🌿 Pastis

Pastis is an aniseed-flavoured spirit drink that, besides anise, star anise or fennel, contains natural extract of liquorice root. Under EU Regulation 2019/787 it is category 26: at least 40% vol., less than 100 g/l of sweetening products expressed as invert sugar, and between 1.5 and 2 g/l of the aromatic compound anethole.

The base is ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin. It is flavoured with natural extracts of anise, star anise or fennel by maceration, by distilling the alcohol together with the seeds or other parts of the plants, or by adding natural distilled extracts; the methods may be combined. Only natural flavouring substances and flavouring preparations are allowed. Other plants and aromatic seeds may be added, but the anise taste must remain predominant.

Pastis is one of five aniseed categories in the regulation. A general aniseed-flavoured spirit drink (category 25) may have as little as 15% vol. Pastis de Marseille (category 27) is a pastis with a pronounced anise taste: 1.9 to 2.1 g/l of anethole and at least 45% vol. Anis (category 28) takes its flavour only from anise, star anise or fennel and has at least 35% vol., while in distilled anis (category 29) at least 20% of the alcohol is distilled together with the seeds. These are all categories, not geographical indications: pastis, and even pastis de Marseille, can be made in any country as long as the rules are met.

Liquorice gives pastis its typical note. The law names the colourants called chalcones and glycyrrhizic acid, which must be present at 0.05 to 0.5 g/l. At 300 mg/l or more, EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires the warning "contains liquorice – people suffering from hypertension should avoid excessive consumption". In 2003 the EU Scientific Committee on Food set 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid a day as the upper limit for regular intake; at the legal maximum for pastis, 0.5 g/l, that amount is contained in 200 ml of the drink.

The label of a pastis must show the category name and the strength in % vol. Under Regulation 1169/2011, drinks above 1.2% vol. need not list ingredients or give a nutrition declaration, so the warning is often the only hint of liquorice a buyer gets. The name "pastis" may not be used for a drink that does not meet the rules of category 26, even if it smells of anise.

Pour cold water into the glass and clear pastis turns cloudy. Anethole dissolves well in strong alcohol but poorly in water: once the drink is diluted, it separates into tiny droplets and the drink turns milky white. Researchers call this the "ouzo effect" (Langmuir, 2003). The cloudiness is not a sign of spoilage; it is a normal property of aniseed drinks.

Why it matters to you. Look for the word "pastis" and the strength in % vol.: a drink below 40% cannot use the name, and "pastis de Marseille" is not a place of production but a stronger, more aniseed category. Pastis is not sambuca, which has at least 350 g/l of sugar. People with high blood pressure should mind the liquorice. WHO: no safe level of alcohol exists.