One day in 1932, he finally had his recipe, declaring, “It shall be called Ricard, the real pastis from Marseille!” At the age of only 23, Paul Ricard had just invented the first French long drink: one volume of pastis with five volumes of water, served with ice. “I am willing to put my name on it,” he proclaimed, “because I am sure of the quality of this pastis and proud of its unique taste”.
Ricard pastis was an immediate hit. By 1938, sales already stood at 2.4 million litres. In 1984 the by now world-famous brand celebrated its billionth bottle.
A distinct fresh taste of liquorice and subtle Provence herbs. Aged in large barrels in the open air, a slight "sea-side" flavour is imparted by the salt spray that licks the barrels.