Tarquin’s Cornish Pastis is produced at the Southwestern Distillery in Cornwall, England, and is characterised by its limited production, with each batch consisting of just 300 bottles. This spirit is produced using traditional pot still distillation and comprises a carefully selected blend of ingredients.

The main ingredients include green aniseed and liquorice, complemented by coriander seeds, juniper berries, angelica root, orris root, cardamom, cinnamon and hand-picked gorse blossoms from the region. Orange, lemon and grapefruit peel are also added. Every bottle of Tarquin’s Cornish Pastis is bottled, labelled, wax-sealed and signed by hand, emphasising the artisanal quality of the product.

Pastis originated as a response to the ban on absinthe in France in 1915 and was developed in Provence by local farmers. It was legalised in 1922. The term ‘pastis’ derives from Provençal, where it means ‘mixture’, and from French, where it means ‘imitation’. A characteristic feature of pastis is the ‘louche’ effect, a milky cloudiness that occurs when water is added. This is caused by the release of the essential oil anethole, which is insoluble in water; as a result, the oils previously bound by the alcohol are released and cause the liquid to become cloudy through refraction of light.