From Pastis to Melonade, Mediterranean Spirits of Summer

In The Spirit of the Mediterranean (FT Week-End) Andrew Jefford lays out the intertwined history of Pastis and Absinthe.

Aniseed flavored drinks can be found in various disguises around the Mediterranean.
As his piece states: "Sit down by the soft waves anywhere from Perpignan eastwards to Tripoli and Beirut, and it tends to be milky emulsions based on this spice that accompany the falling of the hours. The name may change (pastis, ouzo, raki, arak), but the flavour note is constant".
I did not know until reading his prose that 'Pastis' meant 'mixture' in Provencal.
I agree wholeheartedly that Pastis is a Summer drink.
It is in my mind associated with nonchalant lunches at a terrace letting time wither away.

I have not tasted any of the artisanal alternatives that he mentions: Eyguebelle which besides Pastis offers Melonade (my illustration) an aperitif made from an infusion and juice of the Cavaillon melon, Jean Boyer, according to La Cave Spirituelle "owes its name to the abbot of the same name who used to be the chaplain of some boy scouts. With them he founded a kind of community which got involved into producing artisan spirits" and Henri Bardouin (from Distilleries de Provence).

In Andrew Jefford's view: Henri Bardouin "is the most widely distributed of the three, and claims grand cru status – though the notion of the cru or “growth” is hard to sustain for a spirit whose main single ingredient is alcohol derived from sugarbeet. The difference between Henri Bardouin and its mass-market alternatives are that the recipe is notably more complex, containing (according to company chief Alain Robert) some 65 different herbs and spices".

Eager to find out more about Pastis and Absinthe in the US, The Wormwood Society wants to help you do just that.

Related bits: No Guillotine: Pastis, Pate, Patisseries, Petit Basque, Ratatouille on Bastille Day menu
and Absinthe...Aperitif...Myth, Madness and the Dead Poets Society