Enjoying Pastis

If you're planning a trip to the south of France this summer, hopefully you'll take the time to sit in a small village café/bar in the warm, late afternoon and soak up the sights and sounds of Provence. You'll hear the buzzing of the cigales (cicadas) and perhaps in the distance you'll see game of boules (France's popular outdoor bowling game) slowly unfolding amongst the village men.

If you look around at what the locals are drinking, you'll see quite a few slowly sipping a glass of milky pastis.

Absinthe, the forefather of pastis, was flavored with anise and contained the herb, known as wormwood. It was a very popular drink for a while, perhaps too popular, as it becomes a notorious favorite among artists and writers, many of whom had serious drinking problems.