What does pastis taste like?
Pastis tastes like sweet black licorice, from star anise and licorice root, with soft herbs behind it, and once you add water it turns cloudy, cool and refreshing.
Pastis
cool licorice, long afternoons
Pastis is the anise spirit of Marseille and the south of France, created in the years after absinthe was banned there. It's sweeter and softer than absinthe, with no wormwood bitterness, and it adds licorice root for a rounder, candy-like flavor. You almost never drink it straight. Pour a little into a glass, add about five parts cold water and watch it turn milky yellow. Diluted, it's light, cool and refreshing, the drink of pétanque games and long lunches. Ricard and Pastis 51 are the big names.
Where you’ll see it
Served with a carafe of cold water and ice at French bistros and bars, before dinner. Also as a Mauresque (with orgeat) or a Perroquet (with mint syrup), and in some seafood dishes like bouillabaisse.
Order it if you like black licorice and want a long, cool, low-key drink on a hot day.
Quick questions
- What's the difference between pastis and absinthe?
- Pastis is sweeter, lower in alcohol (around 40 to 45%) and has no wormwood, plus licorice root. Absinthe is drier, more herbal and much stronger.
- Why does pastis turn cloudy?
- The anise oils dissolve in alcohol but not in water. Add water and they come out as tiny droplets, turning the drink milky.