BEVERAGES: All about Pisco-Its Chilean Peruvian Flavors

All about Pisco-Its Chilean Peruvian Flavors 

By Jorge Jefferds March 3, 2015 

Pisco is a strong South American brandy with a history, and a passionate following. Exported from Peru, and Chile, both countries claim to be the original producers of the liqueur. Pisco is made from only certain varieties of grapes, which are fermented, and distilled into a potent aguardiente. Being the essential ingredient in the now world famous cocktail, the pisco sour, is also celebrated with a national Pisco Sour Day (Día del Pisco Sour) in Peru.

History
Spanish conquerors introduced grape vines in South America to make wine for their own consumption and export. The story goes that pisco came into being as a way to use leftover grapes that were undesirable for wine making. Pisco is technically a brandy, made by distilling fermented grape juice.
Explanations on how this unusual drink got its name flow everywhere. Some say that the word pisco comes from the Quechuan word 'pisqu', which was the name of a bird found in the Ica valley region of Peru. It may be named after the town of Pisco, a port city near the Nazca lines from which pisco was shipped to Lima as well as popularized by sailors. The name is also said to come from the large pre-Columbian clay pots, called piscos that are used to ferment the grapes.
In Chile, the production began more than a hundred years ago, as these regions were once all part of the same Spanish viceroyalty. The vigorous dispute about whether pisco "belongs" to Chile or Peru continues on to this day.

Production
Pisco is made from only certain types of grapes, grown in designated regions of Peru and Chile. They are fermented into wine, and then distilled. The resulting liqueur is briefly aged, then bottled. In Peru, pisco is never diluted, according to the strict, specified rules governing its production.
In Chile, however, pisco is sometimes mixed with distilled water to reach the desired alcohol content.

Types of Pisco
There are four categories of pisco, made from seven varieties of grapes. Pure pisco is made only from black, non-aromatic grapes, usually the quebranta assortment. These were the original grapes brought over from Spain, which supposedly changed, and adapted to their new environment, resulting in a unique taste. Pisco aromático is made from one of four more fruity and aromatic varieties: muscatel, italia, albilla, and torontél. Pisco acholado is made from a blend of a non-aromatic grape and one or more of the aromatic varieties. Pisco mosto verde is made from partially fermented grapes. Pure pisco and pisco acholado are the most frequently used to make the sours.

Recipes
You can discover many interesting pisco cocktails with a high alcohol content (ranging from 60 to 100 proof). Since the beverage tastes smooth, many people enjoy it straight. Famous enough to surprise first-timers with its potency, especially when blended into a cocktail, pisco sours are notoriously quite robust.
Lima, Peru takes the credit for the first pisco sour. According to some sources, the inventor was a North American bartender, named Victor Morris. Gringo Morris, as he used to be nicely called, worked at the Morris Bar in the 1920s, near the city heart off Plaza de Armas square.
Besides pisco, the key ingredients for a great pisco sour are very tart key limes, an egg white, and Angostura bitters. The classic preparation is shaken over ice, but also frozen in a blender with crushed ice. When a pisco sour is poured into a glass (usually an old-fashioned cocktail glass), the egg white should make at least a half inch of foam on the top of the glass. The bitters are sprinkled on top of the foam.

There are many other classic pisco cocktails, including the algarrobina, a creamy cocktail made with algarrobina syrup and condensed milk, the chilcano (pisco and ginger ale), and the famous Chilean Christmas cocktail called cola de mono. Trendy new pisco cocktails are constantly being invented, and many people implement the exotic tropical fruits available in South America. Maracuya sours are made with passion fruit juice, and the popular aguaymanto sour is made with a tomatillo-like fruit. Mango sours are deliciously refreshing. 

Pisco in the USA

Finding pisco in the United States is not an easy thing, considering the fact that it has not become massively popular. However, www.totalwine.com could be one of the best online stores to acquire the popular Southamerican brandy. Another website fully dedicated to commercialize this beverage is www.drinkupny.com. If you are lucky, you might find it in your local liquor store.