Food Drink, please!

Lyon’s very own pastis

Anis des Gones © Richard Ducret
Isabelle Fournet
By Isabelle
Published on 16/08/2022

Whatever our friends in the south may say, the best ‘pastaga’ (anise spirit) in the world is from Lyon!

Don’t just take our word for it: the ‘Anis des Gones’ spirit created by Distillerie de Lyon last summer earned a gold medal in the pastis category at the World Drinks Awards! This triumph was masterminded by Richard Ducret. 

A distiller with six years of experience, he mastered his trade in his native region of Haut-Doubs, which is famous for absinthe, before working in Paris, Wales and London.

His secret?

Traditional distillation in a copper still and carefully sourced ingredients that guarantee consistent quality. His suppliers, which change from season to season, mainly produce locally using organic methods. There are a few exceptions, however, as some of the 17 ingredients that go into Anis des Gones cannot be found in France.

Richard’s drinking suggestion:

 serve Anis des Gones with plenty of water and very cool, in order to fully enjoy its flavours.
You can also drizzle some on a scoop of lemon sorbet sprinkled with speculoos biscuit crumbs for an original dessert.