developing a pastis

[dukethebeagle120]

i have a fiend who loves pastis so i thought about making some
found a simple recipe so go to go.
any suggestions on a great finished product

[cede]

There are so many pastis ! Recipes are kept secret
I'd like to be able to still some as it's one of my prefered aperitive. (Born south of France)

[jon1163]

Pasties... Aren't those those things that... Never mind

[Angoth]

Today's pastis is nothing more than a neutral with anethol and (synthetic) flavours. There are few to none pastis out there that are made the old way (too work intensive).
Don't know what your recipe is.
Anyway, I have a recipe for the type of pastis made in Nord-Pas-de-Calais (northern france) by some (older) farmers there:

take 1l of 90%-95% neutrals
- 50gr anisseed
- 50gr star anise
- 20gr licorice
- 10gr calamus
- 5gr coriander

Grind the herbs, add the neutral, let macerate for a week, shake macerate 2x per day.

After a week, add 2l water and let it macerate for another 2 days. Throw the filtered 3l macerate into your pot still and do a fast run. Don't mind temperature, don't mind making cuts, just continue until the abv hits 40%-45% (the liquid coming out of the worm should be white at that moment, this is the 'louche' kicking in when abv drops under 45%). You should have something like between 1,5l and 2l clear liquid. Bring back abv to 45% à 50%.

Second maceration with 25gr star anise and 15gr of licorice. Let macerate for 2 or 3 days. The clear liquid should have turned brown now.
Filter macerate (some people add sugar)
Enjoy.

[cede]

Thanks Angoth. Goes into my recipe collector book !

[augapfel12]

Today's pastis is nothing more than a neutral with anethol and (synthetic) flavours. There are few to none pastis out there that are made the old way (too work intensive).
Don't know what your recipe is.
Anyway, I have a recipe for the type of pastis made in Nord-Pas-de-Calais (northern france) by some (older) farmers there:

take 1l of 90%-95% neutrals
- 50gr anisseed
- 50gr star anise
- 20gr licorice
- 10gr calamus
- 5gr coriander

Grind the herbs, add the neutral, let macerate for a week, shake macerate 2x per day.

After a week, add 2l water and let it macerate for another 2 days. Throw the filtered 3l macerate into your pot still and do a fast run. Don't mind temperature, don't mind making cuts, just continue until the abv hits 40%-45% (the liquid coming out of the worm should be white at that moment, this is the 'louche' kicking in when abv drops under 45%). You should have something like between 1,5l and 2l clear liquid. Bring back abv to 45% à 50%.

Second maceration with 25gr star anise and 15gr of licorice. Let macerate for 2 or 3 days. The clear liquid should have turned brown now.
Filter macerate (some people add sugar)
Enjoy.

Hello Angoth,

great recipe. I will try. are you going for a spirit run after the 2nd maceration?

Thanks

Tom

[Angoth]

Hello Angoth,

great recipe. I will try. are you going for a spirit run after the 2nd maceration?

Thanks

Tom

Nope, no more spirit run. Second maceration is just to add a bit more flavour and the green/brown color.

[augapfel12]

Tom

Nope, no more spirit run. Second maceration is just to add a bit more flavour and the green/brown color.

thanks for sharing. Can I also use licorice powder or do I need the roots?

[Angoth]

Never used powder, so i can't tell.

[kiwi Bruce]

I have a recipe for the type of pastis made in Nord-Pas-de-Calais (northern france)

take 1l of 90%-95% neutrals
- 50gr anisseed
- 50gr star anise
- 20gr licorice
- 10gr calamus
- 5gr coriander

I'll throw my 2Cs into the ring...
The taste theory behind Pastis (and Absinthe for that matter) is balance...Anise seed, star anise and licorice all have similar flavors, so a drink made with the recipe above is going to be one dimensional. ( not saying "BAD" just one dimensional) the "Old Rule" I had heard was to balance the anise seed with sweet green fennel, this will give the drink a mellower, well rounded taste. SO...
for a 1 liter starting maceration...
50 grams of Anise seed (good Pastis base flavor)
50 grams of Green Fennel (balance the Anise seed)
50 grams of coriander (sweet "honey" note)
10 grams of sweet Melissa (lemon balm...leaves a slight citrus note)
10 grams of Angelica root (woodsy, earthy, soft taste)
5 grams each of any two of the following...
Green Cardamom, Star Anise, Calamus, Licorice, Ginger root, Vanilla.

Each herb you choose will alter the overall taste just slightly. It's all very personal.
Personal and fun...you get to taste a lot and share with your friends.
Enjoy...good luck...

[kiwi Bruce]

5 grams each of any two of the following...

Green Cardamom, Star Anise, Calamus, Licorice, Ginger root, Vanilla.

5 grams each of any two of the following...

Green Cardamom ( floral, fresh taste)
Star Anise ( "Hotter" and spicier than Anise seed)
Calamus ( bitter, earthy)
Licorice ( soft, very sweet, Anise like taste)
Ginger root ( earthy - substitute for Angelica root)
Vanilla ( Floral, candy like, aromatic, sweet)

Just a small add on...I suggest using the second maceration to adjust the spirit if you don't get the flavor or intensity of flavor you like...

[StillerBoy]

Just wanted to update Angoth's pastis recipe.. it is quite nice having done three batch so far plus other different recipes..

A note of importance that needs to be done during the process.. after the first maceration process is done, the liquid must be filtered before the distillation takes place, otherwise, the very fine sediment will en-part a slight bitter flavour to the finish product..

The first batch I did, I filtered the liquid through cheesecloth only, and distilled from that point without filtering through some coffee filters.. well, not a good process,

On the second batch I did, I filtered through some cheesecloth, then coffee filters, then distilled.. and the end product was very nice..

So thanks Angoth for the recipe, as it has serve me well as a starting point, and developing other recipes..

Mars

[StillerBoy]

A further update to my post above on the process for pastis..

Angoth's recipe in this thread is quite nice on its own as per the method posted, but even nicer if done sightly different in the process..

Angoth's process using 95% abv, is to macerate the herbs for 7 days, then add water after the 7 days for another 2 days, then filter and distill, then macerate the finished product of 3 days..

I have found that the finish product taste best (not so strong or bitter) went done in this manner.. macerate the herbs for 3 days, add water after the 3 days for another 3 days, then filter and distill, then macerate the finished product for 3 days.. or as I call it 3/3/3..

Plus instead of 100 gr of sugar, I prefer 125 gr, but that's up to personal taste..

Will update some additional recipe when done, to which I'm in the process of making kiwi bruce's recommended recipe..

Mars

[Bryan1]

Over the years one of my favorite drinks is my licorice root macerations.

Home grown licorice root just rip it out of the ground and the roots can be several meters long. Cut into 1/2 lengths and fully dry( use a hot box and on a sunny day they are that dry they just crumble apart. Now give the licorice a good wash to get all the dirt and let dry again, then put the lot thru a corona mill and discard the tangly fluff as that is the skin.

Now for a 5 litre batch

5 litre of 40% neutral
200 grams of the licorice root
6 star of anise
25 grams of Angelica root ground
a few sprigs of fresh fennel
about a dozen ground pepper corns
2 cinnamon sticks
10 grams cassia bark

Now I just put the 5 litres of neutral in my 5 litre SS boiler and throw all the herbs in, cover it up with plastic wrap to keep the critters out then I place the boiler in a sunny spot by my shed sliding door to macerate for a week. I don't even bother filtering the herbs out so when it's time to distill just put the boiler head on and I use my 2" pot still and do a run.

I suppose one could call this a pastis but with an aussie twist.

Cheers Bryan

[NZChris]

Thanks for that Bryan, I'll give it a try. I've just pulled some more Angelica to make sure I don't run out.

Congratulations on growing your own licorice. All of my efforts at propagating it have failed.

[StillerBoy]

Bryan.. a few questions on your aussie twist pastis..

You quote "a few sprigs of fresh fennel", as I only have fennel seeds, what would be the equivalent of that in fennel seeds..

On the final distillation, what abv average do you stop at, and do you add extra herbs to be macerated in finish product for a few days..

And thanks for the recipe, as I surely will be making a batch..

Mars

[Bryan1]

Not sure about fennels seeds but we do grow fennel in the vege patch so I just pinch a few small fresh sprigs, it may pay for you to plant some of the fennel seeds and try and get some to grow as they do grow like a weed.

When I do a run I use small cut jars and leave them to air for a couple of days and I find find below 40% the smell of the cuts can vary a heap, some very nice others like wet card board. So my advise would be to take cuts as the heads do smell a bit like nail polish usually the first two cut jars go into feints and I do take a generous amount for the foreshots.

I have never added any herbs after the run but it is something to think about the next time I do a batch.

I have some that is over 2 years old and the taste has matured into a top shelf drink.

Cheers Bryan

[NZChris]

That description sounds to me, because of the nail varnish comment, like you are running it using single pass base spirit.

When I try this, I will be using pot stilled grape spirit that still has some grape flavor, but has been double distilled and has no nail varnish, (heads), and wet dog, (tails), that need to be gotten rid of when doing the Pastis run.

Try that method, you may be pleasantly surprised.

[Bryan1]

Chris the neutral I use is made in my bubbler with 4 plates and a 500ml packed section of SS scrubbers. Now by leaving the cuts for 2 days the nose doesn't lie. Some say I could be wasting product but the stuff I make doesn't give one ounce of a headache and when I first made this stuff I drank a full bottle and set the record at the local hospital. The next I was still drunk but no hangover and did a full days work in the shed.

[NZChris]

I would never have guessed that my dirty old pot still could do a better job of separating out nail varnish and cardboard than a packed and plated reflux column. Hardly a week goes by without me learning something new.

[StillerBoy]

Byran.. thanks for the update..

I'm am confused somewhat like Chris on your cuts or the need to make cuts, as it's already processed.. in pastis, the neutral used has already been cut, so the product is ready as it comes off.. and in the pastis run, the collection is from start to 55% abv overall average, using a small pot and run slowly.. so your method is very different than the method for pastis..

Agree with the heavy flavor/smell coming over in the lower 40%, especially in your case, the herbs are still in the pot, they will be strong..

Not knowing what the flavor is like after your cuts, adding macerating some herbs in the finish product will certainly give it a stronger flavor or a much different flavor profile..

Mars

[StillerBoy]

I would never have guessed that my dirty old pot still could do a better job of separating out nail varnish and cardboard than a packed and plated reflux column.

The reason in large part for a pot still does a good job separating fores and heads, is because have learn to run it slowly.. it is the same for a reflux column, it will do a very good job of separation, but most people don't understand how to run them... they all want speed.. we all want to go fast, and want a super product, but it doesn't work that way..

Any still will do a very job of separation, if time is taken to understand the principle of the vapour behavior and the unit they have in hand..

Mars

[cayars]

Couldn't agree more Mars. People have no problem stabilizing a reflux column and taking the proper time with that still type, but then will just ignore that same principle when running a pot and will run it fast.

Give yourself some good head space (boiler and column), slow it way down and you can get really good separation. Much better than many people would think! A pot still with a thumper even more so as you can make use of the back pressure.

[StillerBoy]

Give yourself some good head space (boiler and column), slow it way down and you can get really good separation.

You got it cayars.. head space is so important, but it's never talked about, as is the rate of take off, and the principal apply to whatever still head used..

Mars

[Durhommer]

I would never have guessed that my dirty old pot still could do a better job of separating out nail varnish and cardboard than a packed and plated reflux column.

The reason in large part for a pot still does a good job separating fores and heads, is because have learn to run it slowly.. it is the same for a reflux column, it will do a very good job of separation, but most people don't understand how to run them... they all want speed.. we all want to go fast, and want a super product, but it doesn't work that way..

Any still will do a very job of separation, if time is taken to understand the principle of the vapour behavior and the unit they have in hand..

Mars

understanding how to properly operate your equipment...im gonna have to get back at it and not let the weather stop me sugar has become easy i just might get back after some all grain