Pastis (FR. Pastis) - a French tincture of alcohol, which is used for the production of about 50 plants and spices. Prerequisites tincture - anise, anise star, licorice, caramel, caramel. Sometimes it is also called French anise vodka. The appearance is a cloudy, slightly yellowish drink. The strength of pastis 30-45 degrees.
The origins of the drink: it is Considered that since the ban of absinthe, the French were not going to forget about it. They came up with a similar tincture based on anise – Pernod, removing wormwood from the formulation. They even called her a fake. Perhaps that it was transformed into a famous pastis. And the word pastis itself is translated into Russian as a fake. There are two versions of the origin of the word pastis. "pastiche "in the Provencal dialect means" mixture"," medicine " (licorice, anise and other spices are often the basic components of various drugs, so that the taste of pastis really reminds some cough medicine). In the old French word " pastis "meant" muddy"," dirty"," opaque " – when diluted with water liquor takes a milky white hue.
Until 1922 the maximum strength of pastis allowed 30 %. In 1922 it was allowed to increase it to 40 %, and in 1938 — to 45 %.
In addition to recreational purposes, pastis was sold at the pharmacy as a medicine for helminths.
The basis of the bitters is a pure, rectified (that is, purified) alcohol, usually of plant origin. It adds the extracts of anise or licorice, and then the mixture podslushat and diluted with water. In General, about 50 different plants and spices are used for its production. Each manufacturer has its own recipe, kept secret.
The most popular brands and manufacturers of pastis: "pastis 51" (Rastis 51), "Perno" (Pernod), "Ricard" (Ricard) and "Jano" (Janot).
In modern France pastis is often drunk as an aperitif before meals. In the South of France, it is a traditional drink that is drunk during the holidays. To prepare a drink, it is necessary to dilute the pastis with water. It is believed that it is best to observe the proportions of 1:5. In addition, pastis is part of the set of cocktails. For example: "Parrot" - a mixture of pastis and green mint syrup; "Tomato" - pastis and grenadine; " Cornichon — - pastis with banana syrup; Antoine-pastis,
dry champagne, dry vermouth, gin, crushed ice.
Damage to pastis. Like any alcoholic drink, pastis is harmful to human health. The insidiousness of the drink is that intoxication with the use of pastes does not come immediately. The so-called delayed effect. Therefore, you can not calculate the dose and drink to a strong alcohol poisoning. In addition, the drink can be dangerous for allergies, because the anise – quite a strong allergen, if there is a tendency it can cause dermatitis, eczema, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and even asthma. And considering that the drink can contain up to 50 different components, it is unknown how it will react with the habit Your body. But the drink at the same time is useful in that it clears the body of parasites (worms), thanks to its composition of ingredients. The bitters stimulate the digestion (in Ancient Egypt anise seeds used to improve digestion).
Other strong alcoholic beverages
