Pastis
Traditional recipe from Marseille and the surrounding region
Gaëtan Lassale is one of my oldest friends. We studied in Canterbury, England, together back in the early aughts. Gaëtan grew up in a village in the south of France, eating dinner with his family on the terrace every night in the summer. They ate lots of grilled meat and vegetables, along with ratatouille and aubergines in tomato sauce, which were prepared in the cooler morning hours and served cold in the evening. His grandmother liked to beat the heat by drinking the anise-flavored spirit pastis with chilled water ─ a popular drink in Marseille.
INGREDIENTS
Pastis
Ice water
ABV LEVEL
Pour 1 oz. pastis into a highball glass. Add 4-5 oz. chilled water. Add ice if you wish. (I do!) Add 1⁄2 oz. crème de menthe or green mint syrup, and you’ve got Le Perroquet.
PAIR WITH
Rebekah Peppler’s Summer Tian; meat, fish, and/or vegetables on the grill; in short, summer dinner al fresco ─ even if it’s a sandwich on the fire escape.
