Pastis recipe

Recipe

For 70cl of 45° pastis, you will need:

Important

Follow the order, stir continuously, and stop adding anethole as soon as the pastis starts to turn cloudy. You might also consider not adding all of the baking soda.

Mother Tincture Recipe

This is an infusion of plants in alcohol. To ensure a safe product and a consistent recipe, I recommend buying this alcohol pre-made, wherever you can find it at a good price: at such a high alcohol concentration, the taste is no longer the concern, but safety is!

Here are the quantities I would use for 1 liter of alcohol.

Important

The goal is to end up with 45° alcohol and 0.2% oil (anethole). Following my steps compensates for the fact that the oil concentration will vary with the infused aniseed plants. This balance is what creates the "ouzo effect" that makes pastis so magical. It’s actually an emulsion, like mayonnaise!

Tip

Some tips:

• As far as I know, anethole is banned from sale in France. Likely due to the success of homemade pastis. In Belgium, you can find it at Grimoire de Mélusine, a cooperative with which I’ve had a good experience.
• Just because the ouzo effect fails doesn’t mean the pastis is ruined! Taste it and persevere for the next batch!
• I think I’m infusing too much. I’ll try reducing the quantities used for each infusion. This is interesting from an economic perspective, but also for the amount of oil extracted from the plants.
• Don’t hesitate to experiment! Cornflowers don’t add much flavor. Liège syrup or honey gives a certain sweetness. Citrus zest also pairs well. For my next attempts, I’m considering sweet woodruff, red clover, and wild berries.
• Baking soda serves both to soften the drink and amplify the ouzo effect! It was a fortuitous discovery on my part, but I’m sure industrial producers are aware of it.

What is it?

All I knew at first was that it’s a strongly anise-flavored alcohol. It’s very refreshing and ideal for accompanying a game of pétanque or Vendée-style palet! Pastis and anise, in general, aren’t very popular these days, especially among young people.

Yet, I discovered a passion for this drink. One day, I took the plunge and decided to learn more about it. I quickly asked myself a few questions.

What are the different brands?

What is the history of pastis?

How do you make it yourself?

Brands

• Ricard: A favorite so dominant in the market that it has become synonymous with pastis. Entire songs are dedicated to it.
• Pastis 51: Another brand owned by the same company! Don’t be fooled if, for some strange reason, you want to boycott it. It got its name in 1951 to circumvent a law on alcohol advertising. They were able to plaster 51 on all kinds of objects to avoid censorship. Ricard used the same strategy. Not just because of pastis, but 51 is my lucky number. No point trying to use it to guess my bank card PIN, I’ll never use that number in that context.
• Pastis Ardent: A Belgian pastis, made in Liège (/liːtʃ/). Very floral, less sweet, and refreshing. It’s less of a thirst-quenching pastis and more of a quality drink.
• Pastis Jeannot ⭐: Not so easy to find in stores, it strikes a very pleasant balance between 51 and Pastis Ardent.

History of Pastis

Pastis comes from the south of France. Apparently, the name means “to mix” in Provençal. It couldn’t have existed before the globalization of certain spices. It dates back to the Great War when absinthe was banned. It’s a kind of offspring of the Green Fairy. Absinthe itself didn’t really take off until the early 19th century.

A regional drink, but globalized. Quite ironic.