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Pisco: The other white spirit
For National Pisco Sour Day last year, we heard from General Manager Raul Escobar of (the now defunct) Latin restaurant La Sombra, on the rift between Chile and Peru in the matter of Pisco production and who makes the best Pisco Sour.
This year, for National Pisco Sour Day (always the first Saturday in February), I thought I would share some highlights from an interview I conducted with Johnny Schuler (pictured below) at the San Antonio Cocktail Conference last weekend.
Schuler is arguably the authority on Pisco. Not only is he the Master Distiller for Ica, Peru’s Pisco Porton, but he also hosts a Peruvian television show on the spirit, called Por Las Rutas del Pisco, and has also written books on the subject. His extensive work to educate the public on Pisco and improve the quality of the spirit earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor from the Peruvian Congress. A virtual encyclopedia on Peruvian Pisco, Schuler is also a fascinating person and exceptional storyteller.
If you’re not familiar with Pisco, it’s a grape-based distilled spirit produced in both Chile and Peru. Schuler is one of many who claim that the spirit was originally produced in Peru, which is largely determined by the fact that the spirit shares a name with the town of Pisco, Peru. But if you ask a Chilean, they will tell you something different (you can read more about the great Pisco divide between the two countries in last year’s post).
One of the most interesting highlights from the interview was when Schuler described his fight for Pisco to be recognized in America as an independent, fifth category of white spirits.
“We don’t want to be compared to tequila, to vodka, to rum,” he explained. “No, no, this is Pisco. It’s a totally different world, it’s a different planet, its another galaxy, this is something completely different.”
The main difference is the ingredients employed to distill Pisco. Of the four main white spirits, vodka and gin are made from grain, rum comes from from cane sugar, and tequila is made from agave hearts. Pisco is made with grapes. Looking at the base ingredient alone, it’s easy to recognize that the distilled product will reflect a terroir and character completely different than other white spirits, and should be considered on its own merits.
Schuler prefers to drink his Pisco neat, and slowly, to let it open up and express its full bouquet of flavors. After tasting his award-winning Pisco Porton, I would agree that in order to fully appreciate the spirit’s identity, drinking straight up at room temperature is the way to go. The blend of Quebranta, Albilla and Torontel grapes creates a beautifully clean, fruity flavor. Warm chocolate and rose flavors provide an underlying sweetness while bright citrus notes float on the top, and at 43 % ABV (86 proof), the mouthfeel is remarkably soft and silky.
If you’d rather ease into the spirit through cocktail form, you could try it in a Peruvian style Pisco Sour for Pisco Sour Day. The drink features lime, pisco, egg white, simple syrup and Angostura bitters (see recipe below).
Or take Schuler’s advice and try swapping the pisco into classic cocktails that feature a different base spirit. He recommends a trying a Pisco Cosmopolitan or a Pisco Manhattan side by side with the original recipe, to see how the spirit changes the way the cocktail tastes.
Will Pisco ever take off enough with American drinkers to be considered a strong fifth category of white spirit? Far be it from me to predict sweeping trends of that scope, but based on my experience with Pisco, I’d say it’s worth fighting for.
Peruvian Pisco Sour
1.5 oz. Pisco
.75 oz. Lime juice
1 oz. Simple syrup
1 Egg white
Angostura bitters
Shake all ingredients (minus the Angostura bitters) in a shaker without ice, to emulsify the egg white. Add ice and shake again for a minute or two. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add a few drops of Angostura bitters to garnish.
**Photos courtesy of Evins Communications
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