Anise liqueur and absinthe as an aperitif: history, benefits, serving. Aniseed alcoholic drinks Anise alcoholic drink

Anise-based spirits can vary significantly depending on the country and culture of the people consuming them. Doctors of Egypt, Ancient Greece, Asian countries have used anuc as a medicine for a long time.

ANISE-BASED ALCOHOLS

Basically, anise alcohols have become widespread in the Mediterranean countries - France, Greece, Lebanon, Morocco, Spain, Italy, although in some regions of the United States, for example, in New Orleans, they are very popular. In France, two types of strong alcoholic beverages based on anise are produced - anise and pastis, in Greece - ouzo and tsipouro, in Italy - sambuca, and in Spain - absinthe, which has long been banned in most European countries.

There are two main methods for the production of anise alcohols: distillation of plant aromatic raw materials together with alcohol, and a simpler option - adding vegetable extracts and flavors to alcohol.

Anisette Marie Brizard

Anisette de Bordeaux

Raw materials. Anise ordinary from Andalusia.
Supplements. 12 different aromatic plants, almond kernel.
Fortress. 25% vol.
Place and time of production start. France, 1755, Marie Brizard.
"Pastis 51" (Pastis 51)
The original name is Pernod 51. The number in the name is associated with the permission in 1951 of the release of anisovka with a strength of more than 16% by volume, prohibited during the Second World War.
Raw materials. Anise ordinary, star anise.
Supplements. Various aromatic plants; licorice, color scheme.
Fortress. 45% vol.
Colour. Light brown.
Place and time of production start. France, 1951, Pernod; since 1974 the Pernod-Ricard group.
Other brands. Pernod 45, Pontalier.
Ways to use pastis. Like other French anise-based drinks, pastis is drunk in the following ways:
- with the addition of water in a ratio of 1: 5;
"Luminette" (mominette) - a small glass;
- as part of various cocktails:

Moresque (‘Moorish’, mauresque) - with almond syrup;
"Perroquet" - with mint;
"Canari" - with lemon;
"Fairy mort" (‘autumn leaf’, feuille morte) - with mint and pomegranate syrup.
Pernod

Supplements. Various aromatic plants.
Place and time of production start. France; after the ban on the production of absinthe in 1915, the Pernod company in 1922 developed a drink that had some resemblance to absinthe.
Ricard
Raw materials. Star anise.
Supplements. Various aromatic plants, licorice, color scheme.
Fortress. 45% vol.
Place and time of production start. France; the recipe comes from Marseilles, made popular in 1932 by Paul Ricard. Like Pernod, it resembles absinthe.
Raki
Raw materials: star anise.
Supplements. Rose petals (Rosa damascena, etc.), figs (Ficus carica).

Colour. Colorless.
Place of manufacture. Turkey, Middle East, North Africa.
Sambuca
Raw materials. Star anise, black elderberry (Sambucus nigra).
Fortress. 38-42% vol.
Aroma. Anise, balanced by the addition of black elderberry.
Place of manufacture. Italy.
Directions for use: In a small glass or glass. With ice.
"With a fly" (con la mosca): two coffee beans are placed in a small glass,
pour "Sambuca", set fire, after cooling, drink in one gulp.
Compatibility with certain dishes. Served with black coffee. In Italy, Sambuca is sometimes added to black coffee instead of sugar.
"UZO" (Ouzo)
Raw materials. Star anise infused with grape distillate.
Fortress. 30 to 50% vol.
Aroma. Very strong anise smell.
Colour. Colorless.
Place of manufacture. Greece, Cyprus

Eh, anise is good!
Did the housekeeper make vodka?

from the movie " Ivan Vasilievich changes his profession«

An aperitif is alcoholic drinks that are served to guests immediately, from the doorway, so to speak. The meaning of the aperitif is to drown out the feeling of hunger, cheer up, prepare the stomach for a large amount of food and alcohol.

Not all alcoholic drinks are suitable "for warm-up" as an aperitif, because they are drunk on an empty stomach and without a snack.

Anise tincture is one of the most famous aperitifs. It is most appropriate in the cold season, especially if it is damp outside, as a remedy for colds and the ability to quickly warm up. In Russian culture, aniseed vodka is drunk undiluted. Currently, we are not aware of the producers of Russian aniseed vodka or liqueurs (we will be grateful for a hint).

Ricard (Ricard)
One of the first aniseed infusions, invented after the ban of absinthe in order to create its analogue.

This drink was invented by a Frenchman named Paul Ricard in the 30s of this century. Now it is impossible to imagine the south of France, Marseille without this drink, which has become a symbol of the “art of living in French”. It is the first alcoholic beverage consumed in France and the fourth in the world. Strongly flavored with licorice. Diluted with water (one part Ricard and five parts water) before use, then ice is added. France, fortress - 45%.

COCKTAIL "ARIADNA"
Ingredients
For 1 person: 30 g of French aperitif Ricard, 100 g of Curacao sweet orange liqueur, 20 g of Marasquino cherry liqueur, chocolate powder.
Preparation
Put ice in a shaker, add a French aperitif, orange liqueur, cherry liqueur, beat, pour into a glass, cover the edge of which with chocolate powder. French drinks on the Russian national culinary resource SuperKuk.ru

Anise Liqueurs (Alcohol Based Aperitifs)
Alcoholic drinks with anise have been used for a very long time, since the strong medicinal properties of this plant were found.
In the Mediterranean countries, these drinks are used as an aperitif. In Russia, such tinctures are quite rare. Anise liqueurs have many names: in Turkey - Crayfish, in Greece - RCD, in Iraq and in Lebanon - Arak, in France - Pastis, in Italy - Sambucca, in Spain - Anisetta... Anise tincture is the closest, but harmless relative of absinthe, an intoxicating drink now banned in most countries.

In the production of alcoholic beverages, two types of anise are used: green anise native to the Mediterranean, and star anise , or star anise, imported from Vietnam or China. Plants are soaked in alcohol, and then the infusion is distilled. Sugar and caramel are added to the resulting drink.
The white color of anise drinks, which appears from interaction with water and under the influence of cold, is the result of the action of anethole. It is a solid substance of anise essence, as a result of crystallization of which shiny particles appear.
The strength of aniseed liqueurs ranges from 25 to 51%. In order to appreciate all the aromas of the anise drink, pour 2.5 - 3 ceniliters into a glass and dilute it with five times more chilled water. In hot weather, you can also add a piece of ice to this mixture, but this should be done only after the process of mixing the anise tincture with water is completely finished (so that the anethole does not crystallize).

Main brands

Anisette marie brizard (Aniset Marie Brizard)
For the manufacture of this drink, which began to be produced back in 1755, seeds of green anise from the highlands of Andalusia (Spain) and 12 other various aromatic plants are used.
Production is carried out by sequential distillation of alcohol and plants. France, fortress - 25%.

Ouzo(Ouzo)
A strong alcoholic drink flavored with anise. Greece, fortress - from 40 to 50%.

Pastis 51 (Pastis 51)
Anise liqueur flavored with licorice and caramel. Its name is associated with 1951, when a few years after the war in France, the production of alcohol with anise was again allowed. And the company "Pernod" launched its pastis on the market under this new name. France, fortress - 45%.

Pernod (Pernod)
This anise liqueur is the heir to the famous absinthe, flavored with various plants. It is drunk with the addition of water (in a ratio of one to five), in cocktails or with syrups. France, fortress - 40%.

Raki (Crayfish)
A distilled rose and fig distilled spirit, flavored with anise. Turkey, fortress - from 40 to 50%. Turkey's main alcoholic drink. The popular name is lion's milk.

Sambucca (Sambucca)
This anise liqueur with a strong aroma is drunk neat, with ice or with coffee beans. In Rome, sambucca is drunk "with a fly" (con la mosca): two coffee beans are placed in a small glass, aniseed is poured, they are set on fire, they wait for the drink to cool, and they drink. Italy, fortress - 38%.

Absinthe
The most famous alcoholic drink based on anise, sung by many artists and writers, and perhaps the most unknown to the whole world is anise-based alcoholic drink, nicknamed La Fee Verte in Paris - "green fairy".

Anise ordinary, or Aniseed Bedrenets (lat.Pimpinélla anísum) - an annual herb, a spice; species of the genus Bedrenets of the family Umbrella.
Annual plant up to 30-50 cm high with a thin taproot. The stem is erect, round, furrowed, branched in the upper part.

The upper leaves are sessile, vaginal. Lower stem and basal - long-petiolate. The blade of the lower leaves is rounded, whole-edged and deeply incised; middle - three times dissected into wedge-shaped segments; upper - twice, thrice dissected into linear-lanceolate lobes.

The flowers are small, white, inconspicuous, collected at the ends of the branches in complex umbrellas with 6-15 rays. Blooms in July.

Fruits are broadly ovate, slightly compressed laterally, grayish-green in color, about 2 mm long, with slightly prominent filiform ribs and 2-3 holes in each hollow. Fruiting in late August.
Differs in aromatic sweetish taste and strongly spicy smell.

Homeland - Mediterranean countries.
It is cultivated for seeds throughout Southern Europe and Egypt. In Russia, common anise grows as a cultivated plant in large areas, mainly in the Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk regions, in smaller sizes - in the Krasnodar Territory.

The chemical composition of plant materials
Dried fruits contain 1.5-3.5% (sometimes 6%) of essential oil, which has a specific smell, and 16-28% fatty oil, up to 19% protein substances, as well as sugars and organic acids. The main components of the essential oil are anethole (80-90%) and methylchavicol (10%), in addition, the oil contains anise aldehyde, anisic acid, α-pellandrene, α-pinene, dipentene, camphene, acetaldehyde, anisceton.

Meaning and application

Medical applications
Fruits are used as medicinal raw materials, they are harvested during the browning of 60-80% of the umbrellas. Mowed by machines, dried in rolls, then threshed and cleaned of impurities.

Medicines: essential oil, anise fruits, charges (teas), fatty oil, breast elixir, ammonia-anise drops.
Anise fruits and its preparations enhance the function of the glandular apparatus of the bronchi and intestines, reduce spasms of intestinal smooth muscles, and are low-toxic. They act as a laxative. They help with inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, remove sand from the urinary tract. It is used for bloating, to stimulate the secretory function of the liver and pancreas. Rinsing the eyes with anise improves vision. Relieves eye inflammation and anise tincture with saffron on wine. Anise oil and fruits are used for catarrh of the respiratory tract, tracheitis, laryngitis and other respiratory diseases. Anise oil is often combined with other essential oils, antibiotics; they are part of various expectorant mixtures. Anise preparations, including in medicinal preparations, are also recommended for anacid gastritis, flatulence and other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. For nursing mothers to increase the amount of milk, to separate phlegm when coughing, as well as for colic, it is useful to use anise tea.
Insects die from the smell of anise: lice, bedbugs, moths, cockroaches, arthropod ticks, bumblebees.

Eating
The fruits and the anise oil obtained from them are widely used in bakery, fish and meat industries, confectionery and beverages. As a spice, mainly fruits are used, which have an intense light refreshing aroma. Most often, anise is added to various pies, cookies, gingerbread, pancakes, muffins, dairy and fruit soups, to spinach instead of nutmeg and other dishes.

Russian anise vodka

In the XVI-XVII centuries, there was a trade route from China through Mongolia to Moscow. The spices of Southeast Asia were transported along it not only to Russia, but also to other European countries. One of the main spices was star anise. It is the fruit of a tree of the magnoliaceae family that grows in Southeast China. Spice caravans went through Siberia, so in Western Europe star anise was called Siberian anise. We called him star or Chinese anise. In Russia, which lies halfway from Asia to Europe, prices for spices were low compared to Western Europe. This served as the basis for the widespread use of Chinese anise in everyday life. It becomes an indispensable component of Russian pastries: pretzels, gingerbread, and gingerbread. Sbiten, a popular soft drink at that time, was prepared with the obligatory participation of Chinese anise. But first of all, it was used as an aromatic and flavoring component of Russian vodkas.
In those days, only those strong alcoholic drinks were called vodkas that had an additional taste, aroma or color. (Nowadays, drinks with a "characteristic vodka taste and aroma" are called vodkas). Simple bread alcohol was infused together with herbs, berries, spices and other aromatic and flavoring components. After that, the infusion was distilled - transferred. The result was a fairly strong drink at 37 ° - 45 °. It was diluted with spring water or consumed in its pure form. Vodka was called by the name of the main flavoring: anise, caraway ... Nowadays, real Russian vodkas are not made, bitter liqueurs, which are closest to them, are significantly inferior to them in quality.

Anise vodka is always mentioned in the list of drinks at the banquet tables of the 16th - 17th centuries of the Moscow feudal nobility. Peter I loved Anisova, as he himself said more than once. It is drunk by the literary heroes A.S. Pushkin, A.N. Ostrovsky, A.P. Chekhov. The popularity of vodka flavored with Chinese anise in the 16th - 19th centuries gave rise to another very similar method of flavoring - based on the seeds of anise ordinary. The latter, I must say, has long been used in Russia. This anise resembles Chinese in taste and smell. These are the seeds of an annual herb of the umbrella family. In Russia, it has been cultivated everywhere for a long time. In Russian, this word (anis - onis) became familiar in the second half of the 16th century. Anise tastes much simpler than Chinese. The latter is more aromatic, thinner and more complex in taste.

At first, anise was used to imitate vodkas based on Chinese anise, later it was used together with caraway seeds and zest to prepare an independent drink. They also called it aniseed vodka. Thus, since the 16th century in Russia, there have been two types of anise vodka, somewhat similar to each other, but based on different aromatic additives. We used anise vodka as an aperitif, before meals and with cold snacks. This use is due to the components of these spices, which cause an increase in the secretory function of the digestive glands. The essential oil from the fruits of anise, which remains in vodka after its doubling, contains anethole. Therefore, if you pour cold water into anise or cool it strongly, it will turn white - the result of exposure to anethole. The same will happen with anise based star anise, only it does not contain anethole, but a similar essential oil - safflower.

In the "stagnant" times in Russia, two types of aniseed alcoholic beverages were produced. Bitter tincture "Anisovka", where, along with the fruits of ordinary anise, coriander, dill and lemon peel were used. "Anise liqueur" was prepared on aromatic spirits of anise ordinary and Chinese. The liquor was colorless and had a sweet, pleasant taste and a thick aniseed aroma.
Currently, alcoholic beverages with these flavors are produced in many countries, but not in Russia. They are called differently everywhere, although the word anise is almost international. In French and in German "anis", in English "anise", in Latin "anisum". Nevertheless, in Turkey they are crayfish, in Greece - ouzo, in Iraq and Lebanon - arak, in France - pastis, in Italy - sambuca, in Spain - anisette.

The country currently producing the largest assortment of aniseed is France. The popularity of anise in this country is due to absinthe, a bitter greenish tincture based on wormwood. Absinthe was invented at the end of the 18th century by Madame Enrio, who lived in Switzerland near the French border. After her death, the recipe was bought by the Pernod-Ricard firm, and by the end of the 19th century absinthe gained widespread popularity, becoming an obligatory attribute of the bohemian "hangouts" of Paris. After some time, doctors found that the wormwood oil contained in absinthe strongly destroys the human body. At the very beginning of our century, absinthe was banned in Belgium and Italy, but the consumption of this drink in France remained huge. And only in 1915 it was banned in France. All absinthe drinkers and drinkers switch to anise, a bit like their favorite drink.

… All this anise variety, which was born in Russia in the 16th century, exists in different countries due to the unique aperitif characteristics of this drink. They say that after a glass of aniseed you can eat a whole calf. In addition, it has a very beneficial effect on digestion and the state of the body as a whole.
Why anisovka, one of the most classic Russian vodkas, is now practically not produced in Russia - a fact is completely inexplicable. But it's easy to do it yourself.

Source: excellent Website about alcohol NALIVAY.ru

One of the old recipes for Russian aniseed vodka:
100 g of anise is washed into a fine powder and insisted in 5-6 liters of alcohol diluted to 25-30% for a month. Then the mixture is distilled, brought to a strength of 45% and poured into bottles.

How to make anise at home
If you have a source of good alcohol (medical, double rectified, 96 degrees), then you do not need to run around and buy any "nasty" in the store.
Even though I'm not a housekeeper, I make aniseed a lot cooler.
So, we take a liter of alcohol, buy dried star anise fruits (such a spice, in the form of dark brown stars with a seed in the rays), 20 grams. We clean the star anise from dust, break the stars into rays, throw them into a bottle of alcohol, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir it until dissolved. And we leave it for a week. We take clean drinking water (how much? Have you forgotten the chemistry yet? Can you calculate the concentration of alcohol solution?), Throw washed silver (spoons, forks, rings, cup holders, dishes, ingots) into it and leave it for a week too. Having endured until the end of the week and not choking on saliva, we dilute the water with alcohol to the strength of anise we need (40, 45, 50, 60, 68, 70 degrees). We drip 5 drops of food glycerin into the finished anise (per liter of a 40-degree drink). Done! Drink to your health.

Source http://www.wapbbs.com/bbs/showthread.php?t\u003d83307 — say hello to the author from our project!

Anise and alcohol are a successful union. So much so that virtually everyone can accurately determine that this alcohol is aniseed. Meanwhile, there are a lot of alcoholic beverages based on anise.

First, let's figure out what anise is. It is a plant that is grown all over the world, but in the wild it only grows on one Greek island called Chios. Just think how quickly it spread throughout the world!

An interesting fact: in the production of anise drinks, the following types of plants are used - anise ordinary, star anise and star anise. The last two are not anise (star anise is the same star anise). However, all drinks made from all of these plants are considered aniseed. By the way, there is also "Chinese anise", "Indian anise" and so on, that is, any plant similar in taste to anise and replacing it in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and spices in a particular country.

Well, at the same time, aniseed alcoholic drinks can differ significantly from each other depending on the country of origin, alcohol strength and type of plant.

A bit of history

In ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, anise has been used since ancient times as a medicinal plant, and since the 14th century this plant has spread throughout the Mediterranean. In Russia, anise appeared relatively recently: in the 30s of the last century.

The production of aniseed drinks on an industrial scale has an uneven history: in some countries it was started very early, in others it was literally just now. Nevertheless, anise is equally loved in all countries of the world.

The most common anise liqueurs are found in Greece, Italy, Spain, and many Mediterranean countries. The origin greatly influences the taste, therefore each anise tincture is original and unique.

What are anise tinctures

Let's start with alcohol, which contains anise, which is known to many - this is absinthe. Of course, its main component is wormwood, but without anise, absinthe would not be the absinthe that we all love so much.

Let's move on to those drinks that are more aniseed, that are really aniseed.

The famous Greek anise liqueurs are ouzo and tsipouro, France is famous for its pastis and alcohol with a laconic name - anise. All of us are familiar with Italian sambuca. Many drank Turkish crayfish, and someone even happened to know the taste of arak, which Lebanon and Iraq are famous for.

Do not forget about Pernod - anise liqueur, which can be considered the "progenitor" of absinthe. By the way, there is also Ricard - this is a tincture that was invented after absinthe was banned, so to speak, as an alternative.

You can always buy aniseed alcoholic drinks at WineStreet store.

Anise liqueur is an old Italian strong alcoholic beverage that has been produced for almost 170 years. Its other world famous name is. The manufacturing technology of the original liqueur is classified, so only a copy of it can be prepared at home. The strength of the drink is 38-41%.

Historical reference

The anise drink was brought to Europe by the Arabs-Saracens, who drank it to relax after robbery and often used it for medicinal purposes. The invigorating strong drink first came to the liking of the Roman legionnaires, and then spread all over the world.

Italian manufacturers were the first to mass-produce the old recipe back in the mid-19th century.

Features of the preparation of anise liqueur

Alcoholic component. The liquor is prepared using undiluted 96% alcohol of the "Alpha" class or good quality 70% home distillate of double distillation and purification.

Raw materials. The taste base of the liqueur is a tincture of anise seeds, stems and leaves, as well as berries or inflorescences of black elderberry. It is these components that give the drink a spicy, refreshingly sweet flavor.

The color of the liqueur is varied and balances from colorless-transparent to reddish-brown and coal-black shades.

Supplements. As a supplement, spices are used - licorice and licorice.

Sweeteners. Sugar gives sweetness to the drink.

Benefits for the body

Anise (star anise) and black elderberry are two medicinal plants that have been used in traditional and folk medicine since ancient times.

Anise is most effective in diseases of the digestive, genitourinary, endocrine and bronchopulmonary systems (cough). A medicine based on it strengthens the immune system and greatly relieves coughing.

Black elderberry is a storehouse of vitamins (C, P B-carotene) and organic acids, glucose, rutin, essential oils and tannins. In the old days, it was considered the main anti-aging agent.

Kinds

There are several types of aniseed liqueurs produced in different countries of the world. They differ not only in strength (from 25 to 60%), but also in taste. Here are some of them:

- French version;
Ouzo and Tsipuro - Greek anise liqueur;
Mastic - country of origin Bulgaria;
Anisetta is a liqueur from Spain;
- prefers the Middle East (Lebanon and Iraq);
Raki is popular among the Turks.

Ways to consume anise liqueur

This alcohol is distinguished by the originality of the methods of use:

Sambuca con mosca. The most famous version (literally translated from Italian as "Sambuca with midges"). Prepare like this:

Two glasses or piles are served, in one of which three grains of coffee are added (according to legend, the grains symbolize well-being, health and success). The set (in self-respecting institutions) serves a saucer, a cocktail tube, a napkin and matches. All these items are directly related to further actions.
Put the first glass on a saucer and pour 50 grams of liqueur.
A hole is made in the middle of the napkin. Insert the tube with a short tip and leave it on the table.
Fire the sambuca and observe a beautiful blue burning for about 5 seconds.
The burning drink is quickly poured into the second glass, covering the top with the first.
After waiting for the flame to go out, they drink the drink in one gulp. The coffee beans are held in the mouth and then eaten.

Sambuca digestive. A drink made from "frozen" sambuca. The bottle is placed in the freezer for half an hour and drunk at the end of the meal, combined with hot coffee, desserts and fruits.
The stack is on fire. Preferred by Russians. The liquor is poured and ignited. After a few seconds, exhale sharply onto the pile and extinguish the fire. Sambuca is drunk hot (in one gulp).
Milk. After a dose of chilled sambuca, it is washed down with cold milk.
Minerale. Mix one part of sambuca with three parts of cold mineral water. This is a wonderful cooling drink for the summer heat. The drink becomes cloudy due to ethers, but does not lose its taste.
Champagne. For cooking, use 1 part of sambuca and 5 parts of semi-sweet champagne. The burning liquor is poured into a glass of champagne. First, they inhale the vapors, and then feast on the mixture.

Anise liqueur is also suitable for many cocktails, recipes for which can be found.

Aniseed liqueur recipe

It is difficult to achieve complete similarity with the industrial version, but we will try to make the liqueur at home close enough to the original.

We will need:

1 liter of alcohol (70% distillate or 96% alcohol);
0.7 liters of water (for syrup);
2.5 cups granulated sugar;
3 tbsp dry seeds or 150 gr. fresh anise;
0.5 cups of black elderberry flowers (or berries).

Pour moonshine (alcohol) into a three-liter jar and pour anise seeds and elderberries there. Shake, closing with a nylon lid, and leave in a closet or closet for five days. We check and shake the liquid daily.
We filter the tincture through cheesecloth into another vessel and mix it with water to a strength of 20% (you can easily measure it with an alcohol meter).
We distill a 20 percent tincture. After a while we get the first fraction, i.e. initial 50-100 ml (the so-called head), which we pour out without regret. It contains a large amount of essential oils that are unusable.
We collect the second fraction (body), which turns out to be clean, with a pleasant smell of anise, 50-55% of the strength. Leave to cool to room temperature.
The third fraction (tailings) is discharged into a separate container (with a strength of at least 20-25%). It will come in handy for re-distillation in the future.
We cook sweet syrup: pour sugar into a stainless saucepan and dilute with water, put on a small fire and, stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. The sugar must be completely dissolved. We periodically remove the foam formed on the top. Let the syrup simmer for 2-3 minutes. Cool it down.
Mix the syrup and tincture (at the same temperature). We pour it into clean bottles with ground-in corks.
We leave the drink to rest for a day at room temperature, and then filter it through a cotton filter.
The drink becomes more harmonious if it is kept in a cool dark place for seven to ten days.

Pastis (Pastis, accent on the second syllable) is a French alcoholic tincture with an alcohol strength of 38-45%, which must include anise and licorice. The drink may contain other herbs and spices (more than 50 items), but without wormwood. Each manufacturer has its own recipe, kept secret. Pastis is very popular in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Similar alcoholic drinks are Italian sambuca liqueur, Greek ouzo vodka, and Middle Eastern arak.

Any French housewife always keeps aniseed vodka in the kitchen, since pastis is suitable not only for consumption in its pure form and for making alcoholic cocktails, it is added to baked goods, meat dishes, soups. Store anise tincture in a cool, dark place, but not in the refrigerator, otherwise anise essential oils will crystallize and precipitate.

History of pastis

Despite the fact that this French anise-licorice drink came into fashion after the ban of absinthe in most European countries (late 19th - early 20th century), pastis appeared much earlier. In southern Europe in general, and in Provence in particular, cool herbal liqueurs are highly respected, and pastis can contain up to 50 ingredients, including chamomile, parsley, coriander, veronica, spinach and anything else - except wormwood. Therefore, "anise" is very similar in taste to absinthe, but much milder in effect and does not carry the threat of insanity due to the narcotic substance thujone contained in wormwood.

Even the French themselves do not know where the name "pastis" came from. Rather, they still cannot come to a consensus. Today there are several main versions:

They say that in Old French the word "pastis" meant "muddy", "dirty", "opaque" - when diluted with water, the liqueur takes on a milky white hue. To be honest, we were not able to check this version: there is no such word in the online dictionaries of Old French, but perhaps we mean an earlier version of the language, which has not yet been digitized and made available for free access.

According to another version, "pastiche" in Provencal dialect means "mixture", "mixture" (licorice, anise and other spices are often the basic components of various medicines, so pastis really tastes like a cough remedy for some). We were also unable to test this hypothesis.

Finally, from the modern French language "pastiche" is translated as "fake", "imitation" - how can we not recall the role of "absinthe substitute" that pastis played at the beginning of the 20th century? Everything is in order here, there really is such a translation, but how it influenced the name of the drink and whether pastiche really transformed into pastis is unknown.

The hometown of Pastis is considered to be Marseille - the capital of Provence

The official date of the appearance of pastis is considered to be 1915 - before that, the drink existed in homemade variations. Despite the common name, we can talk not about one liqueur, but about a scattered series of family recipes, united only by a couple of common ingredients.

Initially, pastis had a strength of 30%, then gradually this parameter was brought to 45%, and during the Second World War it was again reduced to 16%. In 1951, the government lifted the ban on spirits, and a new variety of anise, Pastis 51, immediately appeared.

How to drink pastis

Pastis is used, firstly, as an aperitif (a drink served before meals) to whet the appetite before a hearty meal. Anise, which is part of the composition, improves digestion and relieves stomach pains, so such tinctures were used for the same purposes in ancient Greece.

In addition, pastis is also good as a digestif - that is, an "afternoon" alcoholic drink. It is drunk both after a sumptuous feast, and before bedtime, or even between meals. You can eat pastis with any dish, it is believed that it goes well with fish, for example, with tuna in olive oil.

The strength of anise can be up to 45%. A Russian person, who is accustomed to stronger drinks, can drink pastis undiluted (the so-called "Marseilles method"), but traditionally it is customary to mix it with ice water in a ratio of 1 to 5. This is a reference ratio from which you can retreat in any direction, varying degree of aniseed vodka to your liking.

Most types of pure pastis are tea colored

After adding water, the pastis turns white. This is normal.

In general, in southern Europe, pastis has occupied the niche of beer - it is sipped just like that, during a leisurely conversation, reading a newspaper or sitting in a rocking chair on the veranda.

Pastis is served in small thick-bottomed glasses and drunk in small portions. Instead of water, you can mix the drink with juice or syrup, or you can sweeten it with ordinary sugar through an absinthe spoon: a piece of refined sugar is placed on a special teaspoon with holes and poured on top with water, the resulting solution immediately flows into anise liqueur.

One of the key properties of this drink, for which the French love and appreciate it, is a feeling of coolness even in the stifling heat, therefore pastis is a democratic liquor that is liked by both the working class and respectable bourgeois townspeople and the aristocracy. This is a strong alcohol, but with a light character, the embodiment of the spirit of France itself. Pastis is still served at formal receptions and family celebrations.

Famous brands. Anise vodka Pernod is well-known in France and abroad. It is believed to be an improved equivalent of absinthe, not inferior to the original "green fairy".

Another popular manufacturer is Ricard. The founder of the company, a 22-year-old boy Paul Ricard, worked for a year to create the ideal recipe - the pastis options that already existed on the market seemed too cloying to him. In 1932, Ricard created a new formula. Apparently, the young man was a perfectionist - he even drew labels for the first bottles of his aniseed, and, of course, the success was overwhelming.

Ricard's recipe is kept in the strictest confidence, and therefore no one has managed to repeat this fresh and perfectly balanced taste. It is currently the most popular pastis producer in the world.