Liqueur
Pastis
Pastis is a bone-dry French anise-and-liquorice aperitif, the everyday drink of Provence and Marseille, bottled at around forty to forty-five percent alcohol by volume and drunk long — poured over ice and cut with cold water, at which point the clear amber spirit blooms into a cloudy, opaline yellow-white known as the louche.
Balanced45% ABV
At a glance
Signature
Anise & Liquorice
Fennel
Strength
Spirituous
45% ABV
Bone-dry and aromatic, pastis leads with a cooling wave of sweet-liquorice anise — the anethole shared with fennel and star anise — underlaid by the earthy, rooty depth of liquorice and, in herb-rich versions, a scrub of Provençal botanicals. Neat it is fiercely spirituous and only lightly sweet; cut with cold water it turns opaline and soft, the alcohol receding to leave a long, refreshing, faintly bitter liquorice finish that cleans the palate and whets the appetite. The mouthfeel is light and watery once diluted, cooling rather than syrupy, with a lingering menthol-anise aftertaste.
Taste balance
BitternessMedium
SmoothBitter
StrengthStrong
LightStrong