At six in the evening in Marseille there is a sound nobody thinks about: water hitting pastis, and the glass changing colour. Ricard is the bottle that sound comes from.
Expert description
Ricard 45 Pastis de Marseille is a French Pastis created in Marseille and bottled at 45%.
Paul Ricard made it in 1932, only seventeen years after absinthe was banned in France. The recipe is built on star anise from China, liquorice root from Syria and aromatic herbs from Provence, and it has not been changed since.
It is the best-selling pastis in the world, which is why people order a Ricard rather than a pastis. The profile is clean and immediately recognisable — anise and liquorice with no spice layer on top — and it is built to be diluted rather than drunk as it stands.
Tasting notes
Nose
Star anise straight away, dense and sweet. Liquorice root sits just behind it, with a fine trace of dried Provençal herbs.
Palate
Soft, sweet liquorice, rounded anise and a light peppery warmth. Diluted it opens out and turns more herbal.
Finish
Sweet and heavy with liquorice, steady all the way through. Not complicated, but it lingers a long time.
Specifications
Name: Ricard 45 Pastis de Marseille
Distillery: Ricard
Region/Country: Marseille France
Type: French Pastis
ABV: 45%
Size: 70 CL
Serving suggestion: 1 part Pastis to 5 parts iced water
Flavour profile
Anise · Liquorice · Sweet · Herbal · Rounded
Did you know?
Paul Ricard bought the island of Bendor off Bandol in 1950 when it lay abandoned, and rebuilt it with hotels, a museum and a wine university. The family still owns it.
See our full range of Ricard Pastis
See our full range of Pastis
