Five hundred years since it was first exported from southern Peru, pisco is making a comeback, says Joe Mortimer
Every spirit gets its moment in the limelight and this year, bartenders in Latin America would have us believe it’s pisco’s time to shine. The grape brandy has been made in Peru for 500 years, but its recognition internationally has been mostly limited to the pisco sour. But change is afoot.
Peru’s pisco-making heritage is undergoing an enormous revival, with artisan labels putting out small-batch varieties that are scooping up awards at home and abroad.
“Like Peruvian food, pisco has become a source of a national pride,” says Christian Bravo, owner of the popular Bravo Restobar in Lima. “Today the quality of our liquor, and its versatility in mixology, has made it the favorite of bars and restaurants in Peru.”
At his San Isidro nightspot, dozens of piscos are lined up behind a well-lit bar, where smartly dressed bartenders mix up an extensive menu of pisco-based cocktails, including the Chilcano, pisco served with ginger ale and fresh lemon.
Pisco comes in different forms: those made with single grape varietals are called ‘puro’; blending several varietals or mixing aromatic and non-aromatic grapes makes ‘acholado’; and the finest pisco is ‘mosto verde’, created by interrupting the fermentation process and distilling while there is still sugar present.
As with tequila or rum, different varieties have different characteristics. While clean tasting pisco puro is most commonly used in cocktails, you can only appreciate the sophistication of a mosto verde or the aroma of a pisco acholado by sampling it straight up.
“Pisco is one of those fun things like wine where you get to play with different flavours,” says Adam Weintraub, founder of the Museo del Pisco in Cusco, where you can tackle a flight of pisco and learn about the flavours and characteristics of each one.
“My goal with the Museo was never to open a successful bar in Cusco, it was to open up a didactic learning experience for pisco and bring it to the world.”
Peruvian food has already conquered kitchens around the globe; now it seems pisco is poised to enjoy similar success in the cocktail world.
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