I rarely drink pastis, but it’s always neat with maybe a small ice cube. It’s too insipid (for my taste) when diluted.
I can’t stand it when the only options ‘for the ladies’ 
is sweet stuff!!!
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Must say… we offer the same aperos for everyone… no segregation in our house… or anywhere else around here… 
I am, perhaps, giving too much weight to Madame’s prederences. Despite an excellent upbring by a mother whose favourite apéro was fino, she prefers Harvey’s Bristol Cream! (We have agreed that I am the one with taste in our marriage. In every respect.) She will also drink crémant, fortunately.
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I once got drunk as a skunk on sherry… and couldn’t even face the taste of it… for many, many years… still won’t drink it even now 
I’ve never seen it at local get togethers, thankfully
I drink Sanbitter, a non alcoholic aperitif a bit like campari. Used to be hard to find but now in every supermarket. Love the little bottles too.
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This is useful, because I was struggling to find the Fr equivalent of the sophisticated soft drinks which are increasingly common in the UK.
Nah… we don’t do “sophisticated”
A couple of lines of Chang?
Sorry, wrong thread!
just a thought (me back on my soapbox)… be careful if you see any mixed-drinks which include Pamplemousse (grapefruit).
Many Bag in Box and packaged drinks for “party time” have pamplemousse for extra flavour (whatever) but it can “interfere” with certain medications.
Our Doc had a fit when I cheerfully told him that OH was now on a good diet… “pamplemousse” for breakfast… NO NO NO! 
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Around Christmas is a fine time to offer up wassail - made from hot cider, in which apples, spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, etc.), pieces of orange and sugar are marinated. Add whisky. Or, Cognac / Armagnac / whatever you have handy 
The word wassail actually comes from the old Anglo-Saxon Wæs þu hæl (“be in good health” or “to your health”)!
which loosely translates as “be in good spirits” and (after a couple of glasses) even more loosely translates as "let’s get sloshed… hic "
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I find it too smooth, too like Pernod, 51’s my preference, but Aldi’s pastis is a bargain.
However, had never before thought of pastis as an ‘aperitif for the ladies’ so you’re the exception that proves the rule.
I blamed Picasso …
Incidentally, Super U do a similar, but super cheap gentiane drink that you might wish to try first -it’s less than half the price of the usual Salers - of which there’s three strengths ‘normal’ one is 16%, there’s also ones at 20% and 24%. Normal’s fine for me in a tumbler over ice with a slice of orange, or in a highball glass with something sparkly - eau gazeuse or whatever.
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I like Pacific - pastis type heavily anis flavour non alcoholic - for summer. loads of ice, possibly fruit juice in it also
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That’s a bit alarmist.
The most common reason to avoid grapefruit is if one is taking specific medicine for blood pressure/ cholesterol / depression - to name just three. If you’re on any prescribed medication, the patient leaflet will tell you what to avoid.
For those of us not taking such medication, grapefruit is a good source of vitamin C - although I’ve always thought it tastes foul!
OH is taking the medications you describe and others as well … which is why he is not allowed Pamplemousse.
When we are out with pals and someone comes round with a jug of “something” I always ask what’s in it… and it sometimes has Pmousse… so we refuse (explaining) and have something else.
It’s not something which folk think about when organising drink sessions (in my experience) unless they are like us… (medically)
our gardener prefers pastis, as do we. we once offered some sparkling water to him as we had run out of bottled flat water, he was disgusted! We have it with ice and water, too strong to have undiluted.
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These days most people over sixty seem to be prescribed statins, but one would hope they’d already know to avoid grapefruit.- I miss it, but fresh pineapple’s a reasonably sharp, fresh tasting substitute.
The point I was trying to make… and obviously completely failed to do so…
If one serves “straight” PMousse… fair enough… if it is easily identifiable as such and thus avoided by those who need to do so…
It’s when one dishes up a delicious “mixed drink”… with PMousse hidden in it… that difficulties can occur for those on certain medications.
hope you all understand what I was feebly trying to say…
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I tried Henri Bardouin pastis when I found a bottle in the supermarket.
Intriguing - worth trying if you don’t really like normal pastis - very, very spicy.