French Pearl

A stunning modern classic — gin, pastis, fresh lime, and mint come together in a drink that turns a pearlescent white, like swirling mist in a coupe glass.

The French Pearl was created in 2006 by bartender Audrey Saunders as a flagship cocktail at the Pegu Club in New York City. Saunders designed the drink as a tribute to the Beaux-Arts Neoclassical architectural movement of late 19th-century France, an era when sipping pastis was widely fashionable. At the time, both gin and pastis were considered unfashionable or unapproachable by many American drinkers; by combining them in a shaken, citrus-forward cocktail alongside fresh mint, Saunders made both spirits accessible and elegant. The drink's name comes from the visual effect it creates: when pastis meets the dilution water in the shaker, the oils in the anise spirit cause the drink to turn a milky, opalescent white — a phenomenon called louching — giving it the appearance of a pearl. The French Pearl became one of the most acclaimed cocktails of the early craft cocktail revival and remains a modern classic widely documented in PUNCH, Difford's Guide, and the James Beard Foundation recipe archive.