Café Terrace Ritual · Anise Aperitif
Pastis
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Pastis was born out of a ban: when absinthe was outlawed in France in 1915, distillers in Marseille reformulated an anise-and-licorice spirit without wormwood, and Pastis 51 and Ricard turned it into the unofficial drink of the whole Provençal coast.
Pastis is a deep-yellow, anise-flavored spirit that turns cloudy white when mixed with water and ice, traditionally poured tall in a straight glass on a café terrace. It's sipped slowly through the afternoon, often alongside olives or a game of pétanque, and tastes of licorice, fennel, and warm herbs.
Why it's made this way: Marseille and the Provençal coast are where pastis was invented and industrialized in the 1930s by Paul Ricard, and it remains the region's defining social drink, tied to café culture, pétanque courts, and the Mediterranean pace of life.
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