Since the ban of absinthe in 1915 in France, many of distillers changed their recipes for absinthe into anise based liquors without the wormwood.
Basically this is what we today know as Pastis, Anisette and Liqueur d'Anise. There is however one thing to keep in mind, and that is the misconception
that Pastis would be practically absinthe without wormwood. That is not true. Pastis includes many herbs that are not found in absinthe, and also licorice
extracts and sometimes even spices, which is never used in an absinthe. In this section are some absinthe substitutes. Some of them have their roots in
authentic absinthes, such as the Legendre Herbsaint, which was once a commercially produced absinthe from New Orleans, USA.
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Herbsaint (Liqueur d'Anis)USA, 45% alc. vol. (90 proof), 0.70 liter
I got this one as a gift from a friend, who ordered it through Hi-Time Wines in San Fransisco. So, the label is quite nice, inspired by old time labels, and contains a picture of the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. The Herbsaint actually doesn't smell like the regular pastis. It has a bit more earthy tone to it, and I think I actually like this one better than the Pernod or Ricard. Upon adding water to it, it actually didn't louche very much, only a slight cloudiness appeared. But as with any pastis, too much water makes it flat. If I had added ice as well, I guess the louche would be thicker. If you're in to really sweet pastis, you could actually add some sugar to this one, as with an absinthe, since it's not at all as sweet as most other pastis. On the whole I actually find this one to be quite all-right, although it's no real absinthe. I do recommend this as a pastis to anyone.
Pernod 45France, 45% alc. vol. (90 proof), 0.70 liter
The Pernod 45 pastis is probably the most well known pastis in the world. It is light yellow in color and just a few drops of water produces a thick white/yellow louche. It is quite a refreshing drink, but I personally think it is a little too sweet. There is not much of floral characters in this one at all, pretty much the only thing really detectable is the anise. A good thing to keep in mind is that the Pernod distillery of today has absolutely nothing in common with the old Pernod Fils distillery, other than the name. As a pastis, it is quite all-right, but there are many others that are better.
Ricard (Pastis de Marseille)France, 45% alc. vol. (90 proof), 1.0 liter
The Ricard is also a very well known pastis, coming out of the Pernod-Ricard corporation. It is a bit more complex than the Pernod 45, but still very sweet and of course the main taste detectable is from star anise. On the whole there is not much to be said, since it leaves very little to expect. It falls well in under the category of just another pastis. With the sweetness of the Pernod 45 and the earthy tones of the Herbsaint I guess this appeals to most people looking for an anise based aperitif, but also in this case, there are others...