Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Amandine
An almond
digestif.
Aperitifs tend to be served on the rocks, whilst
digestifs
are served neat in shot-sized
glasses. Many restaurants make their own (as do many entrepreneurial Provençaux!), and
it's not unusual for them to offer a glass of complimentary house liqueur at the end of the
meal.
Pastis: the Milk of Provence
When in Provence, do as the Provençaux do: drink pastis. An aniseed-flavoured, 45% al-
cohol drink, pastis was invented in 1932 in Marseille by industrialist Paul Ricard
(1909-97).
Amber-coloured in the bottle, it turns milky white when mixed with water. It is a classic
aperitif, but can be drunk any time of day. Bars and cafes serve it straight, allowing you to
add the water (five parts water to one part pastis).
A dash of
sirop de menthe
(mint syrup diluted with water)
transforms a regular pastis into a
perroquet
(literally 'parrot').
A
tomate
(tomato) is tarted up with one part
grenadine
(pomegranate syrup) and the sweet
Mauresque
is dressed with
orgeat
(a sweet orange and almond syrup).
Leading pastis brands are Pastis 51 and Ricard, both owned
by the Ricard empire. Taste them at Marseille's La Maison du
Pastis (
Click here
)
.
Essential pastis etiquette:
Best Wine
Shops
»Cave de la Tour, Nice
»La Part des Anges, Marseille
»Cave du Félibrige, Aix-en-
Provence
»Les Sens, Antibes
»Never order 'a pastis' at the bar - ask for it by brand such as
Ricard, Janot or Casanis.
»If you find it too strong, add sugar.
»Bars in Marseille serve pastis in four glass sizes - a
momie
or
mominette
(a dinky shot
glass), a
bock
(double-height shot glass), a
tube
(tall thin juice glass) and a
ballon
(like a
brandy balloon).
