DIY Pastis Recipe

A richly flavored homemade version of the classic, anise-flavored aperitif.

A bottle of homemade pastis next to some star anise pods.

Serious Eats / Marcia Simmons

Why It Works

  • Roughly crushing the licorice root and other spices in a mortar and pestle helps release volatile aromatic compounds into the vodka.
  • The five-day infusion results in a liqueur that is deeply flavored.

One sure-fire way to start an argument with me is to say that absinthe makes people hallucinate. It doesn't. But if you think it does, you have something in common with French regulators in the early 1900s. Back then, everyone was panicking that absinthe would drive people insane because it contained wormwood. Before more people could succumb to absinthe madness and chop their ear off à la Vincent van Gogh, they outlawed the spirit. (The fact that absinthe was 140 proof and people were drinking it like wine had more than a little to do with the crazy behavior, but I digress.) With absinthe out of the picture, people needed another delicious anise-flavored alcoholic beverage. That's where pastis came in.

Pastis was developed as a substitute when absinthe was banned in France. It has the same woodsy anise flavor along with a little sweetness from added sugar. For nearly a century, pastis was the only way most of us imbibed our anise, whether it was on the petanque courts in France or at tony New York bars.

But even though absinthe is back in full swing, we haven't forgotten about pastis. Its lighter character and lower alcohol content make it more sippable and flexible than absinthe. And for those who stubbornly insist that absinthe will make you see tiny green babies or try to fly off a cliff, pastis can be imbibed without fear.

What's Available to Buy?

When most people think of pastis, Pernod is the brand that comes to mind. (In many circles, pastis is simply called Pernod.) It has bright licorice notes with a hint of sweetness. Most liquor shops carry it.

Pastis Prado and Granier Mon Pastis also have good flavor, though they're a little harder to track down. La Muse Verte Le Pastis d'Autrefois is a bit more delicate though I don't find it dramatically better considering the leap in price and possible shipping charges since it's not commonly stocked.

Why DIY?

Pastis has been one of my little luxuries, and I was shocked at how close the homemade stuff could come to the store-bought varieties with so little effort—and so little money. It freed me up to use pastis in new ways I was a bit too cautious to try before—such as using it as a glaze for fish to season the filling of a fish pot pie. Of course, a touch of pastis is always welcome in a batch of bouillabaisse, a pot of steamed mussels, or oysters Rockefeller. I also felt emboldened to experiment with a splash of pastis in cocktail creations and discovered it goes just as well with fruity concoctions as it does with dry cocktails. The most fun part of this project is discovering that steeping some spices and bark in a jar for just a few days can produce such a rich flavor.

The French manufacturers of pastis take pride in making pure products made with first-rate ingredients and traditional methods. But as much as I enjoy and appreciate that level of craftsmanship, it shows in the price tag. So I like to have a bottle of Pernod as my fancy-time pastis and a homemade batch of everyday pastis.

There is one drawback to the homemade stuff if you want to serve it simply mixed with water rather than adding it to a cocktail. DIY pastis doesn't dramatically "louche," or turn cloudy white when water is added. That reaction comes from anise oils not dissolving in water, so it's possible that subbing in a bit of anise oil could make a homemade pastis that would louche. But anise oil is pretty expensive, so it seemed to defeat part of the benefit of making it at home, considering how the much more affordable dried pods gave such strong and lovely anise flavor.

Use It!

The true test of DIY pastis was using it in my favorite cocktail, the Sazerac. It coated the glass beautifully and gave it the anise nose and hint of flavor that help make this drink so fantastic.

But there's no end to the cocktails you could make with homemade pastis. The classic Corpse Reviver no. 2 is a supposed hangover cure that also includes gin and Lillet. Remember the Maine mixes rye with cherry liqueur and pastis, and you can make it even more DIY if you also use homemade cherry liqueur.

I had no idea pastis could go Tiki, until I fired up the blender and tried a Test Pilot. It's pretty darn tasty. I'm also going to try my pastis in a 151 Swizzle, a Morning Glory, an Obituary cocktail, and a cocktail à la Louisiane.

September 2012

Recipe Details

DIY Pastis Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 216 hrs
Serves 16 servings
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 10 star anise pods

  • 1 tablespoon licorice root (see notes)

  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

  • 1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds

  • 1 1/2 cups vodka

  • 1/3 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup water

Directions

  1. With a mortar and pestle, roughly break up anise pods, licorice root, fennel, coriander, and anise seeds. Add them to a sealable glass jar along with vodka. Seal and shake, then let steep for 5 days at room temperature away from direct sunlight, shaking occasionally.

  2. Boil sugar and water together until integrated into a light syrup, about 7 minutes. While the syrup is cooling, strain the spices out of the vodka mixture through a cheesecloth lining a fine-mesh strainer. Strain twice if necessary to remove all sediment.

  3. Once syrup is cool, add it to the strained vodka infusion and shake. Let rest for 4 days or more before use. Store at room temperature for up to 4 months.

Special Equipment

Mason jar, cheesecloth, fine-mesh strainer, mortar and pestle

Notes

Most grocery stores carry the spices needed for this recipe. Natural foods stores like Whole Foods carry licorice root in the bulk spice section.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
68 Calories
0g Fat
5g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 68
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 4mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)