Pisco: Enjoy the South American Sensation

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As any bartender can tell you, pisco is one of the hottest spirits around these days. The grape brandy, once considered only good enough for the Peruvian peasants who invented it, has now sparked such international interest that Peru and Chile are in a bitter dispute about which nation can claim proprietorship.

Pisco is a potent brew! Containing about 45 percent alcohol, the drink still has a mild enough flavor that it can fool beginners. So proceed with caution but have fun experimenting, too!

Pisco History: From Humble Beginnings

Pisco originally evolved in Peru during the 1500s as a way to use grapes considered unworthy for wine production. After the Spaniards conquered the area, they began planting grapes from the Canary Islands to produce wine.

Eventually, vintners settled on an improved version of the black grape called the Quebranta. Grapes deemed useless for winemaking were given to local farmers, who began distilling them into brandy.

One town known for making this brandy was Pisco, named after small birds inhabiting the region. Sailors, those among the first ardent admirers of the product, began calling the brandy pisco to honor the port town where they bought it. Soon, what the Spanish nobility had once dismissed as “firewater” became almost as popular an export as the country’s wine.

Since that time, pisco had brief surges of intense popularity. During the American Gold Rush period, Peruvian and Chilean miners popularized the drink on the West Coast, especially San Francisco. Still, until recently, pisco never really shook off its reputation for being not quite as refined as other spirits.

Bitter Dispute

The drink’s new popularity abroad only fans the flames of a longstanding feud between Chile and Peru over which country gets to be the “authentic” pisco exporter. While pisco unquestionably originated in Peru, in recent decades, Chilean farmers experienced better luck growing the grapes.

Furthermore, Chilean distributors are not hampered by the kind of exporting and marketing bureaucracy faced by Peruvian pisco makers. As a result, Chilean pisco gained early popularity in Europe and the United States. Yet, Peru still insists the only “real” pisco comes from Peru. In fact, Peru is fighting for the right to have its grape brandy be the sole holder of the name “pisco.”

Types of Pisco

Despite the authenticity of both countries’ products, mixologists tend to turn toward the Peruvian method of classifying pisco, which has four categories:

Acholado varieties are derived from mixtures of a variety of grape “musts,” the term for the solids and liquids created just after grapes are pressed.

Aromatic piscos come from aromatic grapes, usually Muscat.

Producers make their Green Must varieties by using the must of partially-fermented grapes.

Pure pisco, like the Aromatic variety, comes from just one kind of grape, usually the black Quebranta grapes.

A National Obsession: The Pisco Sour

Unquestionably, the most famous cocktail featuring this brandy is the Pisco Sour. The famous cocktail combines pisco with egg whites, lime juice and sugar. So beloved is the drink in its own country of origin that Peru sets aside the first Saturday of February as National Pisco Sour Day. However, you don’t have to wait until then to make this tasty concoction.

Pisco Sour Recipe

Ingredients

4 oz. pisco
2 oz. lime juice
½ oz. simple syrup (see below)
1 egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters
ice.

Directions

Before mixing the drink, make a simple syrup by adding two parts sugar to one part boiling water. As with any food containing uncooked eggs, salmonella is a concern. One expert suggests blowing on the egg before separating the white from the yolk.

Combine the first four ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker or jar. Shake the mix vigorously, then pour it into an ice-filled glass and add the bitters.

Peru Libre or Piscola Recipe

Ingredients

cola, to taste
pisco, to taste
ice.

Directions

Mix your favorite cola with pisco. The proportions depend on your own taste and tolerance. But remember, pisco is deceptively mild!

Yungueno

Ingredients

1 c. orange juice
1 c. pisco
1 tbsp. sugar
½ c. ice.

Directions

Mix well in a jar or cocktail shaker, then place in the refrigerator until well chilled.

Pisco Cup

Ingredients

ice
1 oz. pisco
2 oz. ruby port
2 dashes bitters, preferably orange
1 orange slice.

Directions

Add the first four ingredients to a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously, pour into a serving glass and add the orange twist.

Pisco Smash

Ingredients

8 seedless red grapes
1 ½ oz. Quebranta pisco
2 oz. Riesling wine
½ oz. simple syrup (see note below Pisco Sour recipe)
¾ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
ice.

Directions

Gently smash up the grapes in a cocktail shaker and add the remaining ingredients. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Resources

Daulerio, A.J. and Eric Gillin (2004). Throw Yourself a Pisco Party! Retrieved April 26, 2008, from The Black Table Web site: http://www.blacktable.com/pisco040219.htm.

Embassy of Peru (n.d.). The Pisco. Retrieved April 27, 2008, from the Embassy of Peru Web site: http://www.peruvianembassy.us/all-about-peru-the-culture-peruvian-gastronomy-pisco7.php.

Fauchald, Nick (2007). Best New Pisco Cocktails. Retrieved April 26, 2008, from the Food & Wine Web site: http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/best-new-pisco-cocktails.