Pernod

Pernod is a French anise liqueur most authentically served in the traditional louche method: pour 25 to 35ml into a glass, then drip cold water slowly over a sugar cube balanced on a slotted spoon into the glass at a ratio of approximately 4 or 5 parts water to 1 part Pernod. The addition of cold water causes the anise oils to come out of solution, creating the characteristic milky green louche effect and significantly softening the intensity while releasing herbal complexity.

The most traditional mixer for Pernod is cold water, which triggers the louche effect and releases herbal, anise, and liquorice aromatics. Lemonade creates a lighter, more accessible long serve popular in France during summer. Tonic water produces a more bitter, structured combination. In cocktails, Pernod appears in small quantities as a rinse in a Sazerac or as a flavour accent in the Corpse Reviver No. 2. Avoid cola, which overwhelms the anise character with phosphoric acid and artificial sweetness.

Pernod is a French anise liqueur produced by Pernod Ricard, first created in 1805 as a lighter, legal alternative to absinthe following its ban in France. Pernod is distilled with star anise, green anise, and various herbs including hyssop, melissa, and coriander, bottled at 40% ABV. Unlike absinthe, it contains no wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), which was the ingredient responsible for the ban. It is the defining spirit of the traditional French louche serve culture.

Pernod is made from star anise, green anise seed, fennel, and a blend of Provençal herbs including hyssop, melissa, angelica root, and coriander, distilled in neutral spirit. The botanical character is dominated by anise and liquorice notes derived from the anise and fennel. Unlike pastis, Pernod uses distillation rather than maceration as the primary botanical extraction method, producing a cleaner, more aromatic spirit. It contains no liquorice root despite the liquorice character, which comes from anise compounds.

Pernod is bottled at 40% ABV, the standard bottling strength for the global export market. This is lower than many historical anise spirits and absinthe, which were often bottled at 60 to 70% ABV. The 40% ABV means a 5:1 water dilution in the traditional louche serve brings the drinking strength to approximately 6 to 7% ABV, a moderate and sessionable level suited to the long, social drinking culture the spirit was designed for.