Sweet WormWood

You are in a hammock, gazing lazily over the Cote d’Azur; a glass of pastis in one hand, the other dangling in the tall sweet grass. The warm air drifts in from the mediterranean, slips over the stone walls and softly rustles the silver green leaves of the sun filtered branches over your head. You have resolved to never set foot in the ‘rat race’ again. And even if you can’t stick to your resolve forever, you’ll at least enjoy the moment with your vessel of pastis. It is a drink to be enjoyed leisurely. Since it has a rather potent alcohol content and should not be rushed, it is best to lightly sip and even put it down and out of view a time or two, to draw out the ritual. Pastis, in case you are wondering, is a very popular drink in Provence, France. Seen on many beverage menus of U.S. restaurants as well, pastis is a licorice or anise flavored spirit meant to be enjoyed slowly. Pastis is descended from the notorious absinthe, a mind numbing distillation popular in France until early this century.

Absinthe was banned in France in 1915 and was blamed for murders, criminal unsanity, and even of Van Gogh’s hacking off of his own ear. Despite the colorful vintage posters, absinthe is ugly stuff, and although can still be had by foolhardy risk takers, it is advised to stay clear of it. Pastis is the sane descendent. Pastis is made from alcohol and distilled herbs or herbal extracts, chief among them is grand wormwood and green anise, and almost always including three other herbs; petite wormwood, fennel and hyssop. Star anise is sometimes substituted for the green anise. Pastis with its sweet licorice taste should be taken from a tall narrow glass. Add some ice cubes to the glass and pour the pastis over the ice. Then add water. The general measurement is 1/3 pastis and 2/3 water. You can add more ice cubes as you go along - many prefer up to 4 parts water to one part pastis. It is considered a daytime drink and a real thirst quencher. It can be mixed with grapefruit juice for a sweet-tart flavor. A handful of crisp almonds is a good accompanient. There are several brands sold in the US, many distinguished by the variety of spices added, like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg. Among the brands available here are Pastis 51 - very pungent; Ricard, similar to Pastis 51 and common in the States; Baldanis, dry with the essence of anise; and Jean Boyer, a dry aromatic bouquet said to contain 24 herbs and 12 spices. There is also a non alcoholic pastis called Pacific.

Pernod is another brand that is handled like pastis but is not pastis. It is actually distilled from a wine flavored with anise, fennel and other herbs. It is however, similar and is served in the same way as pastis. Enjoy a pastis on your next afternoon sojourn. If even on your own back porch, sit back, tip your drink and enjoy the scents of the warm mediterranean summer breeze as it slips over the Provence lavendar fields and stone walls just a little bit beyond the horizon.

About the Author
Kathleen Jerauld-brack is a writer, artist and graphic designer. She is the webmistress of BestPlacetoEat.com and Kajer Design Studio at Kajer.com.