Anisés

In theory, the anise family includes absinthe, and more generally all the other anise-based spirits. The most well-known are French pastis, Italian sambuca, Greek ouzo and the Middle Eastern arak. The first two are liqueurs, i.e. a spirit distilled with herbs and spices, anise and liquorice and then mixed with sugar, while the last two are distilled spirits with no added sugar. Having very different characters, these drinks are not consumed in the same way: sambuca is usually drunk at the end of a meal and arak during a meal of lots of little dishes, while ouzo and pastis are served as an aperitif, diluted with cold water.