Curacao drink substitute
Marseille native Paul Curacao drink substitute in 1932, who marketed it as the “true pastis from Marseille”. Aniseed-based liquors were popular in Southern Europe, i. Absinthe, an aniseed-based liquor largely produced by the Pernod Fils company, was the established “drink of choice” in France.
As a result of the 1915 absinthe ban, to substitute for this traditional aperitif, Marseille locals started mixing their own aniseed-based drink, made from a combination of star anis, water, liquorice and herbs. Paul Ricard was first introduced to home-made pastis, otherwise known as “the thing” or “tiger’s milk”, by an old shepherd. In 1932, Paul Ricard started the Ricard company to produce and distribute the product, purportedly declaring, “It shall be called Ricard, the real pastis from Marseille! By 1938, sales of Ricard already stood at 2. In 1951, 11 years after its interwar prohibition, once the production of pastis was authorized, the production of Ricard recommenced. In 1956, the delivery of the Ricard product on camelback, known as the “drink trailer”, to avoid the fuel shortages created by the Suez Crisis, became part of the advertising of the Ricard product, such as the slogan “The Ricard Caravan vanquished thirst”. In the 1960s, Ricard opened factories all over France.
In 1975, the companies of Ricard and Pernod Fils, the two largest French aniseed aperitif producers and fierce competitors, merged creating the Pernod Ricard group, which now produces and distributes Ricard. 1984 marked the year that the billionth bottle of Ricard was sold. Ricard is a French public company that was founded in 1932 in Marseille by Paul Ricard to sell his Ricard drink. In 1962, the Ricard business was floated on the Paris Stock Exchange. Paul Ricard’s son, Patrick Ricard, inherited Ricard as the company’s single product, sold almost entirely in France. In 1975, the companies of Ricard and Pernod Fils, the two largest French aniseed aperitif producers and fierce competitors, merged creating the Pernod Ricard group, which currently owns the Ricard company.
Currently, the Ricard firm is still based in Marseille, however, the production of Ricard today takes place in Bessan, with the blending and bottling also taking place in Bordeaux and Lille. Producing the Ricard, Pacific and Lillet brands in order to commercialize them in France and export them all over the world, through the Pernod Ricard’s distribution subsidiaries. Paul Ricard, who had a degree in fine arts, designed his drink’s first poster and label. The Ricard label featured an acanthus leaf, an ornamental leaf from the south of France, which has featured on every bottle and is now recognised as a distinctive mark of the brand and of pastis in general. An anethole essence is created by rectification of anise, star anise, and fennel seeds.
Ricard is often considered the leading flavoured spirit in France. This century, Ricard has reported an annual consumption of their pastis in France ranging from 120 million litres to 130 million litres. This century, more than 40 million litres to 48. Ricard are sold globally each year, making Ricard the world’s eleventh-largest spirits signature.
