PASTIS
The Pastis results from the maceration of several plants. It is made with distilled alcohol and, in its production process, herbs and flowers are added, thus being a drink called compost. After the composting process, a liqueur is made to which the anise is added again. The drink emerged in France after the ban of the famous absinthe.
French law requires an alcohol content of 45% and an anethole concentration of 2g/l1.
Because of its high anethole content it is much more sensitive to cold.
A cloudiness appears at 8 or 10 ° C. As soon as it is brought back to room temperature, the disturbance disappears quickly, without any change in its quality or taste.
Pastis is based on anise flavored with fennel, licorice and coriander (and many other plants depending on the brand).
It approaches from his cousins like Raki, Ouzo, and Arak, but is generally softer than his huge Mediterranean family.
The best known pastis brands are Ricard, Pernod and Henri Bardouin. It should be served in medium glasses, in a proportion of one part of pastis with 5 parts of ice water.
When absinthe was banned in France in 1915 for supposedly mentally altering whoever drank it, the bistrôts began serving anise-flavored liqueurs as a substitute.
Their recipes excluded absinthe, but they used many of the same absinthe aromas, personalized and proportionate to taste. The addition of licorice and sugar belongs to the pastis and it is the sugar that qualifies it as liqueur.
In the late 1920s, Paul Ricard created his version of the aniseed aperitif in Marseille, marketing it under the name of pastis, placing commercial production of pastis on the map even before it was legally allowed. Paul Ricard obtained this permission in 1932.
Pernod has released its own version, although it does not call it "pastis", and many other versions marketed in France and abroad have followed the same path.
Today Ricard and Pernod are the two most recognized brands, but artisan producers such as Henri Bardouin have their own flavors and are considered Premium Pastis.
