We've been waiting for it like the first ray of sunshine on the Old Port: Projet Massilia is back. Yes, THE pastis cocktail competition from Pernod Ricard, organized in collaboration with Force PACA, the one that turns bartenders into aniseed poets, is returning for a new edition, and we're already expecting some creations served nice and cold.
Pastis, shaker, and offbeat creativity: the holy trinity of the competition
The principle? Simple: You take a bartender (or an apprentice, or a budding mixologist). In short, someone who knows how to hold a shaker without throwing it across the room). Add a pastis from the Pernod Ricard range. Mix with lots of ideas, a touch of insolence, and you get: an original cocktail, easy to recreate, and above all, refreshing, very refreshing.
Because we're talking about pastis, yes, but not about a scorching terrace at 3 PM on August 4th. Here, we're focused on the twist, the creative, the pastis that reinvents itself.
The rules lay the groundwork:
• Minimum 3 cl of Pastis 51 or Ricard
• Maximum 5 commercially available ingredients, no more
• No more than 7 cl of total alcohol from the Pernod Ricard range.
• Preparation in a shaker or directly in the glass if you're going for a long drink.
• And for decoration: only edible items. Yes, even the candies. No, not the plastic umbrellas.
In short: a creative but structured challenge, like a good Friday night service.
How to participate?
To throw your name into the ring, simply send your video before February 8, 2026. All the info in the rules!
The road to Marseille
The competition unfolds in several rigorous stages. First, candidates must submit their registration file before February 8, 2026, including an original cocktail recipe based on Pastis Pernod Ricard, accompanied by photos and a video of its creation. An initial review will select 6 participants for each of the 6 host cities (Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, and Rennes). These candidates will then compete in regional pre-selections where they will have to reproduce their cocktail in front of a jury. Only the two candidates who receive the highest scores in each city will qualify, bringing the total number of finalists expected at the Club Pernod Ricard in Marseille, on May 4, 2026, to 12, as they compete to win the trophy.
What is there to win?
Let's be honest: if you participate, it's first and foremost for the glory.
But a little bonus is always nice too:
- 1st place: €551 VAT included
- 2nd place: €351 VAT included
- 3rd place: €151 VAT included
So, when do we sign up?
Project Massilia is above all a rare opportunity: the chance to show that pastis is a spirit that still has a lot to say, especially in the hands of bartenders who fear neither ice cubes nor outlandish ideas.
To your shakers. Honor the anise. And above all... surprise Marseille!
