Ricard is a French pastis producer headquartered in Marseille, founded in 1932 by Paul Ricard. The brand was established after the production of anise-flavoured spirits was once again permitted in France, and its recipe was developed based on traditional Provençal anise beverages. Production uses natural ingredients such as star anise, green anise, fennel, licorice root, and aromatic herbs from Provence. Since its introduction, the original recipe has remained largely unchanged, with production based on blending botanical extracts and essential oils with alcohol and water. In 1975, Ricard merged with Pernod to form the Pernod Ricard Group, one of the world's largest producers of wines and spirits. Although it operates as part of an international company, the Ricard brand remains closely associated with Marseille and the Provençal tradition of pastis production. Its pastis is most commonly served diluted with cold water, which gives the drink its characteristic cloudy appearance due to the essential oils of anise. Today, Ricard is distributed in numerous international markets and is one of the best-known French brands in the pastis category.