The personal experience I had with Pisco when visiting Peru, was very exciting. From the first day of arrival to the last day, drinking pisco became a small habit for the little excursion we had on the other side of the world.
Our first night, was spent at Toscha’s house, to which a lovely bartender introduced us to many different types of cocktails, starting with the “clichés” such as Pisco sour moving on to lychee Pisco martinis. Not having drunk pisco that much before coming, it was quite amazing how passionate and enthusiastic everyone was about this drink and how so much culture and history could be behind it.
Throughout the week, our welcome drinks were the famous “Chilcano”. It is a very refreshing drink with Pisco and ginger ale. At Gaston Acurio, we had a little twist of the drink. They added green apple, making the cocktail even more refreshing than normal.
Many different facts throughout the week were taught to us. Pisco is actually a brandy which not many people would assume immediately, however it is distilled just like brandies from France as it’s a fermented grape juice. They even have a day dedicated to Pisco and Pisco sours. On these days, people compete in making the tastiest pisco sours and competitions are held throughout the day by using pisco for basically everything such as milkshakes and cakes.
Pisco is also used for infusions and has become very popular the last few years. Pisco can be infused with basically anything from fruit to coffee or chili. A bar in London even opened called Ceviche where many drinks are dedicated to this loved Peruvian drink.
By Lucy Hutchines
Throughout the distillation, alcohol and heavier liquids are separated, resulting in a clean distillation process. This way the flavours are also enhanced. Additionally, producers only use the best quality grapes by only using the finest and cleanest fruits they find.