Pastis is rarely drunk as a cocktail. However, it is an essential ingredient in mixes with colourful, evocative names. When temperatures rise in the South of France, it’s not unusual for pastis to be enhanced with a variety of syrups. So don’t be surprised to hear a Parrot, a Tomato or a Moorish ordered in a Bar in the South of France! Nothing mysterious or suspicious here; they are just cocktails names.
Perroquet
Nothing to do with the bird, but everything to do with the beautiful green colour of the mint. In fact, when you add mint syrup to your pastis, you get a Perroquet.
Basic ingredients:
Pastis
Mint syrup
Ice cubes
Plain water
To prepare your drink, take a fairly large glass. A large balloon or tall glass works well.
Pour in 2cl of pastis, add 1cl of mint syrup and plenty of ice cubes to cool the mixture. Finally, add still water, about 9cl or to taste.
For the mint syrup, you can choose a syrup with a higher or lower concentration of mint, but the blend of pastis and mint must remain subtle and balanced.
The Perroquet is easy to make and its freshness is wonderful in summer.
Tomato
There will be no tomatoes in our cocktail, not even tomato juice. It’s not a Bloody Mary.
As you may have guessed, it owes its name to its red colour… tomato red. This colour comes from the grenadine syrup, which very rarely contains pomegranate. There’s definitely nothing obvious about this recipe!
This syrup is made from a blend of red fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants.
Basic ingredients:
Pastis
Grenadine syrup
Ice cubes
Still water
The preparation of the drink is very similar to that of the Perroquet. Make sure you have a fairly large glass. A large balloon or tall glass works well.
Pour in 2cl of pastis, add 1cl of grenadine syrup and lots of ice cubes to cool the mixture. Finally, add still water, about 9cl or as you like.
To add extra flavour to your cocktail, you can add fresh summer fruits: strawberries, raspberries or watermelon.
Enjoy it to the sound of the cicadas on a sunny terrace.
Mauresque
The Mauresque, Mauresco in Provençal, owes its name to its white colour. However, its origins are harder to pin down. Several explanations have been put forward: it is thought to have come from the French soldiers of the African battalion of the 19th century, or it has its origins in the white colour of Moorish clothing.
In fact, we don’t really know who created it or why it was given its name. But it doesn’t matter, because it remains my favourite summer cocktail.
Orgeat syrup is a bitter almond syrup. Originally it contained barley (orge in French) and almonds, hence the name Orgeat. Today barley is no longer used in the manufacture of this syrup.
Basic ingredients:
Pastis
Orgeat syrup
Ice cubes
Still water
The drink is prepared in the same way as the previous two. In a large balloon glass or tall glass, pour 2cl of pastis, add 1cl of orgeat syrup and lots of ice cubes to refresh the mixture. Finally, add still water, about 9cl or as you like.
The success of these cocktails depends on the right balance of pastis and syrup: too much of one and not enough of the other will make the drink either too sweet or too aniseed-flavoured. Of course, you need to choose a quality pastis like our Anista pastis.
Happy Tasting!
PS: don’t hesitate to tell me what your favourite cocktail is.
