Pour a splash, top it with cold water, and watch it cloud over from clear to milky gold. That's the party trick, and it tastes as good as it looks. Ricard is cool, bone-dry and loaded with star anise and liquorice, the drink the south of France sips in the shade while everyone pretends they have somewhere to be. Long, lazy, a little grown-up. Grab it for a slow evening when you want something that isn't sweet and isn't trying too hard.
Crystal clear in the bottle, milky and pale once water hits it. The nose is pure anise and liquorice with a green, almost grassy lift behind it. First sip is dry as anything, no sugar hug here, then fennel and a bundle of Provence herbs roll in, with a faint minty-lemon freshness keeping it from going heavy. The liquorice lingers long after you swallow. Refreshing in a serious, herbal way rather than a fruity one.
The details
Pairs well with
Where it's from
Pure Marseille. A 22-year-old named Paul Ricard cooked this up in 1932, refining the aniseed drinks locals had been mixing since absinthe got banned. He branded it pastis, sold it hard, and it went on to become France's best-selling spirit. The recipe leans on a potent anethole essence from anise, star anise and fennel, plus liquorice root that gets hand-shaved and percolated, and seven aromatic herbs from Provence. Same blend, same idea, nearly a century on.
Good to know
- What is the price of Ricard 70cl?
Ricard 70cl is KSh 2,669 at Oaks & Corks. Order online for fast delivery across Nairobi, usually within the hour, or next day countrywide.
- What does Ricard Pastis 70cl taste like?
Dry and herbal, big on star anise and liquorice with fennel and Provence herbs behind it and a faint minty-lemon freshness. Not sweet, and it lingers long on the finish.
- What is the ABV of Ricard Pastis?
It's 45% ABV in a 700ml bottle. Strong neat, which is exactly why you dilute it with water.
- How do I serve Ricard?
Roughly one part Ricard to five parts cold water in a tall glass. Add the water first so it turns cloudy, then the ice. Never drink it neat.
- Why does Ricard go cloudy when I add water?
That's the louche. The anise oils don't stay dissolved once water hits them, so the drink turns from clear to milky gold. Totally normal and the whole point.
- What pairs with Ricard Pastis?
Salty apéro snacks, grilled fish and prawns, goat cheese, or nyama choma. The dry anise loves anything salty or off the grill.
- Where is Ricard from?
Marseille, France. Paul Ricard created it there in 1932 and it became the country's best-selling spirit.
Ricard 70cl
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Ricard 70cl price in Kenya
Buy Ricard 70cl online in Nairobi, Kenya for KSh 2,669. Order now for fast delivery across Nairobi — usually within 30 minutes — or next-day delivery countrywide.