Pastis, Absinthe, Spanish Anesone, Italian Sambuca, Greek Ouzo, Turkish raki or Lebanese arak: anice based liqueurs are very popular in most of the Mediterranean countries and every region has it's own version of the anise liqueur or anise spirit.

Surprisingly enough, the source of anice oil is not just a single plant species; it is made of de green aniseeds, which grows in sunny locations, but also from fennel, chervil and star anice, a crop that is related to the family of the magnolia and which grows in Asia.

In the old days Anise was often prescribed as a laxative and known for it's relaxing characteristics and, as such, embraced by liquer distillers in early times. In 1755, it was Marie Brizard whom made a sweet anisette in Bordeaux, France, but the famous Absinthe, with a much stronger anise taste, came from Jura, a mountain range on the border between Switzerland and France. It was Henri-Louis Pernod, the founder of the Pernod company, that made this absinthe elixir, mixed with water, a great success all over the world.

Around 1915, when Absinthe became the scapegoat of the temperance movement, it was labeled as the root of all evil. Almost immediately after the prohibition of absinthe the pastis was first made. This drink is colored and caramel has been added for taste, but the main characteristic is still the anise taste. Pastis is still the most consumed spirit in France, today.

A anise based cocktails in not the most obvious choice, because it's strong aroma would overpower de scent and taste of all other ingredients. Yet somehow London managed to make cocktails with an anise base popular; people would use Pernod, a colorless spirit with caramel, which made many cocktails possible.

Anice drinks are traditionally inseparable with the bitters. This group contains predominantly gentian liqueurs, but also Italian bitters and other bitter liqueurs. These bitter are ideal for bartenders, as only a few drops of a concentrated bitter, like for instance angostura, can enhance van many types of cocktails.