Highballs and long drinks · Other
Pour cold water onto pastis and watch the clear spirit turn cloudy and pale as milk. Add a little almond syrup and the sharp anise softens into something rounder and almost creamy, a drink made for a shady terrace in the south of France.
¾ oz
pastise.g. Ricard · Pernod · Pastis 51 · Henri Bardouin
¼ oz
orgeat almond syrup
4¼ oz
water still, well chilled
1
star anise for garnish (optional)
Garnish: Star anise (optional) · Ice: Ice cubes
Mauresque
Soft and aromatic with anise and liquorice, rounded out by sweet almond, cool and very refreshing. Low in alcohol.
The Mauresque belongs to the family of pastis drinks served across southern France, especially around Marseille. Pastis itself became popular after absinthe was banned in France in 1915; Paul Ricard launched his famous brand in Marseille in 1932, and anise aperitifs diluted with cold water became an everyday ritual in cafés.
Mixing pastis with syrups gave rise to a small set of named drinks: the Tomate with grenadine, the Perroquet with green mint syrup and the Mauresque with orgeat. The name means "Moorish", but its exact origin is not documented; several stories connect it to the French presence in North Africa, none of them confirmed.
A French aperitif of pastis, orgeat almond syrup and cold water.
Anise oils dissolve in alcohol but not in water, so they form tiny droplets when diluted, the so-called louche effect.
Yes, but absinthe is much stronger, so use less and add more water.
The perfect sound
A lazy afternoon on a Marseille terrace.
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