What is a Pastis?

Pastis is an anise flavoured spirit with its roots in France. It is typically treated as an aperitif to stimulate the appetite before dinner. It became a commercial hit in 1932 under Paul Ricard in southern France, emerging onto the scene after the international ban of absinthe. It filled the gap as a similar flavoured but less highly alcoholic drink, although it is still between 40-45% ABV usually.

Where Pastis and absinthe differ, besides in alcohol proof, is the herbal makeup. Pastis doesn't contain wormwood and gets its liquorice flavour from star anise, whilst absinthe uses a combination of fennel and green anise to acheive this flavour. Pastis also traditionally uses liquorice root which exhibits a further flavour difference and it can also be made sweet with the addition of sugar.

How to serve Pastis

If you are hosting a bougie dinner, you may want to know the best way to serve it to your guests. Normally, it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5 (with water being the larger part) but you can really do it to your taste. It will begin to go milky once mixed with water but this is not a problem, it is just the compounds becoming insoluble in a phenomenon known as the ouzo effect.

Most importantly, make sure that you serve it cold so it really hits the spot as an aperitif.

If you'd like something similar to Pastis, try searching for Sambuca, Raki, Ouzo and Arak.