[1]Greece has ouzo, Germany loves its Jagermeister and Turkey swears by Raki. The French though, will not budge from their love for the anise-flavoured aperitif Pastis. Pastis emerged almost two decades after the ban on absinthe, during a time when France was still apprehensive of high-proof anise drinks.
The popularity of Pastis may be linked to a penchant for anise drinks that was cultivated by absinthe decades earlier, but is also part of an old tradition of Mediterranean anise liquors that includes Sambuca, Ouzo, Arak, Raki and Mastika.
It obtains its anise flavour from a distillation (or industrially prepared distillates) of star anise, an herb of Asian origin, whereas absinthe traditionally obtains its base flavour from green anise, a European herb. Unlike a traditional absinthe, pastis is a “liqueur”, which means it is always bottled with sugar. It is normally in the range of 40-45% ABV. Like absinthe, however, Pastis is normally diluted with water before drinking. This causes the drink to turn milky, a phenomenon known as the Ouzo Effect. Pastis is probably one of the most popular beverages in France where 130 million litres are sold each year.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/pastisjpg-996