photo credit: enjoyart.com
Vintage Pastis posters, like the one pictured above, scream classic French Riviera to me.
With summers arrival in the south of France, there is a good chance you'll see an increase in the Pastis being passed around the tables at local Provençal cafes.
Grab your slice of real estate on the terrace, overlooking the square, or the Côte d'Azure if your lucky and order a glass of Pastis to take the sting out of the blistering sun.
Pastis is a close relative of Absinthe. When the French outlawed Absinthe, some manufacturers, like Pernod and Ricard, changed the formulation to be more anise-forward and less alcoholic.
Typically, Pastis is consumed diluted with water, as drinking it straight would most likely singe the hair off your esophagus.
The waiter will pour a generous amount of the cloudy chartreuse liqueur in the bottom of a glass
and bring it to the table along with a separate carafe of cool spring water. This allows you to add the proper amount of water for your palate to the Pastis and create your own strength of the beverage.
and bring it to the table along with a separate carafe of cool spring water. This allows you to add the proper amount of water for your palate to the Pastis and create your own strength of the beverage. I love the anise, herbaceous,black licorice flavor. It is pure refreshment on a hot day. More subtle and lighter than the Italian Sambuca, which is usually sipped straight up, with out anything to dilute it, as a digestivo, after dinner drink.
Nothing in the south of France should be rushed and Pastis is no exception. It should be sipped and savoured, like a French meal a fine wine or a summer romance. Perfect for an apéritif.
It may be more of a fashionable French statement, rather than the best tasting drink on earth. But, as they say, when in Rome Provence!
Have you ever had Pastis? What did you think of it?