Pastis
Pastis is a French aniseed spirit drink that must be at least 40% ABV and must contain liquorice root extract as well as anise. Ricard Original is 45% ABV on Pernod Ricard’s website, the figure we count. Retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008 also caps sugars at under 100g a litre. The French Pearl takes 7.5ml of it, about 0.34 of a UK unit. Pernod and absinthe sit beside it on the back bar and are different drinks. Pernod has very little liquorice. Absinthe is built on wormwood.
Quick Facts
Upright, sealed and out of direct light, as for other spirits.
None of the 14 listed allergens. Ricard Original’s ingredients list names none. Recipes change: check the bottle.
About Pastis
Flavour Profile
Primary Flavours
Tasting Notes
Anise and liquorice lead, with aromatic plants behind, as the ingredients list describes.
The law asks for liquorice and sets a floor of 40%
Annex II of the retained spirit drinks regulation lists pastis as category 26. It is an aniseed-flavoured spirit drink that also contains natural extracts of liquorice root, with glycyrrhizic acid between 0.05 and 0.5g a litre. The minimum strength is 40%, sugars must be under 100g a litre, anethole must sit between 1.5 and 2g a litre, and only natural flavourings may be used.
Category 27 is pastis de Marseille, a pastis with 2g of anethole a litre and a minimum strength of 45%.
Ricard Original is 45% ABV with about 10g of sugar a litre
Pernod Ricard’s own website gives Ricard Original at 45% ABV. The ingredients are water, alcohol, sugar, natural liquorice extracts, anise, caramelised sugar and aromatic plants. The nutrition table shows 1g of sugars per 100ml, about 10g a litre, well under the ceiling. Pernod Ricard says the recipe has been unchanged since Paul Ricard created it in 1932.
Its serving advice is 2cl of Ricard to five to seven times that volume of water. The table on the same website puts 2cl and 14cl of water at 7.1g of alcohol, which is about 0.9 of a UK unit.
Pastis against the aniseed drinks it sits beside
Pastis
- Category
- Annex II category 26
- Strength
- At least 40%
- Sugar
- Under 100g a litre
- Defining plants
- Anise, with liquorice root extract required
Pastis de Marseille
- Category
- Annex II category 27
- Strength
- At least 45%
- Sugar
- As pastis
- Defining plants
- Anethole at 2g a litre
Ricard Original
- Category
- Pernod Ricard’s own listing
- Strength
- 45%
- Sugar
- About 10g a litre
- Defining plants
- Star anise, fennel anise, liquorice, aromatic plants
Pernod
- Category
- Anise spirit drink
- Strength
- 40%
- Sugar
- About 27g a litre
- Defining plants
- Star anise, fennel; very little liquorice
Absinthe
- Category
- Spirit drink; no Annex II category
- Strength
- 68% as we count it
- Sugar
- Not traditionally sweetened
- Defining plants
- Wormwood, anise, fennel
| Drink | Category | Strength | Sugar | Defining plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastis | Annex II category 26 | At least 40% | Under 100g a litre | Anise, with liquorice root extract required |
| Pastis de Marseille | Annex II category 27 | At least 45% | As pastis | Anethole at 2g a litre |
| Ricard Original | Pernod Ricard’s own listing | 45% | About 10g a litre | Star anise, fennel anise, liquorice, aromatic plants |
| Pernod | Anise spirit drink | 40% | About 27g a litre | Star anise, fennel; very little liquorice |
| Absinthe | Spirit drink; no Annex II category | 68% as we count it | Not traditionally sweetened | Wormwood, anise, fennel |
Liquorice separates it from Pernod, wormwood from absinthe
Pernod is a 40% anise spirit drink that Pernod Ricard says holds very little liquorice, which is what distinguishes it from pastis. Absinthe is the wormwood spirit, bottled far stronger and not traditionally sweetened. The three cloud with water, but they are not interchangeable at a full measure.
In our recipes it is a seasoning
The French Pearl puts 7.5ml of pastis among 60ml of gin, lime, syrup and mint. At 45% that adds 0.34 of a UK unit. Our Death in the Afternoon entry notes that pastis is a swap some make for absinthe, and that it gives a softer, sweeter drink.
Using Pastis
Usage
Measure 7.5ml into the shaker, as the French Pearl does. To serve it as Pernod Ricard advises, pour 2cl and add five to seven times that volume of cold water, 100 to 140ml.
Pro Tip
At 7.5ml pastis is a seasoning. If the anise is the first thing you name in the glass, there is too much.
Top Tips
- Read the strength on the label. The law sets 40% as the floor, and Ricard Original is 45%.
- Measure the small pour with a jigger.
- Taste before adding more. Anise shows at small amounts, and a drink overdosed with it is hard to rescue.
- Follow Ricard’s water advice for a long serve: five to seven parts for Ricard Original.
Possible Substitutions
Production Method
Aniseed flavouring and natural liquorice root extract in alcohol, within the limits of Annex II: at least 40% ABV, under 100g of sugars a litre, 1.5 to 2g of anethole a litre.
History & Context
Pernod Ricard’s own website says Paul Ricard created Ricard in 1932 and that the recipe is unchanged. The same company dates the anise drink Pernod to 1920.
More to explore
Common Questions
What is pastis?
How strong is pastis?
What is the difference between pastis and Pernod?
What is the difference between pastis and absinthe?
How do you drink pastis?
Does pastis contain allergens?
How long does pastis keep once opened?
What can I use instead of pastis?
Which drinks use pastis?
Sources.
Correct as of 1 November 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, Annex II (as retained in UK law)” (category 26 pastis (liquorice root extract, glycyrrhizic acid 0.05 to 0.5g/l, minimum 40%, under 100g/l sugars, anethole 1.5 to 2g/l); category 27 pastis de Marseille (45%, anethole 2g/l)).
- Pernod Ricard, “Ricard” (Ricard Original 45% ABV; ingredients list; 1g sugars per 100ml; 2cl with 5 to 7 volumes of water; 7.1g alcohol per 2cl serve; created 1932 by Paul Ricard).
- Pernod Ricard, “Pernod” (Pernod 40% ABV, 2.7g sugars per 100ml; very little liquorice, which distinguishes it from pastis; created 1920).
- NHS, “Calculating alcohol units” (units = ABV x ml / 1000; the 14-units-a-week guidance).
From the Guides
Made with Pastis
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Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 1 November 2026