In 1755, Marie Brizard produced the first commercial anisette. The recipe consisted of aniseed and some other herbs, which she macerated in alcohol, then distilled and added sugar. This liqueur established itself as a popular digestif. In 1915, when absinthe was banned in France, aniseed spirits were also banned. Only 5 years later, however, this ban was relaxed again and the so-called aperitif aniseed with a maximum of 30% vol. alcohol to. By 1951, the maximum alcohol limit was gradually increased to 45% vol. raised. After the war, society fundamentally strove for renewal. It was at this point that Paul Ricard launched his pastis and hit the spirit of the times. It took quite a while before the former industry leader, Pernod Fils, was able to follow suit commercially. The company struggled with the old-fashioned image of the absinthe manufacturer and was busy with numerous company integrations. By the way, did you know that in southern France the term pastis is synonymous with the sun and that pastis is therefore usually yellow? From the 1950s, pastis became a Mediterranean way of life and a successful export hit. Today there is a whole range of highly interesting, artisanal aniseed and pastis. These are distilled from carefully selected herbs. The resulting quality is not comparable to industrial products prepared cold from oils, dyes and sugar.

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Distillerie Bourgeois
Distillerie Guy
Golani Distillery
Katzrin Distillery
Lemercier

45% vol.
50% vol.

Frankreich
Israel

500 ml
700 ml
1000 ml

Anis
Pastis
Spirituose

Minimum €

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Maximum €

Anis Combier

Sugar-free French aniseed distillate based on historical recipes.

Content: 0.7 Liter (€38.50* / 1 Liter)

€26.95*

Gold Label Arak

After distillation, it is aged for six months in old Golani whiskey barrels and refined only with herbs, no essential oils so as no sugar.

Content: 0.5 Liter (€75.90* / 1 Liter)

€37.95*

Gold Label Arak Old Edition

After distillation, it is aged for six months in old Golani whiskey barrels and refined only with herbs, no essential oils so as no sugar.

Content: 0.5 Liter (€89.90* / 1 Liter)

€44.95*

Mah'ia Arak

This traditional Israeli distillate is made from dates, aniseed, Florence fennel and star anise

Content: 0.5 Liter (€79.90* / 1 Liter)

€39.95*

Details

Pastis 1811

Lemercier Pastis 1811 offering delicate herbal notes

Content: 0.5 Liter (€43.90* / 1 Liter)

€21.95*

Pastis 1811

Lemercier Pastis 1811 offering delicate herbal notes

€29.95*

Pastis Combier

Classic French Pastis - herbacious

Content: 0.7 Liter (€35.64* / 1 Liter)

€24.95*

Pastis du Jura Le Cailleux 700 ml

Pastis du Jura consists of about 15 different plants including thyme, oregano and savory

Content: 0.7 Liter (€38.50* / 1 Liter)

€26.95*

Pontarlier Anis a l'Ancienne 500 ml

The historic "absinthe substitute" from Guy from 1921

Content: 0.5 Liter (€33.90* / 1 Liter)

€16.95*

Pontarlier Anis Ponsec

Ponsec - classic Anisee from Pontarlier

Content: 0.5 Liter (€33.90* / 1 Liter)

€16.95*

Pontarlier Anis Ponsec 1000 ml

Ponsec - classic Anisee from Pontarlier

€27.95*

Pontarlier Anis Sapont

New creation from the Guy distillery - Ponaterlier Anis + Sapin = Spont

Content: 0.5 Liter (€37.90* / 1 Liter)

€18.95*

Pontarlier Anis Sapont 1000 ml

New creation from the Guy distillery - Ponaterlier Anis + Sapin = Spont

€27.95*

Pontarlier anise glass

The original glass by Francois Guy

€4.95*

Details

Aniseed spirits - from substitute product to enjoyable classic

Aniseed spirits were included in the absinthe ban at the beginning of the 20th century. This was due to the similar ingredients and the manufacturing method. No one tried to lift the ban on absinthe, but the demand for a similar product became loud among the population. Due to the composition of the herbs, aniseed spirits were the perfect substitute for the forbidden absinthe. Since these were made with similar herbs, above all aniseed, the deviled Artemisia absinthium was not used, which was blamed for the alleged effect of the alcohol.

Aniseed spirits and absinthe after re-release

In 1922, the French legislator finally decided to lift the ban on aniseed spirits. However, production and sale were strictly regulated and an upper alcohol limit was set. To this day, spirits made from aniseed in France are allowed to contain a maximum of 45% alcohol by volume.

These spirits were known under the name Pastis, which originally translates to satire or imitation in German. An indication that you didn't want to do without the absinthe. Even after the ban on absinthe was lifted, pastis did not die out and still has many fans today.

As with most spirits, there are big differences in quality. Therefore, the connoisseur should pay attention to a few quality features when buying products containing anise. To this day there are many products that are only manufactured industrially with synthetic oils, sugar and dyes. You should rather keep your hands off these and reach for artisanal products.

You can buy high quality at lions-spirits.de

At Lion Spirits Gourmet Spirits, the products are carefully selected and are certified accordingly high quality. The range includes absinthe, pastis and aniseed from the Combier distillery in Saumur, which was founded in 1834, as well as distillates from the Guy distillery, a family business since 1890, with Pontarlier aniseed. Pontarlier anise was one of the first anise spirits after the ban was lifted.

When buying, you should also pay attention to whether it is a pastis or aniseed. Star anise is mainly used for the production of pastis. With aniseed, on the other hand, green aniseed is used, which gives the distillate a fresher and more subtle note.

Both distillates share the essential oil anethole, which is also responsible for the milky cloudiness of all products with aniseed. This effect is called the louche effect and is characteristic of absinthe, pastis, aniseed and other anise-based spirits.

Unfortunately, this is not a quality feature, as this effect can also be caused by synthetic oils. Therefore, as with most spirits, it is important to find out about the manufacturer and to avoid industrially manufactured products.