This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/24/dining/drinks/pastis.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Pastis, a Perfect Aperitif for the Lazy Days of Summer | Pastis, a Perfect Aperitif for the Lazy Days of Summer |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| Pastis is the name of both an anise-flavored spirit and an easy, satisfying drink that requires no more than adding cold water to that liqueur. For me, it’s an ideal summer aperitif. It’s refreshing, transporting, and it comes with a show. | Pastis is the name of both an anise-flavored spirit and an easy, satisfying drink that requires no more than adding cold water to that liqueur. For me, it’s an ideal summer aperitif. It’s refreshing, transporting, and it comes with a show. |
| The simple process of preparing the drink is entertainment in itself. Add the water to the pale, chamomile-colored spirit, and voilà! The liquid in the glass quickly turns milky and pearlescent. | The simple process of preparing the drink is entertainment in itself. Add the water to the pale, chamomile-colored spirit, and voilà! The liquid in the glass quickly turns milky and pearlescent. |
| This diverting transformation even has a name: the louche. It refers to the emulsion that occurs when water blends with the oils in the pastis, as well as hinting at the historic perception of absinthe, pastis’s more storied relation, as sordid and disreputable. | This diverting transformation even has a name: the louche. It refers to the emulsion that occurs when water blends with the oils in the pastis, as well as hinting at the historic perception of absinthe, pastis’s more storied relation, as sordid and disreputable. |
| Whatever the image of absinthe might be these days, a pastis is hardly sordid. Instead, it is relaxed and easygoing, inducing the sort of languor one might properly feel in the hot sun, near the sea. | Whatever the image of absinthe might be these days, a pastis is hardly sordid. Instead, it is relaxed and easygoing, inducing the sort of languor one might properly feel in the hot sun, near the sea. |
| Drinking a pastis in the summer does not exactly sap the will or diminish the energy. It simply gives one the wisdom to understand that repose, not unwarranted exertion, is the preferred course of action. | Drinking a pastis in the summer does not exactly sap the will or diminish the energy. It simply gives one the wisdom to understand that repose, not unwarranted exertion, is the preferred course of action. |
| Reducing activity would certainly be prudent in the hot summers in the south of France, where pastis is most at home. Just the thought of pastis brings to mind lazy afternoons outside a shaded Marseilles cafe, watching the old men play pétanque in a park. | Reducing activity would certainly be prudent in the hot summers in the south of France, where pastis is most at home. Just the thought of pastis brings to mind lazy afternoons outside a shaded Marseilles cafe, watching the old men play pétanque in a park. |
| Befitting a drink that rewards leisure, pastis demands almost no effort to make. In an age of cocktails rivaling quantum physics for complexity, a pastis requires two ingredients: the spirit and cold water. Ice is optional, though pastis purists frown on it. I like to add a single cube after I’ve added water to the spirit, as it will keep things cold while slowly diluting the beverage. | Befitting a drink that rewards leisure, pastis demands almost no effort to make. In an age of cocktails rivaling quantum physics for complexity, a pastis requires two ingredients: the spirit and cold water. Ice is optional, though pastis purists frown on it. I like to add a single cube after I’ve added water to the spirit, as it will keep things cold while slowly diluting the beverage. |
| Dilution is not at all a bad thing. The spirit is strong, 45 percent alcohol or so. A little goes a long way, and the line between just enough and too much can be accidentally crossed. | Dilution is not at all a bad thing. The spirit is strong, 45 percent alcohol or so. A little goes a long way, and the line between just enough and too much can be accidentally crossed. |
| Service in a cafe or bar is simple as well. Traditionally, the spirit is poured into a glass, and almost any glass will do. I’ve seen French cafes use tumblers, Collins glasses and various retro, branded glasses. | |
| Google “pastis glass” and you will see vessels of just about every shape and size, often emblazoned with the name Pernod or Ricard, the two most famous pastis producers. Both brands still exist, though the companies merged in 1975 to form Pernod Ricard, now an international beverage behemoth. | Google “pastis glass” and you will see vessels of just about every shape and size, often emblazoned with the name Pernod or Ricard, the two most famous pastis producers. Both brands still exist, though the companies merged in 1975 to form Pernod Ricard, now an international beverage behemoth. |
| Bars and restaurants will generally serve the spirit in a glass, with a jug of cold water and, maybe, a glass of ice, alongside. Occasionally, a cafe or restaurant will serve the spirit on the side, for you to do the honors. In that case, pour the spirit first, maybe an inch at most. Then add water to the desired strength. | Bars and restaurants will generally serve the spirit in a glass, with a jug of cold water and, maybe, a glass of ice, alongside. Occasionally, a cafe or restaurant will serve the spirit on the side, for you to do the honors. In that case, pour the spirit first, maybe an inch at most. Then add water to the desired strength. |
| I usually begin with a four-to-one ratio of water to pastis. I then add a little more water — or ice — as I go along, stretching out the drink so that I don’t end up stretched out myself. One pastis is plenty for me, though if you continue to add water or let the ice melt, it may take an afternoon to finish. | I usually begin with a four-to-one ratio of water to pastis. I then add a little more water — or ice — as I go along, stretching out the drink so that I don’t end up stretched out myself. One pastis is plenty for me, though if you continue to add water or let the ice melt, it may take an afternoon to finish. |
| As pastis is a do-it-yourself operation, nobody’s recipe is the correct one. Find your own happy ratio of water to spirit. | As pastis is a do-it-yourself operation, nobody’s recipe is the correct one. Find your own happy ratio of water to spirit. |
| You don’t need to be Provençal, or French, to embrace pastis. Irene Justiniani, the beverage manager at the restaurant fortuitously called Pastis in the meatpacking district, said that she serves them regularly. | You don’t need to be Provençal, or French, to embrace pastis. Irene Justiniani, the beverage manager at the restaurant fortuitously called Pastis in the meatpacking district, said that she serves them regularly. |
| “It’s very popular, of course,” she said, “though not as popular as I would like because I’m a big fan.” | “It’s very popular, of course,” she said, “though not as popular as I would like because I’m a big fan.” |
| Ms. Justiniani said her customers enjoy pastis as much as a digestif as an aperitif, which I suppose makes sense. She says most people prefer Ricard, which is a little sweeter than the drier Pernod. | Ms. Justiniani said her customers enjoy pastis as much as a digestif as an aperitif, which I suppose makes sense. She says most people prefer Ricard, which is a little sweeter than the drier Pernod. |
| While Pernod and Ricard are the best known and most common bottles you’ll see, I prefer another brand, Henri Bardouin, which is not as assertive as the other two. Whichever brand you prefer, a bottle will run around $30 to $35. | While Pernod and Ricard are the best known and most common bottles you’ll see, I prefer another brand, Henri Bardouin, which is not as assertive as the other two. Whichever brand you prefer, a bottle will run around $30 to $35. |
| Pastis will not be for everybody. The primary flavors are derived from licorice, anise, star anise and fennel, though there are many other herbs and spices. Licorice is dominant in Ricard while Pernod derives its flavor more from star anise and fennel, and Henri Bardouin is more minty and herbal. These are subtleties, though. A licorice, anise flavor will always be prominent. | Pastis will not be for everybody. The primary flavors are derived from licorice, anise, star anise and fennel, though there are many other herbs and spices. Licorice is dominant in Ricard while Pernod derives its flavor more from star anise and fennel, and Henri Bardouin is more minty and herbal. These are subtleties, though. A licorice, anise flavor will always be prominent. |
| Many people despise licorice, but I am not one of them. I learned as a child that though loving licorice could be lonely, it had benefits, like all the black jelly beans I wanted. As an adult, cherishing licorice puts me in excellent company historically. | Many people despise licorice, but I am not one of them. I learned as a child that though loving licorice could be lonely, it had benefits, like all the black jelly beans I wanted. As an adult, cherishing licorice puts me in excellent company historically. |
| According to David Wondrich, the editor in chief of the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, it’s difficult to pinpoint where licorice- and anise-flavored spirits originated. Various forms can be traced back to India, China and particularly the Mediterranean, where it became highly popular in the 17th century. | According to David Wondrich, the editor in chief of the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, it’s difficult to pinpoint where licorice- and anise-flavored spirits originated. Various forms can be traced back to India, China and particularly the Mediterranean, where it became highly popular in the 17th century. |
| “Some of the first Barbadian rum was anise-flavored — that was in the 1640s,” Mr. Wondrich said. | “Some of the first Barbadian rum was anise-flavored — that was in the 1640s,” Mr. Wondrich said. |
| You can see evidence today of the popularity of anise spirits in Lebanese arak, Turkish raki, Greek ouzo, Italian sambuca and, of course, the French pastis. To this list Mr. Wondrich adds mahia from Morocco and chinchón from Spain, spirits with which I am not yet familiar. | You can see evidence today of the popularity of anise spirits in Lebanese arak, Turkish raki, Greek ouzo, Italian sambuca and, of course, the French pastis. To this list Mr. Wondrich adds mahia from Morocco and chinchón from Spain, spirits with which I am not yet familiar. |
| It’s impossible to talk about the history of anise spirits without mentioning absinthe, the glamorized, demonized beverage adopted by belle epoque bohemians, both actual and would-be. | It’s impossible to talk about the history of anise spirits without mentioning absinthe, the glamorized, demonized beverage adopted by belle epoque bohemians, both actual and would-be. |
| Conservatives and prohibitionists spearheaded a ban on absinthe production in the early 20th century, because, they believed, one of its key ingredients, wormwood, caused hallucinations and other health problems. By the early 21st century, absinthe production became legal again as it was understood that alcohol poisoning because of the spirits’s 50 to 70 percent alcohol content was a far more likely cause of concern than hallucinations. | Conservatives and prohibitionists spearheaded a ban on absinthe production in the early 20th century, because, they believed, one of its key ingredients, wormwood, caused hallucinations and other health problems. By the early 21st century, absinthe production became legal again as it was understood that alcohol poisoning because of the spirits’s 50 to 70 percent alcohol content was a far more likely cause of concern than hallucinations. |
| Pernod originally produced absinthe. When it was banned, it began to make pastis, with a lower degree of alcohol and no wormwood to speak of. | Pernod originally produced absinthe. When it was banned, it began to make pastis, with a lower degree of alcohol and no wormwood to speak of. |
| Absinthe, with its blend of many herbs, is far more bitter than pastis, which explains the customary ritual of dripping water through a sugar cube into a glass holding the spirit. Today’s anise spirits are sweet on their own to varying degrees, so adding sugar is unnecessary. Modern absinthes, for that matter, no longer need sugar either, though, if you are planning to drink an absinthe pastis, add water in at least a five-to-one ratio rather than four to one. | Absinthe, with its blend of many herbs, is far more bitter than pastis, which explains the customary ritual of dripping water through a sugar cube into a glass holding the spirit. Today’s anise spirits are sweet on their own to varying degrees, so adding sugar is unnecessary. Modern absinthes, for that matter, no longer need sugar either, though, if you are planning to drink an absinthe pastis, add water in at least a five-to-one ratio rather than four to one. |
| I’ve rarely seen pastis used in a cocktail, particularly since the re-emergence of absinthe has eliminated the need to use pastis substitutes in a cocktails like the Sazerac, which were historically made with absinthe. But Ms. Justiniani of Pastis says that recently people have been ordering Pastis Tomates, pastis with a splash of grenadine syrup topped up with water. | I’ve rarely seen pastis used in a cocktail, particularly since the re-emergence of absinthe has eliminated the need to use pastis substitutes in a cocktails like the Sazerac, which were historically made with absinthe. But Ms. Justiniani of Pastis says that recently people have been ordering Pastis Tomates, pastis with a splash of grenadine syrup topped up with water. |
| I’m not much of a grenadine fan, nor does the idea of a Pastis Tomate appeal. It’s not so much that it would make a pastis too sweet, which of course it would, or that the tomato color created by the grenadine obliterates the magic of the louche. Rather, adding grenadine seems like a crime against the lovely indolence induced by pastis. That, I can’t abide. | I’m not much of a grenadine fan, nor does the idea of a Pastis Tomate appeal. It’s not so much that it would make a pastis too sweet, which of course it would, or that the tomato color created by the grenadine obliterates the magic of the louche. Rather, adding grenadine seems like a crime against the lovely indolence induced by pastis. That, I can’t abide. |
| Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. | Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. |