Pastis is the legal successor to absinthe in France an anise-and-liquorice spirit introduced after the 1915 absinthe ban and formalised as a product category in 1932. The absinthe ban specifically prohibited grande wormwood; pastis uses star anise, liquorice root, and Provencal aromatic herbs as its botanical foundation, without the wormwood. Serve long over ice, diluted 1:5 to 1:7 with cold water, which triggers louche (the characteristic milky opacity) as the anethol in the anise precipitates.

Distillerie et Domaines de Provence (Forcalquier, Haute-Provence) produces Henri Bardouin widely regarded as the most complex pastis on the market, made from 65 plants and spices from the Haute-Provence garrigue including thyme, sage, rosemary, cardamom, and star anise. It is the artisan reference point for the category. Jean Boyer (Marseille region) covers the traditional Marseille-style pastis from the city most associated with the drink's history.