like New York and California. Created in Fort Lauderdale in July 2002, the beverage promises to give smokers a jolt of nicotine without ever leaving their barstool.

I was unable to find a Cincinnati bar owner willing to do this little experiment with me, so I had to make them myself by soaking the innards of Marlboros in tepid vodka overnight.

If Cincinnati ends up putting a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, the nicotini could end up in many local hands. This is particularly true for dedicated smokers who would prefer to drink their cigarettes instead of stepping outside into unpredictable weather or unsafe areas.

The ban is creeping closer, with Columbus and Lexington both banning smoking in all public buildings.

Here, Vice Mayor Alicia Reece wants the city's Health Department to form an advisory committee by August, which could be followed by public hearings. And a group of local advocates for a ban, the Greater Cincinnati Coalition on Smoking and Health, is gaining momentum.

I can see the value in making local establishments non-smoking. Some of my best friends are bartenders, and their working conditions are thick with haze. I hate coming home with the gray, smoky stink of a night out. And I know people with young children who say they would visit more places if there were a stringent policy against smoking.

Still, a smoking ban would extinguish more than just cigarettes.

A New York State Restaurant Association survey discovered 76 percent of alcohol-licensed bar and restaurant businesses in New York City saw a decline of 25 percent or more in bar sales and 15 percent or more in food sales as a result of a smoking ban. Some city pub owners estimate the loss is even more.

The fallout from a mandatory smoking ban could do devastating economic damage here. Thriving businesses could close.

My friends could lose the tip money that pays their rent and buys their food.

Nightclubs would inevitably see a record number of noise complaints from smokers who step outside for a puff.

And what would happen to restaurants like Andy's Mediterranean Grill or Mejana, where smoking softly flavored tobacco from a hookah has deep religious meaning for many patrons?

I realize public health policies are designed with the public's welfare in mind - but sometimes there's a fine line between what should be policy and what should be personal choice. The ever-increasing and intrusive government regulations have to stop somewhere.

I'm not pro-smoking by any means. In fact, as a former smoker, I'm the worst kind of non-smoker you could ever meet. I think everyone should quit. It's a disgusting, dreadful habit.

However, I'm open to looking at alternatives.

Establishments looking to court non-smokers could invest in industrial-strength air filtration systems. .

Or give businesses a choice, with tax credits as a reward for non-smoking establishments, an option being examined by the City Council in Washington, D.C.

Smoking comes down to a choice. There's a choice in filling your lungs with tar. There's a choice in not smoking. And there's a choice in where you want to spend your time and money - at an establishment spewing smoke or one with clean air.

Already, 235 eateries in Cincinnati and 125 in Northern Kentucky are smoke-free by choice. If you don't want to be around smoke, support these places. Let them know how much you appreciate their smoke-free policies. And keep invasive regulations away from businesses that could suffer from a non-smoking cancer.

Besides, consider the alternative: the nicotini, a drink that tasted like Satan mixed it.

I tried mixtures with Kahlua, orange juice, cranberry juice and more - to no avail. It was all swill. As for the promised nicotine buzz, I got it - if by "buzz" you mean "dry heaves."

With that taste fresh in my mouth, more than ever I prefer my bars as they are now. All smoke and mirrors.

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com